A former Clipper weighs in on the officiating debate.
Lou Williams saw the same tape everybody else did after Game 1 between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, and the former NBA guard did not hold back when it came to the officiating.
Williams, a three-time Sixth Man of the Year who spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2017 to 2021, went on FanDuel TV's "Run It Back" after Minnesota's 104-102 upset win in San Antonio on Monday night.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves grabbed a 1-0 series lead over a Spurs team that won 62 games in the regular season, and Williams thinks how the refs call Game 2 could determine how the rest of this thing plays out.
"If the whistle goes different in Game 2... you force San Antonio's hand to put other guys out there," Williams said.
The Goaltending Controversy
The conversation around Victor Wembanyama and his 12 blocks in Game 1 has not slowed down.
Those 12 rejections set the all-time NBA playoff record, but Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch does not think the number should have been that high.
After reviewing the film, Finch told reporters that at least four of those blocks were goaltending violations that went uncalled.
One happened on just the third possession of the game, when Terrence Shannon Jr. got a layup off the glass before Wembanyama swatted it away.
Finch said those missed calls took eight points off the board and that officials need to pay closer attention when a 7-foot-4 shot blocker is going after everything near the rim.
Wolves center Rudy Gobert, who has mentored Wembanyama through the French national team, backed his coach up and agreed that several blocks should have been called as goaltending violations.
What It Means for Game 2
Williams averaged 13.0 points per game across 17 NBA seasons, so he knows what a stretched rotation looks like.
If officials start calling some of those blocks as goaltends or fouls, Wembanyama could find himself on the bench in spots where the 62-20 Spurs cannot afford it.
San Antonio already lost starting point guard Stephon Castle to foul trouble in Game 1, and more whistle problems would push their depth even further.
That is a dangerous situation against a 49-33 Timberwolves group that won Monday's game even with Wembanyama swatting everything in sight.
Anthony Edwards came off the bench nursing a knee injury and still put up 18 points, while Julius Randle led all scorers with 21.
Wembanyama averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds in the regular season, but his offense disappeared in Game 1 with 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting and an 0-for-8 night from three.
If the refs tighten things up the way Williams thinks they should, San Antonio needs Wembanyama to find his shot while staying out of foul trouble on the other end.
Game 2 tips off Wednesday night in San Antonio.