Referee admits Waiters should have been called for offensive foul on final play vs. Spurs

After the Thunder came away with a Game 2 win over the Spurs, the lead referee met with a pool reporter to clear up a critical no-call on the game's final (and completely insane) possession.

What you saw there was Dion Waiters committing not one, but two violations on the inbounds pass. Delivering a forearm to Ginobili's chest was the first, and leaving his feet to deliver the pass was the second.

The first violation is what drew the most attention, and crew chief Ken Mauer admitted afterward that Waiters should have been whistled for the offensive foul, which would have meant that possession would go to the Spurs.

Question: Can you explain what you saw on the inbounds play with 13.5 seconds remaining when Dion Waiters appeared to make contact with Manu Ginobili?

Mauer: On the floor, we did not see a foul on the play. However, upon review we realize and we agree that we should have had an offensive foul on the play. It's a play that we have never seen before, ever, but we feel we should have had an offensive foul on Waiters.

Question: Had an offensive call been made on Waiters, what rule would have applied to a foul committed before throw-in?

Mauer: An offensive foul. Possession Spurs.

This doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things, mainly because the Spurs came away with possession anyway, and couldn't convert in the chaos of the game's closing seconds. But it was such a strange play that it warranted a clarification nonetheless.