The San Antonio Spurs can't blame the referees for their second-half collapse against the New York Knicks, but they can criticize the officials for one missed call.
The San Antonio Spurs blowing a 27-point halftime lead to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals is no one's fault but their own. It was the third-biggest halftime lead in Finals history, and the largest blown lead ever on basketball's biggest stage.
Now down 3-1 in the series, it looks like the Spurs' epic collapse will haunt the fanbase forever, hurting just as much as Ray Allen's dagger 3-pointer in 2013.
While the Spurs bear the full responsibility for their collapse, the NBA recently made a stark admission, and one call helped seal the game for New York. Unfortunately, the call was incorrect, and one former Knicks player had his hand in the biggest moment of the game.
How John Starks Fooled Officials
With 1:02 remaining in the fourth, the Spurs' lead had collapsed, and they were trailing by a point. Stephon Castle received a pass from De'Aaron Fox and got smothered by Josh Hart, but managed to hold onto the ball, driving baseline.
There, he took a bump from Hart and stepped out of bounds, turning the ball over. Former Knicks' point guard John Starks rushed out onto the court, pointing where he saw Castle step out, and getting the referees to see what he had seen.
In the league's Last Two Minute Report, released after the game, it was revealed that Castle had never stepped out. The Hart had been physical with Castle as he drove, and the Spurs were in the bonus. Even if Hart didn't foul him, Castle had created enough space for an open layup.
The Spurs should have been up by one after that play. Instead, they gave the ball back to New York, which wasted an entire 24-second shot clock, further sealing the game.
“Hart (NYK) impedes Castle (SAS) on his drive as Castle is incorrectly called for committing an out-of-bounds violation,” the NBA announced in its report.
Of course, Castle is not the best free-throw shooter in the league, but we went a perfect eight-for-eight in Game 4, so a reasonable fan can assume that he at least would have made one of his two shots, tying the game up at the very least.
Starks rushing out onto the floor probably isn't what made the officials blow their whistle, but he does have a bit of a track record of getting too close to the action from his seat on the baseline. The Knicks' bench, including Jeremy Sochan, was also quick to point out where Castle had stepped out.
Apparently, as the video evidence shows, it was a phantom call that fooled everyone in the building.
