The start of the overtime period between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics in game three was delayed over seven minutes as the confetti cannon operator got a little too excited following what ended up the game tying shot by Marco Belinelli.
In defense of the Philadelphia confetti controller, the referees did have to go to the monitor to confirm Belinelli’s shot as time expired was a two-pointer, but the game was tied at 89 nonetheless.
Arena staff was easily able to sweep up the red, white, and blue confetti that had already fallen, but the slow trickle of crepe paper from the rafters forced players from both sides to wait before deciding a victor.
Things looked dire for the 76ers as JJ Redick turned it over at the top of the key with the game tied at 87 and just under five seconds remaining. Terry Rozier corralled the loose ball and found Jaylen Brown in transition to put the Celtics up 89-87 with 1.8 seconds keeping the 76ers from falling behind 3-0 in the series (although they would eventually fall in overtime).
The 2016 NCAA title game confetti cannon releaser avoided a similar fate after hitting the button (I assume the confetti cannon is controlled by a comically oversized red button) right after Villanova’s Kris Jenkins hit the game-winner as the clock ticked through zeros.
Stay strong, Philadelphia confetti cannon operator. It’s a tough gig.