Celtics coach Ime Udoka not happy with ‘bad call’ at end of Game 3

The Celtics and their fans are outraged at the moment and perhaps rightly so, after what appeared to be a key foul at the very end of Game 3 was missed by the officials.

What happened with Celtics’ Marcus Smart at Game 3′s end?

As Game 3 between the Celtics and the Bucks was coming to a close, the Celtics were in the middle of what can only be called a frantic comeback. With the Bucks leading by two points and five seconds on the clock, Marcus Smart received hand-off from Jaylen Brown and immediately went up for a three point shot and appeared to be fouled in the process by Jrue Holiday, but officials ruled the foul to be on the floor. Head coach Ime Udoka made it clear that he was not in the least happy about the call, or lack there of. The question is ‘does he have a point?’

Celtics coach Ime Udoka thinks it was a bad call

“It was a (shooting) foul,” Udoka said after the game. “It was a foul. He caught the ball, he’s turning into his shot, both feet set. You can’t say that’s a sweep like that when you’re going into your shot. Poor call. Poor no-call.” According to Udoka, officials were not permitted to review the decision as he maintained that his player should have received three free throws. “He was sweeping,” Udoka said. “But you can clearly see it - I saw it in person, but also on the film that I just went and looked at. It’s a shot. He’s curling into his shot, he’s getting fouled on the way up. Bad missed call.” In the Smart would sink the first of his shots from the line, however, he would then attempt to miss intentionally with the hope of collecting his own rebound. Unfortunately, it was not to be and the Bucks held on to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Bucks’ Jrue Holiday disagrees

Where the alleged culprit is concerned, Holiday actually had an impressive night as he contributed 25 points to the Bucks’ cause. Speaking on the chaotic turn of events at the game’s end and his own involvement in the controversial moment, the Bucks’ guard didn’t exactly see it the same way. ‘Honestly, it looked like he was still facing the sideline,’’ said Holiday, who scored 25 points. “That’s not a shooting motion. He wasn’t facing the rim.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the difference

While the debate surrounding the alleged ‘bad call’ is sure to go on for some time, the reality is Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was epic on a night when Milwaukee needed him most. After shooting a disappointing 38.5% in the first two games of this series, Antetokounmpo went 16 of 30 on Saturday on Saturday night to close out the game with 62.5% of his attempts made two-point range. Along with that improvement in production was his 12 rebounds and eight assists on a night when he put 42 points on the board. “There’s going to be struggles, but at the end of the day, if you keep with it and you stay with it and you stay on course, you’re going to succeed,” Antetokounmpo said. “If you don’t stay on course, you’re not going to succeed. It’s as simple as that.”