BiE has heard of officiating errors changing the outcome of games, but how about the timekeeper? An egregious mistake has been noticed (and chased down a bit) by some fans and sent on to Lithuanian-language Basket News, one that might be ascribed to computer or human error, if it weren’t so strange.
Toward the end of what would be Lietuvos Rytas’ final Euroleague game in 2010-11, a 77-68 home loss to Caja Laboral Baskonia, the Vilnius arena seemed to enter something of a time warp with the shot clock behaving mighty erratically: While the 24-second clock ticked down somewhat normally (though that, too, appears to be frozen for an extra moment or two in there) while the game clock stayed mostly static for the majority of the 24 seconds. Compare shot clock and game clock in the video below.
Basket News contacted Euroleague game commissioner Kestutis Skerys, who admitted that where a mistake “either by referee or timekeeper” was made. (“Neaišku, kieno tai klaida – laikininko ar teisėjo.”) The ‘site also contacted a timekeeper who wished to remain anonymous in stating that odds are highly against such an error being accidental.
Of course, not even what amounts to an extra possession for Lietuvos Rytas could salvage the game for the Lithuanian side … no harm, no foul?
