Celtics vs. Warriors rim situation, explained: Why improper rim height is more gamesmanship than conspiracy

The Celtics wanted Golden State to play above the rim, quite literally.

Boston took a 2-1 series lead with a 116-110 win over the Warriors in Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals, a game that was wrought with plenty of drama and story lines.

Fans should have known what was coming in the eventful third game of the series in the hours leading to tip-off: When the Warriors took the court for warm ups, Gary Payton II noticed something off about their rim and alerted NBA officials to the issue.

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After measuring, it turns out that Golden State’s rim was 10 feet, two inches, a full two inches above regulation height:

The Warriors had to pause warmups due to the rim being too high.

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) June 9, 2022
🎥 @NBCSWarriorspic.twitter.com/wqCUGFBgjk

Innocent accident or yet another Boston pro sports cheating scandal? Put the tinfoil hats away: This one falls under the former more than the latter.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr didn’t pay too much mind into it, saying it happens more often than you’d think.

“It’s a good thing the game starts at midnight.” 😂

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) June 8, 2022
Steve Kerr jokes about the height of the hoop being off and the late start time pic.twitter.com/XykamGTX9M

“It’s a good thing the game starts at midnight, we’ll have plenty of time to fix it,” Kerr joked, before adding he hadn’t heard about the rim’s height issue.

“It happens every once in a while. Players have a really sharp eye for that. Players can tell.”

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There was no explanation as to why the rim was too high from anyone involved. Really, a situation like this probably falls in line with gamesmanship, similar to how MLB teams water their infields and cut their grass, or NFL teams mess with the temperature of visiting locker rooms.

Ultimately, it wouldn’t have made too much of a difference, considering both teams would play on the wonky hoop at some point during the game.

The Warriors shootaround was pushed back because the rim wasn’t regulation pic.twitter.com/rJIPHqqnwM

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 8, 2022

There was no explanation as to why the rim was too high, but the adjustment was made without issue after a short delay, while Golden State had no real issues of their own shooting during the game: The Warriors shot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 46.2 percent from the floor.

Correct height of NBA rims

As is regulation across the NBA — and most parks, gyms and schoolyards around the world — rims sit at 10 feet above the floor.

Obviously, rims can be adjusted for whatever purpose, but during game time must sit at 10 feet.

In order to measure the levelness and height of the rim, a wooden tool is used to make sure the rim sits at the correct spot: Last night, the tool was dangling, meaning the height was a bit off.

As it turns out, basketball is a game of inches, too.