Javie correctly surmised that the lead official Tom Washington had a poor angle with which to see the illegal contact, and therefore, the offending arm-bar, clamp and hack were all missed, unseen by the closest man with a whistle.
ESPN gave Javie about 30 seconds of air time Thursday night, just long enough to discuss position adjustments, angles and—without directly saying it—admit that Washington was straightlined for that crucial play.
By virtue of its position relative to the game clock, any controversial call that occurs in the final two minutes will be magnified; any apparent miss in the final 24 seconds will become a mountain and more importantly, will set off that ever-popular firestorm of "the referee cost my team the game," neglecting turnovers, shooting percentages and missed plays that might have led up to the barn-burning loss.
So when a reporter asked Durant his thoughts on that final play, Durant would have been factually correct to declare his disagreement with the no-call. Instead, Durant took the high road and classily dismissed the notion:
"Are you saying you don't think you got mugged by LeBron on that last play...you don't think you were fouled?"
"I missed the shot, man."
Ah, postseason professional basketball—a term that might as well go hand in hand with officiating critique.
For Oklahoma City fans, there was a controversial goaltending call that appeared to be the incorrect call as the ball was below rim-height and on its downward flight when it was blocked off the glass.
For Miami fans, there was a blocking foul on Shane Battier on a play that could have resulted in Durant picking up his sixth personal on an offensive foul, which would have rendered that game-ending play a moot point. Battier was firming up as Durant left the ground as an airborn shooter—whether Battier had legal guarding position depends on what part of the country you ask. In the heart of OKC, Battier might as well have been in the middle of the restricted area when contact occured—in Miami, he was an absolute statue below the free throw line.
Of all sports, basketball's officials might have the most difficult assignment in discerning those areas of grey, especially in establishing the delicate balance between offensive and defensive fouls.
So how did the officials do Thursday night?
It all depends on your specific tint of spectacles.