After Tuesday night's Eastern Conference Game 4 between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat, there has been much backlash as a result of the play calling made by the officials on the floor.
CBSSports.com is reporting that the NBA officials are looking into several controversial calls made in the Pacers' 99-92 victory Tuesday night.
The most noticeable missed call from last night's game was a blown 24-second call against the Pacers by head referee Joe Crawford with 8:26 left in the third quarter. Replays showed that Indiana's Roy Hibbert's attempt hit the rim, which should have resulted in a new shot clock. However, the ball was then given to the Heat and though the Pacers were leading 81-72 at the time, the Heat Miami subsequently went on an 11-2 run to tie the game at 83-83.
During that span Miami's Dwyane Wade coverted a three-point play to give Miami an 86-83 lead after being fouled by Indiana's David West with 5:57 left in the fourth. League officials are also looking at whether the foul committed by West is more deserving of a flagrant call being that he came down across Wade's body hitting him in the head.
Another play that seems a little controversial was Miami's LeBron James sixth foul call late in the fourth. James just came off of banking in a three-pointer to cut the Pacers lead, but as he was setting a screen during the following Heat possession, he was called for an offensive foul against the Pacers' Lance Stephenson.
"I didn't believe it was an offensive foul," he said about the last call. "I was going to set a screen, and I felt like I was stationary. ... Lance (Stephenson, the Pacers' guard) actually ran into me."
It is not clear whether James will be fined for criticizing the officials after the game. He was called for four fouls in the fourth quarter and fouled out for only the second time in his playoff career.
The fallout from the officiating in Game 4 now sets the stage for potentially the most anticipated and compelling game of the postseason in Game 5 on Thursday night in Miami.
It will also put the officials of that game under one gigantic microscope.
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