Following Monday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd said the defending champions haven’t received the benefit of the doubt from the officiating all season because they are not looked upon as champions.
Case in point: Mavs coach Rick Carlisle couldn’t believe the foul called on center Ian Mahinmi as he attempted to block Thunder forward Serge Ibaka’s shot with 46.2 seconds to go, providing the winning free throws in the high-intensity matchup.
Also, Dallas led 91-87 with 2:24 left, but lost 95-91 while shooting 23 fewer free throws than the Thunder. Five of Oklahoma City’s final eight points came at the free-throw line and it outscored Dallas 14-2 from the line in the fourth quarter.
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