The Rockets quickly learned what life with forward Kevin Durant would be like against the Thunder Tuesday, watching the future Hall of Famer dazzle even at the advanced age of 37.

However, Durant almost cost Houston its opener in overtime. As time ran down in the first extra session, the Rockets forward appeared to call a timeout when Houston had none. Officials missed the gesture, and the game plunged into a second overtime.

On social media, sports fans immediately compared the play to a) the most famous timeout disaster in basketball history and b) sports' most recent available timeout fiasco.

The first would be the 1993 men's national championship between North Carolina and Michigan, won by the Tar Heels after Wolverines forward Chris Webber called a phantom timeout in the waning seconds.

The second would be Georgia's gridiron win over Auburn on Oct. 11, during which Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart successfully (and comically) argued to a referee that a clear timeout signal was actually his natural clapping motion.

Fortunately, Durant was able to avoid the humiliation of Webber's mishap and the durability of Smart's.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Everyone Made the Same Jokes After Kevin Durant's Near-Timeout Snafu vs. Thunder.

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