The Warriors came pretty close to shooting at a basket that was higher than it should’ve been during Game 3 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston.
If not for some players who noticed during warmups about 90 minutes before tip-off and asked officials to measure the height of the basket, there might have been some major controversy on Wednesday, with the Warriors and Boston Celtics seeking a pivotal win in a series that is tied one-game-apiece.
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By rule, the hoop must be 10 feet off the ground. Apparently, the basket the Warriors were shooting at during warmups was higher than that.
Officials also checked the Celtics’ rim just to make sure it wasn’t off too.
Perhaps it was just an honest mistake by arena staff. Or maybe, as former Warriors center Andrew Bogut believes, “shenanigans” by the Celtics.
"It's a good thing the game starts at midnight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked to reporters when told about the basket. “We'll have plenty of time to fix it."
Kerr followed up with a serious note that NBA players seem to know when things seem even a little bit off.
“It happens every once in a while,” Kerr said. “Players have a really sharp eye for that. Players can tell and so I imagine somebody went out there, looked at it, didn't look right and as long as they take care of it, then everything is good."
The basket heights seem all set – averting what might have been a disastrous in-game revelation for the NBA.