Did Dalembert Block His Own Teammate's Game-Winner?

As you'll see below, the Mavericks needed to a tough, tough Jason Terry jumper to put away the streaking (as in seven straight losses) Sixers on Monday night. Depending on how you look at Andre Iguodala's subsequent game-winner attempt, the Mavericks possibly also needed Samuel Dalembert to come up with the block of the year. Against his own team.



I, for one, can't find another angle on the shot to see whether Iguodala's three-point attempt was on target. The NBA TV studio crew obviously thought it looked on target; the Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Cooney decides that the shot "appeared to be off the mark" before Dalembert touched it. Even if it were, Sam was jumping right into the backboard ... which lit up (signifying the end of the game) just after Iguodala released his shot. So even if Iguodala's shot were off the mark (possibly but inconclusive), Dalembert's putback would not have counted. If Iguodala's shot were on target, the Sixers win. I think you err on the side of the potential game-winner at the expense of the surely disqualifying failed putback.

Clearly, though, Dalembert saw SportsCenter last week, when Michael Beasley took a Dwyane Wade jumper out of midair for the win.



The problem with Dalembert's play, though, is that the only team which can protest would be ... Dalembert's team, and that would just be akin to calling Dalembert (who otherwise had a stellar game, with 19 rebounds and solid defense on Dirk Nowitzki) a buffoon. So don't hold your breath.