Why did the shot clocks fail in Nets-Raptors? Blame ESPN

During the third quarter of Game 1 of the playoff series between the Nets and Raptors, Air Canada Center’s shot clocks suddenly went dead, causing a ten-minute game delay and relying on a courtside employee with a stopwatch and the PA announcer.

It turns out, according to USA TODAY, that the mishap wasn’t the fault of Air Canada Centre, but ESPN.

From the report:

ESPN caused the shot clocks to malfunction during Game 1 Saturday between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre when it tried to solve an internal issue by plugging into the same power source for the shot clocks, causing the power source to fry, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the cause of the malfunction.

…

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment though is on the hook for using the same power source for the primary and backup shot clocks. They are no longer using the same source.

ESPN caused shot clock malfunction in Raptors-Nets