No league action on Garnett's Game 1 pick
Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics rallies the fans before the opening tipoff against the New York Knicks in Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in the 2011 NBA Playoffs. (April 17, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
Though nothing could be done to change the outcome, the NBA reviewed the controversial pick set by Kevin Garnett on Toney Douglas, which freed up Ray Allen for the game-winning three-pointer in Game 1. A person with knowledge of the situation said the league's in-house staff, which reviews every game, immediately pulled the play for review.
There was a report in The Boston Globe that the Knicks had "sent a tape" to the league about that play, along with the ensuing celebration by Delonte West, who went onto the court while the ball was in play. An NBA source told Newsday that the league reviewed the Garnett pick on Sunday, well before the Knicks put in their own request.
The Knicks on Monday morning asked that the play be reviewed by the league's Referee Operations department. Technically, teams no longer "send" tapes to the league, but instead submit requests via an intranet network that privately connects all 30 teams with the NBA.
The league on Monday afternoon publicly acknowledged an officiating error that awarded a basket to Kendrick Perkins of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Sunday's Game 1 win over the Denver Nuggets, but it made no mention of the Garnett screen. This was because, according to multiple sources, the play did not directly impact the score. Their thinking is that Allen still had to hit the shot.
Shaq status debated
Celtics coach Rivers denied a report by EagleTribune.com that said Shaquille O'Neal would be out for the rest of the playoffs. "He's going to play," Rivers told reporters in Boston. "I just don't know when."
O'Neal has missed the first two games with a calf strain. He suffered the injury on April 3 and missed the last six games of the regular season. The 39-year-old center was limited to 37 games this season because of foot and Achilles tendon injuries.
