Following a narrow defeat to the Golden State Warriors in a crucial game, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly planning to file an official complaint to the NBA over an alleged referee mistake.
The Western Conference team pulled off one of the finest gameplays of the season yesterday, yet, they lost the crucial match because of an on-court misunderstanding. The Mavs’ players seemingly didn’t play defense after the third quarter’s timeout thinking it was supposed to be their ball as informed by the on-court officials, albeit the referees later changed their decision and passed the ball to the Warriors. Jordan Poole of the Warriors got the ball and passed it to Kevon Looney who made the effort successful by dunking the pass and ensuring two winning points for the Warriors.
Umm, what?
The Mavericks were defending the wrong basket so the Warriors got an easy bucket 😂
🎥 @warriors pic.twitter.com/5cryMpNffa
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 23, 2023
With this climacteric match, the Warriors (38-36) reached sixth place, while the Mavs (36-37) are in ninth place in the West Conference.
Why are the Dallas Mavericks planning to protest against the referees?
Reportedly the Dallas Mavericks are planning to file a formal protest to the league following a head-to-head 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The Dallas Mavericks plan to file to the NBA a formal protest of their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors tonight, with focus on alleged referee mistake that led to two free Warriors points late in the third quarter, source tells @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 23, 2023
The Mavs owner Mark Cuban shared his words after the alleged incident.
“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. 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”, the coach added.
Can the Dallas Mavericks protest become successful?
There is almost no probability of a successful protest in this case as it has never happened in the league since 2008, per The Athletic. The Mavs coach knows this, yet, the team just can’t let it go simply.
According to the NBA constitution, no team can protest during the course of a game and the protest can only come from the governor or coach. The team willing to file a formal protest will have to provide a $10,000 check to the league which would be refunded to them if the protest is successful, otherwise, it will be retained in the league’s treasury.
It remains to be seen whether the NBA will take any action in response to the Mavericks’ complaint, yet, the incident has already sparked a debate among basketball fans and analysts, with some siding with the Mavericks and others defending the referees’ decision.
