G3 Referee Report: Missed Smart stepping into the lane + LeBron stepping out of bounds; Should the Rockets have won without overtime?

On April 26 Beijing time, the NBA officially released the last two-minute referee report for Game 3 of the Rockets-Lakers series. The report shows that there were two missed calls in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and the final two minutes of overtime, one of which could have affected the outcome. Should the Rockets have won without overtime?

The first missed call occurred with 25.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter. At that time, Smart was awarded three free throws and made all three. The referee report pointed out that Smart stepped into the lane early on his third free throw, which was a missed violation. That shot should have been invalid, meaning the Rockets could have led by 4 points after that free throw, not 3 points.

The second missed call occurred with 1 minute and 29 seconds left in overtime. The referee report pointed out that LeBron James secured the ball while scrambling with a Rockets player, but his foot was already out of bounds, and the referees did not whistle. Although theoretically this benefited the Lakers, LeBron saved the ball back, and the Rockets regained possession. The impact of this missed call was less obvious on the game compared to the previous one.

Was the Rockets' loss unjust? Opinions may vary. After all, the Rockets should have secured this victory, but towards the end of the game, a series of baffling mistakes occurred.

In the final 30 seconds of regulation, the Rockets held a 6-point lead. In the past 29 years, only two teams in the league have lost a playoff game when leading by 6 points or more late in regulation; the Rockets unfortunately became one of them, the other being the 2024 Knicks.

Jabari Smith Jr.'s careless mistake started the collapse, inexplicably giving the ball away to Smart; seconds later, Tate committed a bizarre foul, giving Smart a chance for three free throws, which he made all three.

After a timeout, Sheppard received the inbound pass in the backcourt but did not pass to a teammate immediately; instead, he dribbled sluggishly and was stripped by LeBron James. With 13.6 seconds left, LeBron hit a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 101. The Toyota Center instantly went from roaring cheers to dead silence.

Udoka revealed that players on the court擅自改动战术, did not execute the pre-set final play strategy. With only 1.7 seconds left in regulation, Sengun rushed a hook shot that missed everything, failing to secure the win. In overtime, the Rockets collapsed and ultimately lost.