On Wednesday night, the Washington Wizards had the chance to win in dramatic fashion, and if you were listening to their TV announcers, that’s exactly what happened — only it didn’t.
The Wizards found themselves down one to the Pistons with only seconds remaining. Washington had a chance to come away with a win and extend its three-game winning streak. The ball moved to Trevor Ariza in the corner, and he launched a three that hit nothing but net — but in the form of an airball.
The scene on the court was somber for the Wizards, but that didn’t stop play-by-play announcer Steve Buckhantz from celebrating the game-winning shot he believed went in. Yelling his signature phrase, “Dagger!”, Buckhantz’s view of the buzzer-beater led him to believe that Ariza had nailed the clutch shot. He continued to celebrate the last-second heroics alongside color commentator Phil Chenier until eventually the two were clued in.
“The dagger has been retracted,” Buckhantz eventually told viewers.
Check out the play call that Buckhantz won’t live down for quite a while below.
