Last night’s Mavs vs Pelicans clash ended in pure chaos. Well, Jason Kidd’s troops headed into the game hoping to shake off their back-to-back losses against the Nuggets. And they were inches away from getting the job done! But a MASSIVE blunder by the NBA referees cost them a much-needed win.

The incident occurred in the closing seconds of the game. With Dejounte Murray and Co. leading by one point, the Mavs forced a crucial turnover on the inbound pass. Then, they initiated a fastbreak on the other end and Spencer Dinwiddie went for an easy layup that might have been the game-winner… However, the attempt was blocked by Trey Murphy III and the Dallas side was forced to foul the Pels to stop the clock. Sure enough, Murphy converted the resulting free throws, and the traveling team lost by three points.

Well, that sequence should never have happened because Dinwiddie’s blocked shot was actually a goaltend that the refs missed.

Yes, the ball hit the backboard before Trey swatted it. Even the NBA admitted the officials’ costly mistake in their latest L2M report. But that does no good for the Mavericks because they still have an unfair loss added to their record.

Surprisingly, Dinwiddie did not seem too bothered by the blown call and said postgame, “I love my employers – the NBA… I think the refs have a hard enough job as it is. I would say in a perfect world if you’re not sure, you probably should just call (goaltending).” However, he did reveal that he shot the ball that way intentionally, to either get a quick bucket or a goaltending call. Unfortunately, neither happened.

Of course, similar mistakes have been made in the past as well. During last year’s Knicks vs Pacers series, the referees made multiple wrong calls in the first game. For instance, the kicked ball violation on Aaron Nesmith in the final minutes was deemed a wrong call in the L2M report. The refs even missed an offensive foul call on Donte DiVincenzo just seconds prior. Surprisingly, there were several other blown calls just in the last two minutes. Might have been more during the course of the game.

Pacers’ legend Reggie Miller even revealed his frustration, saying, “You’re playing 5 vs 8… you’re playing the officials as well.” In another instance, crucial blunders by the officials led to Darko Rajakovic’s viral rant.

Darko Rajakovic publicly blasted NBA refs after game-costing blunders

It was last January that the Raptors’ head coach went on a viral rant after his team’s loss against the Lakers. Furious by how the officials called the game, the boss said, “What happened tonight, this is completely BS. This is a shame!”

Of course, he was referring to the massive free-throw disparity between both teams. “23 free throws for them and we get 2 free throws in the fourth quarter!… How is it possible that Scottie Barnes, who is an All-Star caliber player in this league… he gets 2 free throws for the whole game!” Darko boldly continued. Well, the league’s L2M report later confirmed that the officials had missed two calls during clutch minutes, and if they didn’t, it might have very well changed the outcome.

While players are constantly fined and suspended for showing emotions toward the refs when they don’t agree with a call, the officials do not face any visible consequences when they get a call wrong…

Adam Silver once assured that the league is monitoring the officiating, and the refs get penalized for poor performances. However, the Commissioner also said, “We don’t publicize discipline for officials. We don’t think that will be appropriate.”

Maybe, the league needs to put in stricter penalties that hold the officials accountable because each wrong or missed call can impact a team’s season. Do you agree? Now that you’re here, why don’t you suggest the level of penalties?