Lin says Scott didn't want him to foul on controversial late play

Trailing the Memphis Grizzlies 106-105 with 24 seconds and change to play on Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers had to foul.

That's not an opinion, it's a fact. They were down, and the shot clock had less than a second on it. They had to foul to have any chance of winning the game.

And yet when the play started, Jeremy Lin declined to foul Mike Conley, despite Kobe Bryant's emotive protestations. Bryant eventually ran to the ball-handler and fouled himself, with 12 seconds to play, extending the game in the process. The hilarious video can be found in the post below.

This wasn't a mental error on the part of Lin, who claimed after the game that head coach Byron Scott repeatedly told him not to foul.

A brief mental gaffe on the part of a player is understandable. A head coach eschewing reality with the game on the line is less forgivable.

"I had told him to wait until they got past half court, and then we wanted to foul at the 10-second mark," Scott explained after the game. "I told Kobe that was my judgment."

Asked about if he considered fouling earlier to extend the game, Scott admitted it crossed his mind, making himself look quite the fool in the process.

"I did, to get a little bit more extra time," Scott said. "I was thinking it wasn't going to make much of a difference, to be honest with you."

So to recap, Scott decided to just let time tick off the clock for no reason, deeming that the Lakers had as much a chance to tie the game in 10 seconds and one or two possessions as they did in, say, 20 seconds and two or three possessions.

They did not, and ultimately lost 109-106. It's hard to fault Bryant taking matters into his own hands, considering.