The Bulls inched past the Celtics on Thursday night in the final game before the All-Star break after a phantom foul call on Marcus Smart sent Jimmy Butler to the line for the tying and go-ahead free throws.
Chicago was down one when Butler took Smart off the dribble, spun and pulled up from around the free throw line. As time expired, the refs surprisingly blew the whistle, ruling that there was contact made, presumably on Butler’s elbow.
Whether or not there was contact, it wasn’t close enough to reasonably make that foul call. The Celtics were irate.