NEWSLETTER
The Dallas Mavericks are prepared to protest.
According to Mavs owner Mark Cuban and ESPN, the organization will file a formal protest of last night’s 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
The controversial play that sparked the protest occurred near the end of the third quarter when the refs allowed the Warriors to inbound the ball for an easy Kevon Looney dunk. Dallas’ team was stationed at the other end of the floor where they seemingly believed they would receive possession of the ball at halfcourt.
Here is a look at the bizarre play:
Cuban took to Twitter to explain the Mavs’ confusion, stating they believe the refs and arena initially said the ball belonged to the Mavericks. Then, during a Mavs timeout, the officials changed the call without alerting the Mavericks, thus leading to the open dunk.
Here’s his full description:
“For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout,” Cuban wrote on Twitter. “During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as if it were our ball, he just gave the ball to the warriors. Never said a word to us They got an easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a 2 point game. Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA . All they had to do was tell us and they didn’t.
Considering Dallas lost by just 2 points, there certaintly seems to be grounds for challenging the NBA on the conclusion. This feels especially true when we remember just how tight the current seeding race in the Western Conference.
At the same time, the last time we saw a team protest and win was in 2008, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. If Dallas were to pull off the shocking victory over the league office, the game would have to be replayed from the moment of the missed call.
Marks also shared some of the rules that go along with filing for a protest, as well as when we can expect a final decision. You can see that below:
