The Dallas Mavericks are unhappy with the way a particular game was conducted during their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, and they are Plan a formal protest with the NBA.
The game came after a time-out was called late in the third quarter of the competition. After the break, the Mavericks lined up on the other end of the floor as if it were their possession, while the Warriors received the ball for the inbound on the other end. The Mavs were clearly confused as the game resulted in a wide-open basket for Kevon Looney.
The Mavericks were understandably upset at the time and protested, but the game went on. Ultimately, the Warriors won the game by two, so they were given a big role in the free basket — even though they usually had 14 minutes left. After the game, Mavs owner Mark Cuban took to Twitter to share an explanation of what happened as he understood it. Here’s what he had to say:
For those wondering if the 1:54 play is supposed to play on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The referee called Mav’s Ball. The announcer announced it. Then there was a break. During the time out the officer changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up like it was our ball, he just gave the ball to the warriors. Never said a word to us. You have an easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a 2 point game. Worst non-call error in NBA history. They just had to tell us and they didn’t.
And here’s the post-game explanation from crew chief Sean Wright: “Initially, the initial signal on the ground was actually Golden State Ball, as shown on the video. There’s a second signal, but that signal is for a mandatory time-out that was due for the Mavs.”
So Wright is saying that the umpire involved in the game first signaled that the ball belonged to Golden State and then signaled that the Mavericks called a timeout, which upon further verification is actually correct:
Based on this response from Wright, it certainly seems like the referee’s stance is that Dallas was at fault, not them, although Cuban clearly disagrees. The Mavericks now have 48 hours to officially file the protest with the league office. A protest fee of $10,000 must be included. The fee will only be refunded if the protest is deemed successful. Once Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledges receipt of the protest, the Grizzlies and Warriors each have five days to present any corroborating evidence. Silver will then make a final decision.
Losing to Golden State dropped Dallas to under-.500 (36-37) in the season. They’re now ninth in the Western Conference — although they’re just two games behind the Warriors in sixth place and a half game away from missing the play-in tournament entirely — and just weeks into the regular season remain.