NBA Admits LeBron James Goaltended Crucial Victor Oladipo Block In Game 5

The NBA acknowledged they missed a goaltending call on LeBron James after he blocked a pivotal layup attempt from Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo in the dying seconds of the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 5 win Wednesday night.

With the game all tied at 95-95, the Pacers had possession of the ball and tried to take the lead when Oladipo drove in for a layup. However, his attempt was blocked by James as the home fans erupted with the Cavs in possession with three seconds left.

Following a timeout, James received the ball and scored a game-winning three-pointer to give the Cavs a 3-2 series lead as pandemonium broke out at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

However, it appeared that James made contact with Oladipo's layup attempt after it hit the backboard as the latter was convinced it was an illegal block which should have given the Pacers a two-point lead.

"I got a step on him. Felt like I even got grabbed on the way to the rim," Oladipo said after the game. "I tried to shoot a layup, it hit the backboard, then he blocked it. It was a goaltend. It's hard to even speak on it. It just sucks, honestly. It really sucks. We fought our way back, we tied the game up, that layup is huge."

"Give him [James] credit where credit is due. The 3 was big-time. Definitely huge. But who's to say they even run that play? We don't know what happens. It's unfortunate. It really sucks that they missed that [goaltending call]," he said.

The NBA later reported in their Last Two Minute Report on Thursday that referees missed the call but the play cannot be reviewed because goaltending was not called on the court.

When asked about the incident after the game, James sarcastically joked it was a goaltend but then claimed he thought it was a legitimate play which he routinely makes.

"I definitely thought it was a goaltend," James told reporters afterward. "Of course I didn't think it was a goaltend. I try to make plays like that all the time, and I mean he made a heck of a move, got me leaning right and he went left and I just tried to use my recovery speed and get back up there and make a play on the ball. And I was able to make a play."

However, the Pacers can also be considered fortunate as the NBA also confirmed they missed a call that wrongly gave the visitors possession of the ball in the first place before Oladipo's layup attempt.

As James was attempting to help the Cavs take the lead, Thaddeus Young deflected the ball from his possession out of bounds, however, the ball bounced back into play hitting James' elbow before going out of bounds once again with 27.6 seconds left.

Regardless, it will only be known how much of an effect those last few events have when Game 6 takes place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Friday.