With time winding down in Milwaukee's nail-biting victory over the Celtics Saturday, Marcus Smart caught the ball at the top of the 3-point line and was fouled during his shooting motion.
He should've been granted three free throws. Instead, the officials said Smart was engaged in a "sweeping" move, meaning he would only be allowed to attempt two shots.
Ime Udoka ripped the questionable officiating after the game.
"It was a foul. It was a foul," he told reporters. "He caught the ball, he's turning into a shot, both feet set. You can't say that's a sweep like that, when you're going into a shot. So poor call, poor no-call."
Smart made his first free throw and then executed an outstanding intentional miss — hitting the rim and everything. Al Horford tipped the ball back into the hoop, but the buzzer sounded when it was still in his hands.
But it never should've come down to that. Smart was clearly fouled. Anybody who's watched any of his games over the last eight years knows he was trying to shoot in that situation, for better or worse.
"It's a shot. He's curling into a shot, and got fouled on his way up. Bad missed call," Udoka said.
Smart stated his own case as well.
"It wouldn't make sense to do a rip-through move behind the 3-point line when you've got a clear shot down three," he said, via The Athletic's Jay King.
The Celtics fell to the Bucks 103-101 in Milwaukee, despite coming back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit. Giannis Antetokounmpo went off, scoring 42 points with 12 rebounds and eight assists — and being granted plenty of generous calls along the way.
But ironically, Giannis wasn't involved in the worst missed call of the game. The Bucks won with some help from the zebras.
