Chicago Bulls can attest. So can Al Horford. However, Horford and the Atlanta Hawks looked to have a strong case for an additional free throw attempt in the waning moments of their series-ending 83-80 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the first-round NBA playoff series.
Trailing by two points with just 3.1 seconds remaining on the clock, the Hawks were inbounding the ball beneath the Celtics' basket. Mercurial swingman Marvin Williams was the inbounder while his teammates Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague attempted to get open.
As Williams was inbounding the ball -- or perhaps just before he threw it in -- a whistle sounded, triggered by a foul from Marquis Daniels of the Celtics against Horford. TNT announcer and former NBA coach Mike Fratello quickly grasped the significance of the foul as Daniels looked around nervously. Fratello told viewers that "if that was out of bounds and the ball was not passed in [then] that's two shots."
