Celtics Notebook: Last Two-Minute Report says officials missed foul call on Kemba Walker drive at end of regulation

The NBA released the Last Two Minute Report on Thursday evening following the Raptors 125-122 double overtime win over the Celtics on Wednesday night and one-game changing incorrect call was at the forefront of the release.

The no-call on a Kemba Walker drive with three seconds remaining was deemed an incorrect no-call. Instead, the NBA ruled the officials missed a foul committed by OG Anunoby as Walker was hit as he attempted a layup. Instead of Walker being awarded two free throws in the tie game, the Raptors grabbed the rebound and were awarded a timeout with 2.2 seconds left, giving them a chance to win the game in regulation.

The full report covered calls and non-calls the final two minutes of regulation as well as the final two minutes of each overtime period. The only other mistake found by officials also came in favor of Toronto. Norm Powell should have been whistled for a traveling violation with 90 seconds left in the original OT on a drive that ended up with him making two free throws after getting fouled.

There were other questionable rulings within the overtime period from Boston’s standpoint but none of those were addressed outside of Tatum turnover to Nurse (more on that below) since they came outside the final two-minute window in regulation and OT.

Brad Stevens sees Game 7 as an opportunity

After a double overtime battle that had the Celtics one made shot away from securing a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, it would be no surprise to hear Brad Stevens lost some sleep on Wednesday night. Instead, the head coach landed on the opposite side of the spectrum after a 125-122 loss in Game 6.

“It’s funny, out of the last four weeks I think I slept better last night than I’ve slept at any time because I knew we competed,” Stevens declared. “I know there are things we can clean up, but I’m also looking forward to this because this is what you’re here for.”

Game 7 is on the horizon Friday night and the vibe clearly isn’t the same as it was in the aftermath after a disappointing Game 4 loss. The Celtics largely had themselves to blame in that defeat for a lack of effort plays. However, after going toe-to-toe with the Raptors over two overtimes on Wednesday night, Stevens feels there’s nothing for this group to hang its head about as his roster enters its first elimination game of the postseason.

“I look at all these things as great opportunities,” Stevens said. “Our team has had a special season. Their team’s had a special season. Both teams have probably done as much as anybody thought as far as the level we’ve played at. And so it’s great that we get a chance to play for it tomorrow, and we’re going to give it everything we have.”

Stevens is 2-1 during his NBA career in Game 7s, with all three of those games coming at the TD Garden during the 2017 (vs. Wizards) and 2018 (vs. Bucks, vs. Cavs) postseasons. The bubble environment adds a different element to the winner-take-all game this time around but the level of competition has seemed to put Stevens at peace with the fact that these are two worthy teams playing at full throttle.

“I’ve said this a thousand a times, but that’s why if you’re in this, you don’t scrutinize with the same level of eye than if you’re not just because you know how hard it is. You know the physical toughness it takes, the emotional toughness it takes, the mental toughness it takes, and I believe that we have that.

“But it’s special, and that’s why, again, this series is the two seed versus the three seed, and again, two teams that, in a lot of ways, hang their hat on toughness, and defending, and then willing themselves to figure out a way to win games. That’s why I have nothing but respect for Toronto. I've said that from the get go, I know that they’ll be good tomorrow as we know we’ll need to be our best tomorrow. So whatever happened yesterday, whatever happened in the past, doesn’t have any real meaning on tomorrow. So we’ll look forward to it. These are great opportunities. These are things, like, when you’re a kid, this is what you want to do.”

In what will be the 11th matchup of the season between the two teams, there aren’t really any secrets remaining between the two sides. Still, as the Raptors unveil a number of defensive and lineup tweaks in Game 6 (starting game with Box-and-1 on Kemba, staying small late) there will be a balance that Stevens tries to strike between a proper response and staying the course with what got the Celtics here in the first place.

“A little bit of both,” Stevens said of the balance. “I said before the game yesterday when both teams are at a level where one can’t impose their will on the other, that’s when the game becomes special. I wish I wouldn’t have said it, because it showed itself true. But that was a special basketball game. There are things to take away from it, just like every other game – things we need to improve, things we need to do better. I look forward tomorrow bight to getting an opportunity to do that.”

Stevens stays positive on Nurse despite controversy

The Raptors head coach has been in the spotlight after he was the target of a Jayson Tatum pass in the corner with a foot on the court during the final minute of regulation in Game 6. That combined with his constant working of officials over the course of the series has earned him the ire of Boston fans.

However, the NBA ruled that Nurse did nothing wrong in the last two-minute report on the Tatum turnover, stating in a comment: “Coaches may be on or off the bench from the substitution box line (closest to the coach's bench) to the baseline. Coach Nurse's (TOR) presence in the corner is not illegal and he does not directly interfere with the play.”

“Nick’s a great coach,” Stevens said. “He’s a really good coach. But as far as like what they’re deciding to do, I’m not just going to do things for the sake of doing it. I’m going to do it if I think it’s right for us. My job is not to react emotionally to somebody else, it’s to focus on our team, and what we need to do to be successful.”