Clips of numerous coaches getting a challenge before they asked a timeout incoming in 3… 2… 1…

Mitch Johnson told reporters that the referee crew said they did not see the challenge

The referees missed it which you can see in the clip. It likely had nothing to do with a lack of a specific timeout gesture

I thought that meant Tim Duncan and got really confused

Pretty sure Mitch Johnson would be familiar in how to challenge a call, he’s been head coach for well over a year now.

What a bullshit excuse.

Would be easier to understand if every game was called the same instead of based of vibes

He literally ignores the words “mandatory timeout” in the first clause; they were in the middle of a refereeing timeout so they could review the play themselves.

They stopped everything for 30 seconds & walked the ball off the baseline to the review; that’s a stoppage of play where the challenge is often expected to be called. It’s the whole reason for mandatory timeouts being the first clause, if that was just a rule for TV timeouts they would not put it as first in importance over the other teams timeout.

Beyond that, being a stickler about hand signs when the challenge would imply a timeout if needed is absurd; it was all anyone was talking about because they stopped the game to force everyone into a public replay over a clearly bad call.

It’s more the fact he had to challenge a play that was so obviously off Chet in the middle of their run because of a terrible call

This is one of those rules that exists only to help out refs when they fuck up.

Give coaches a challenge whistle, or a giant red flag they can throw on the court. Current system is kinda underthought.

Why are we listening to Nate Duncan?

I thought they didn’t get it because he waited so long to challenge lol. It literally felt like 30 seconds had gone by. Idk how many actually did but he definitely didn’t do it fast enough

Question: given their «rule specification » in this context…. Does that mean a coach can technically call a timeout, wait until it’s almost over, mull it over, AND THEN challenge to get additional time? Or is there a clarification on how much time you have before you have to call the challenge?

Nate Duncan eats poo

Wasn’t there a very late OKC challenge in one of the games?

The situation was weird.

Play stopped because the refs were talking. So, there was a potential for the ref to review. They decided not to because they are ass and they got the out of bounds play wrong.

So, mitch was late to challenge because a time out/challenge possibly wouldn’t have been needed.

Besides, he was in the refs fucking face signaling. We also didn’t see in the replay if he signaled for a timeout. Knowing the nba, they cut out footage so they would be less embarrassed.

Besides, I’m 100% certain challenges have been called before a coach signaled for a timeout. Often times, by the time a challenge is accepted, the camera cuts to the coach circling his finger. We do not always see a coach call a timeout. Or they’ll circle their finger and then call a timeout.

The rule to call a timeout and then challenge is also stupid. We’ve seen many times refs don’t grant a coach a timeout. A coach signaling for a challenge should also indicate a timeout is taken. Why do two actions?

Can we just add a button at this point? How is it this hard

Don’t let the hive mind see this. It’s a conspiracy! The league wants the universally hated small market team to win the championship over their future face of the league. It’s so obvious!

Fun watching the shills scramble after that bullshit in the 3rd quarter from the refs

The real issue is that teams are waiting for the guy with the ipad to tell them whether or not they will win the challenge.

Idc if it’s the letter of the law, I didn’t enjoy the game after the missed goaltend and the tech so I just turned it off and did other things XD

National Betting Association

This isn’t what they lost the game guys. Blaming refs is loser talk. Even if the Spurs had received the better of all of these “controversial calls”, they still would have lost.

The Spurs got outplayed in almost every part of the game. It happens, it’s not a conspiracy. Blaming refs after getting convincingly beaten is immature and a loser mentality.

Two things amaze me on this subreddit:

1. The amount of people who are always so CERTAIN that they are correct. In another thread on this topic, I saw so many folks say that “no rule exists” requiring a timeout before a challenge is requested.

2. Depending on whether or not the majority “like” the team or the star player, people in r/nba will dramatically change their view of a situation. Clearly, we are all supposed to like San Antonio/Wemby and hate OKC so the referees suck I suppose.

Have you not read the original post here? The Spurs need to call a timeout. They didn’t.

there needs to be a time limit on how long you can wait before challenging. it’s borderline delaying the game. that took way too long for mitch to decide if he wants to challenge

The NBA just needs to hold the fucking refs accountable. That’s all most fans/players/coaches really ask for. There is ZERO accountability against them. You can’t criticize them, you can’t question them in the press, they can fuck up over and over, they can be tied to a gambling conspiracy and then get to ref in the NBA finals, they can openly talk shit to a player before game 7. Nothing from the NBA

“WELL ACKWSCWALLY” yeah Mitch didn’t call a timeout, but in a 2 minute span, the refs missed a goaltend against OKC on Kornets put back. Then on this call OKC knew it was off them, so they hurriedely tried to inbounds the ball. The refs actually stopped, huddled and I thought they’d get the call right, then instead they just let OKC inbound the ball and not give Spurs the challenge. Johnson had every right to scream at Brothers bitch ass.

Fair I guess. In the future I want to see more challenges like give a team 2. 1 per half.

Most nerd glasses emoji post ever made 

These refs should be getting the same slander these players get , fans should just show up and boo the refs

What a dumb rule, especially when the penalty for being wrong is losing a timeout. So now you have to risk two timeouts to challenge an obvious call that tony brothers and his shit crew missed.

They never enforce that rule. Coaches call challenges without calling the timeout first all the time and the refs give them the challenge. Nate’s point here is complete nonsense- the refs weren’t correct precisely because this is not how they enforce the rule 90% of the time.

This has literally never even once been relevant to the actual use of an actual challenge. Never once.

What did he need the challenge for? Hmmmmm …

This take implies that Johnson wanted the challenge without wanting to risk a timeout. It’s a terrible take. I have watched the games all season and you will always see a coach discussing with a ref when there is a dead ball. I cannot even begin to tell you how infrequently I actually see the coach physically signal a timeout to challenge. Even in this series, Daigneault will talk to the refs and they head to the review table with no clear timeout signal. Johnson was right in the refs face signaling and sting he wanted to challenge. There should be no loss in understanding that he is wanting a timeout to challenge.

They should just do a big play-by-play stream with the refs after each playoffs game where they cite the rules and explain in detail and with precedent why each call was what it was. Most people won’t watch it but the analysts whose job it is to watch basketball probably will.

Right, because following the letter of the rules has been the standard for so long now.

Yeah, obviously. So why doesn’t this post have 15k positive karma like the initial whining post?

Blood traitor!

https://youtube.com/shorts/u4XRopSNPgU?si=G7WaZXhAqm3C-kRo

There was ample time for the Spurs to call the challenge. Once the ball is given to the opposing team to inbound the ball, it is too late to call the challenge per the rules. The Spurs had extended time when the refs conferenced at midcourt, some thirty seconds. Big mess up by Coach Mitch .

Hey People>>> The issue isn’t the timeout signal. It’s that Mitch has to choose when to lose a timeout for another egregious miss by refs. The dumbass challenge system that punishes right and wrong. The ball was clear as hell off of Chet. Mitch trusted the refs huddle will choose the obvious Spurs possession. Each challenge is a treasure when there are 100 obscenely obvious missed calls each game.

So when the huddle abruptly ceased and the refs immediately handed it to OKC for a very quick inbound, Mitch had no time to even call timeout. Then the refs gave no required pause to allow even a choice before OKC was already coming up the floor.

In that blink of an eye, Mitch was in a combination of “You can’t be seriously giving OKC the ball?” / Fuck them I’ll challen…Why is it immediately inbound!?” / “You rigging peaces of shit!”

Isn’t part of the issue that the refs were conferencing about the (incorrect) call, so he had to wait and see if he even needed to challenge? That stretch of officiating stunk

Fucking loser

What a joke

I need a better shot than the wide angle cuz I thought he did call for a timeout

Weird, we usually see coaches just wave the finger and get the challenge.

Spurs fans now hate Tim Duncan

Don’t let those little facts get in the way of all the bitching. Hell soft ass Wemby can’t even show up to post-game media presser after taking the L. So bitch made. But his ethical add will try to elbow throats and tell spurs subs to injure opposing players. Soooooo ethical. Hope he gets shutdown again in game 6.

All you people in here whining about the spirit of the rule, try to go on Jeopardy and answer without putting it in the form of a question and see how far you get.

The audacity of Thunder fans to be whining about the rulebook while completely ignoring how jumping into a defender is supposed to be an offensive foul, and flopping is fines / technicals lmao