On the NBA’s nightly “Last Two Minute Report,” the league discovered a pair of incorrect calls in the final 120 seconds of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 106-102 victory against the Indiana Pacers that capped a first-round sweep on Sunday. One of those calls is sure to have Pacers fans adding the officiating crew of Mike Callahan, Leon Wood and David Guthrie to the list of referees who have it out for their team.

[Follow Ball Don’t Lie on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]

On Cavs superstar LeBron James’ pivotal go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:08 remaining, the NBA determined “James moves his pivot foot at the start of his dribble.” Video of the play clearly shows him moving his right foot while waiting for teammate Kyrie Irving to set a screen on Pacers star Paul George, and then adjusting his left foot before starting his dribble and going to work against Indiana’s Myles Turner:





The Pacers had just taken their first lead since the start of the second quarter on a Thaddeus Young tip-in with 1:31 left, and they never led again after what the NBA now concedes should have been an invalid LeBron triple. Young turned the ball over on Indiana’s next possession, and once Cleveland grabbed an offensive rebound to start the shot clock over again, the Pacers — who presumably would have still been leading at this point — were instead forced to start fouling. They never recovered.

We’ll never know exactly how the final 1:08 would have played out had LeBron been whistled for the travel. The Pacers might have gone up by four on their next possession, or James may have hit his go-ahead three a play later. Indiana was unlikely to come back from an 0-3 hole in the series anyway. Still, if you’re a Pacers fan, it’s got to be frustrating to hear a play that all but decided the series — one that might end up on LeBron James highlight reels for decades to come — shouldn’t have happened.

LeBron James celebrates his travel. (AP) More

Only George missed everything but the backboard, James hauled in the rebound, the Pacers fouled him and the ensuing two-possession lead was impossible to surmount with only a second left. Because George missed his attempt, it doesn’t appear that missed call changed the game’s outcome.

And this goes to the crux of the issue with the league’s last two-minute reports. Both James and George should have been called for traveling before potentially game-changing shot attempts, and while we don’t know what would have happened had either or both of those plays been whistled correctly, Pacers fans can point to the officials as reason for the loss because James made his shot. In an alternate world, where James missed and George made his attempt, Cavs fans could do the same.

It’s really just the result of the play in question that makes the missed call more or less egregious. Who knows how many missed travel calls are blown throughout the course of an NBA game? Without being able to change incorrect calls in the moment, there’s nothing that can be done after the fact. So, it’s just a woulda, shoulda, coulda game that fuels outrage among fans, players, coaches and officials.

The NBA began the practice to ensure transparency with respect to officiating, and while players and referees have publicly lobbied against the practice, the league appears more inclined to increase it to cover entire games. They don’t want another Tim Donaghy situation, after all. So, here’s looking forward to breaking down the infinite scenarios in which the refs cost both teams every game ever.

– – – – – – –

Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach