With 36 seconds to go in the first game of the NBA championship series between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers one of the toughest calls for officials to make happened as the Warriors Kevin Durant drove to the basket in the free throw lane as the Cavaliers LeBron James slid over to help out his teammate Tristan Thompson as Durant beat him off the dribble to Thompson’s right. James was not in the restricted area where it is an automatic block called if there is contact. He was about 4 feet from the restricted area.

The lead official under the basket made the call and signaled for a charge a player control foul on Durant as the trail official ruled it a block on James.

In the NBA the only fouls that can be reviewed is a charging foul. in the last 2 minutes of the 4th quarter and then they can only review the play to see if the defender was in the restricted area. After reviewing the play when it never should have been reviewed as the lead official had the better view of the play then the trail official did because he was in front of the play. The lead official was closer to the play with a clearer and better angle to make the call.

After reviewing the restricted area the officials decided to change their minds and called a blocking foul on James after watching the play in slow motion. Durant made both free throws to tie the game. When actually the Cavaliers should of had the ball out of bounds with just 36 seconds to go in regulation time and up 2 points.

There was no way the call should have been changed. In fact, if they were going to change the call they should have called it a double foul which would have resulted in a foul charged to both Durant and James and no foul shots for Durant and the team that had possession of the ball, the offense the Warriors received the ball out of bounds on the sideline with the Cavaliers still leading by 2 points with 36 seconds to go in the game.

In fact, what they should have called is a BLARGE-the BL for Block and ARGE for Charge. It certainly would have been fairer then changing the call completely from a charge to a block as both officials disagreed and made different calls.

This was not discussed in any thing I saw today on the internet.

Some said it shouldn’t have been reviewed because it was obvious the James was not in the restricted area, some said it was a block, some said it was a charge (the NBA officials representative interviewed on TV by the reporting crew while the officials were reviewing the play when he was asked what he thought the call should be said he thought it was a charge), some said it should not have been changed, some said it shouldn’t have been changed. NOBODY SAID IF THE CALL WAS GOING TO BE CHANGED IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BL-ARGE WHICH TO ME WOULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH FAIRER DECISION.