LOS ANGELES—The Cleveland Cavaliers received a couple of Christmas gifts from game officials in their thrilling 109-108 holiday triumph over the Golden State Warriors, the NBA said Monday.
In their latest “Last Two Minutes Report” detailing officiating errors late in games, the league said Cleveland’s Richard Jefferson should have been called for a foul with 3.1 seconds remaining after his foot made contact with that of Kevin Durant, affecting the Golden State star’s speed, quickness, balance and rhythm.
Durant ended up sprawled on the court, unable to connect on a potential game-winner.
“I fell,” Durant said Sunday, “and I didn’t fall on my own.”
Jefferson, however, said the officials made the right call.
“We all think we’re fouled on every play in every single game,” Jefferson said.
The NBA Finals rematch between the league powerhouses was the most-streamed NBA Christmas Day game ever, generating 359,000 unique viewers, according to Nielsen Company figures released Monday by ABC sister network ESPN.
The game averaged a hefty 10.163 million viewers via the ABC broadcast and streaming combined.
The NBA champion Cavaliers rallied in the fourth quarter, courtesy of such Cleveland crowd-pleasing plays as LeBron James’s monster dunk with 1:43 remaining which put the Cavs up 105-103—their first lead since the first quarter.
“King” James hung on the rim and flexed his arms—a move that the league acknowledged Monday in the officiating report should have seen him handed a technical foul for “deliberately hanging on the rim” after the dunk was completed.
In that fateful game Kyrie Irving’s turnaround jump shot over Klay Thompson with 3.4 seconds left lifted the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers to a 109-108 Christmas Day triumph over the Golden State Warriors.
The rematch of last June’s NBA Finals headlined the league’s holiday slate, and didn’t disappoint.
The Cavaliers—who rallied from 3-1 down in the championship series last season to deny the Warriors a second straight title—trailed most of the game and were down by as many as 14 earlier in the fourth quarter.
James’s rim-rattling dunk with 1:43 to play put Cleveland up 105-103—their first lead since early in the first quarter —and Irving capped the comeback with a clutch shot that recalled his championship-winning three-pointer in the final minute of game seven last June.
“He’s just a killer on the court,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said.
A beaming Irving said it was the perfect holiday treat.
“It’s nothing like the playoffs,” Irving said, “but the intensity was up there. This is what you want to be a part of as a professional.”
Irving finished with 25 points, while James had 31 points and 13 rebounds. Kevin Love had 20 points and six rebounds for the Cavs.
Durant, who arrived at Golden State as a free agent in the off-season, was superb in his first appearance in the Warriors-Cavs rivalry.
Durant scored 36 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. But after Irving’s key basket he was unable to get off a potentially game-winning shot, getting tangled with Richard Jefferson and hitting the floor. No foul was called and time ran out.
“I was trying to make a move. I didn’t fall on my own,” an irked Durant said.