There was a bit of controversy late in Portland as the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 118-114 on the road. There was a questionable foul call late where coach Doc Rivers could have challenged the call, but he chose not to.
Trail Blazers star Carmelo Anthony caught the ball tied at 114 and he made a move to the basket and he fell while being fouled by Tobias Harris. On the replay, it looked like Anthony fell on his own and Harris did not tough him and Rivers could have challenged.
At the end of the day, he didn’t and Anthony stepped to the line and he made both free throws. That then led to Rivers using their final timeout and the Sixers were unable to execute on the final play which led to a turnover.
“I could have, but then we have one timeout left,” Rivers explained. “I think you guys forget that. You use that challenge and I’m wrong, which I would have been, then that last play, we wouldn’t have been able to run. So that’s why you don’t use the challenge.”
To Rivers’ point, if he challenges the call and the Sixers lose it, then they lose the timeout and they would have to go the length of the court down by two. Even after the free throws, they had a chance late to get the job done down by two. They just did not run it the right way and that happens over the course of a season.
“You got to give yourself a chance,” Rivers added. “Worst case scenario, it’s a two-point game. You have three-point whatever seconds left, you got to give yourself a chance. It would have been a foul. The only way you use a challenge is if you’re 100% sure on that and know that if you’re right, you still get the ball with three seconds full court. You still probably won’t score. You know what I mean?”
Rivers made the right coaching decision. He kept the timeout in his back pocket and he made sure that his team had a chance late. Unfortunately for him and the Sixers, they could not get the job done. However, they gave themselves a chance and that’s all one can ask for.
The team continues the road trip on Saturday when they take on the Phoenix Suns.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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