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NBA admits to 2 incorrect calls in closing moments of Game 3

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA's officiating last two minute report has been a welcome addition to an NBA Finals that has seen every game come down to the wire.

Getting every call correctly is an impossible request of any officiating crew, considering how much is going on at any given time, but the transparency the league has provided to the end of games has been refreshing. In Game 2, the calls the league identified as incorrect balanced out – they occurred on the same play – and the process worked to allay the gripes of either fanbase.

Tuesday's Game 3 once again saw the game's final minutes played tight and, once again, the officials did a relatively good job, save for two calls. The league's official report cites two incorrect non-calls from the game's closing moments.

With 22.4 seconds to play and the Warriors down 94-88, officials missed an offensive foul on David Lee, who set a legal screen but then grabbed the leg of Iman Shumpert and prevented him from recovering on defense on the play. The screen helped free Steph Curry for a three from the left wing after he had gone around an additional screen.

Then, with 10.3 seconds to play and the Warriors down 96-91, officials missed a shooting foul committed by J.R. Smith as Andre Iguodala shot. The foul could have conceivably cut the lead to three with 10 seconds to play, instead, Iguodala would miss a triple with five seconds left, effectively ending the game.

Like in Game 2, the calls seem to have evened out here. To hear the league tell it, Iguodala should have been at the line to bring the game closer, but the game shouldn't have been that close anyway thanks to the missed call on Lee.

That was it for the report, so any other perceived bad calls - like LeBron James' slide tackle on Curry with 57 seconds to play - were deemed correct.

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