The New York Knicks are protesting Monday’s 105-103 loss to the Houston Rockets, a league source confirmed Tuesday.
With the score tied at 103, Rockets guard Aaron Holiday hit a prayer 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds left. Referee Jacin Goble called a foul on Knicks guard Jalen Brunson’s run to the shooter. He connected on 2 of 3 free-throw attempts to win the game for Houston.
After the final whistle, team GM Ed Malloy admitted in an interview that Brunson made “accidental contact” and that the play should not have been called foul. Had the whistle not sounded, the Knicks and Rockets would have gone into overtime tied at 103.
“After seeing it during the post-game evaluation, the offensive player was able to return to his normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy said in an interview with a pool reporter. “The contact after the ball was released was accidental and the shot attempt was limited and should not have been called.”
Kikis view
The goal is to continue the game. If the Knicks win the contest, New York and Houston will meet again to play a five-minute overtime period.
Rumors that the Knicks were considering a protest began as soon as the final whistle sounded in Houston. Of course, winning a protest requires more than accepting an incorrect call, even if the call determines the final outcome.
A team will have to prove that the officials abused the rules, which means that for the Knicks to have a chance here, Monday’s referees will have to show not just typically, but aggressively.
New York can match the last play of regulation with the last play of the first half when the same play happens. In this example, Kicks guard Donte DiVincenzo stepped up for a deep 3-pointer before the buzzer sounded. Officials called it a three-shot foul when Holliday, who rushed to block him, cut his leg.
But they had to go to the inspector to see if there was a clock at the time of the accident. A fraction of a second later, the Rockets countered. Not only did Houston win the game, but he avoided a foul on Holiday, causing the refs to turn the call over to DiVincenzo, who stuck his foot on the play and knocked Holiday to the ground.
The Knicks could argue that the play at the end of the game wasn’t much different from DiVincenzo’s. Take a close look at Brunson’s Holiday Celebration replay, and you can see Holiday getting a little leg up. But the play in the fourth quarter was more subtle than DiVincenzo’s. And even if the Knicks did find an inconsistency between the two plays, that wouldn’t necessarily be an abuse of the rules.
There’s a reason groups don’t protest. And when they do, there’s a reason they rarely win. Just proving a blown call isn’t enough. And it won’t be easy for the Knicks to justify a bad play in the past. – Fred Katz, Knicks staff writer
Where are the rockets on the issue?
The Rockets didn’t seem particularly concerned about the Knicks’ opposition. For one, the odds of a successful challenge are the lowest since the 2007-08 regular season, when the last one was approved.
Second, Houston went through a similar process in December 2019, protesting James Harden’s dunk in a double-overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs. James Capers, who was in charge that day, admitted to wrongdoing after the game, but the league denied the Rockets’ request after an investigation.
In addition to the $10,000 required, the protest process is tedious compared to lengthy legal proceedings. Sure, the financial aspect may seem like a bucket load for a billionaire, but the amount of work required to go through the process may not be worth it, especially if the odds are historically on the opposing team. – Kelly Echo, Rockets staff writer
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(Jalen Brunson photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)