NBA says Kyrie Irving should have been called for foul on game-saving steal

According to the NBA, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving got away with one last night against the Dallas Mavericks.

When Irving stole the ball from Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki with under five seconds left in the game, he sealed the Cavs' win. No foul was called despite Irving making some contact, but today the NBA noted in its under two-minute report that Irving should have been called for a foul saying that Irving. Here's the description of the play, which is labeled as an incorrect non-call (INC):

Irving (CLE) makes contact with Nowitzki's (DAL) midsection as he separates and steals the entry pass.

You can read the full report from Cavaliers vs. Mavericks here. The NBA also has a high-quality video of the play here.

Here's a Vine of the play:

This is tricky. While it's clear Irving makes contact with Nowitzki, DirHadk also seems to sell it a bit. Plus, it's late in a game and refs don't typically make these type of calls late in games. Still, it was labeled a foul and had it been called one, it would have been an appropriate call. And it may have changed the outcome of the game. Irving hit two free throws after the steal that put the Cavs up four. Had he been called for a foul, Nowitzki would have gone to the line for two free throws with a chance to tie the game.

This non-call, in all reality, decided the outcome of Wednesday's game.