Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
Monday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves — having paid tribute to Flip Saunders — wanted to make the moment count in their home opener against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Andrew Wiggins wanted to make a moment, period.
In the final minute of regulation, he did… for the wrong reasons.
With the Timberwolves trailing, 103-101, Wiggins did something unpardonable and unforgivable: He tried to make a play, and in the process of working hard, he beat his defenders to the rim on a putback attempt. HOW DARE HE?
Can’t do that, pal. Not in American basketball, where FIBA rules have not yet made their way to our shores:
C.J. Fogler is exactly right — the rules of the NBA technically say that’s no basket, since a sliver of the orange sphere was in fact in the cylinder.
Yet, in much the same way that Dez Bryant CAUGHT that ball against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs last January, and in much the same way that the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons scored touchdowns earlier this season (only for ridiculously complicated rules about legal pass receptions to wipe those touchdowns off the board), we can all recognize that Andrew Wiggins scored a basket to tie the Minnesota-Portland game at 103-all in the final minute.
To continue reading this article, click here
