NY Knicks against Houston Rockets was another controversial game in the NBA, where the final result was decided by a rather arguable call by the refs. Now, the Knicks are reportedly filing a protest to repeat the game.
As the game was on the line with the result tied 103-103, Rockets Aaron Holiday shot a 3-pointer with just 0.3 seconds to try to win the game. However, Jalen Brunson contested the attempt and referee Jacyn Goble considered that a foul.
The result? 3 free throws for Holiday, who managed to sink 2 of them, gifting his team the victory. Right after the end of the game, crew chief Ed Malloy called Brunson’s attempt to stop the shot an “incidental contact” as “the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” concluded Malloy.
“The contact, which occurred after the release of the ball, therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”
Therefore, Brunson didn’t commit a foul, and Holiday shouldn’t have been given 3 free throws, sending the game to OT.
Should the protest be accepted, the two teams will play a five-minute OT to decide the game. Of course, winning the protest will be a longer and harder process than just saying that the refs admitted the call was wrong. In fact, the Knicks must prove that the officials misapplied a rule to win.