The Minnesota Timberwolves have been scratching and clawing their way back to .500 this season. They had finally gotten there with a chance to defeat the Mavericks and climb above the Mendoza line and into a winning season (at last).
And then . . .
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Kevin Love's game-winning 3-point attempt was blocked(?) by Shawn Marion and the entire Wolves team and crowd at the Target Center was left crying foul. Both Love and coach Rick Adelman had some strong words for the shoddy officiating on the final possession after the game.
The NBA agreed, albeit too late.
Of course I agree,” Love said. “I’m the type of person that if you see a foul — an obvious foul — you call it. I thought that was pretty, pretty obvious. Just look at the replay: Without saying too much, you look at the replay and it was obvious he got arm. I didn’t know how to react. I couldn’t, I wasn’t going to yell at him. That wasn’t going to do anything.
I just walked off the court, just tried to keep my head up.
He got fouled,” Adelman said. “I wonder what that would have been if [Dallas star Dirk] Nowitzki, LeBron James, all the top players in the league … A guy reaches on a last-second shot like that instead of challenging it. Maybe they don’t understand Kevin is one of the top five players in this league.
Through postgame video review, we have determined that Minnesota’s Kevin Love was fouled on the right arm by Dallas’ Shawn Marion while attempting a two-point field goal. Love should have been awarded two free throws with one second left on the clock.
Again that does the Wolves very little. The NBA is not going to go back and change the result — or assume Love would have hit all three free throws. This is just quiet solace that the Wolves were right, even if it means they end up losers.
The quest to get above .500 for Minnesota beats on into 2014.
