CLEVELAND (AP) — The latest from Game 4 of the NBA Finals:
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7:55 p.m.
One of the most recognizable faces on the court tonight to many NBA fans won’t be wearing a Warriors or Cavaliers uniform.
It will Joey Crawford, officiating his 50th NBA Finals game — most among active referees.
The officiating has drawn plenty of attention in the finals, though the league has ruled most of the disputed calls correctly. That includes a play late in Game 3 where LeBron James forced Stephen Curry into a turnover on a play that looked like a slide tackle in soccer.
The NBA ruled it a correct no-call, saying “the contact made after the strip is incidental to the players’ attempt to retrieve the ball.”
Steve Kerr gave a sarcastic response when asked for his take at Thursday’s morning shootaround.
“It was the correct call. Slide tackling is perfectly legal,” he said. “I totally agree, I think it was absolutely the correct call. We’re going to teach it. We’re going to teach traveling, too, before next year, because traveling is also.”