The Knicks aren't letting the NBA off the hook so easily.
New York's 105-103 loss to Houston at Madison Square Garden on Monday night remains embroiled in controversy. In the dying seconds of the tied game, Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson was called for a foul, allowing the Rockets to take free throws to secure the win.
Video replays and the NBA's pool report of the game tell a different story. The league admitted the foul call on Brunson was "incorrect" and the Rockets should never have been awarded free throws. While it's fair to admit the officials' mistakes, it doesn't come without a cost.
New York is filing a protest over the loss ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday.
This is the second game in the last month that has been protested in the NBA. The Trail Blazers previously disputed a January loss to the Thunder.
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Why the Knicks are protesting game vs. Rockets
The ending of a regular-season game between the Knicks and Rockets was marked by controversy thanks to an incorrect foul call late in regulation.
With the game tied at 103, Rockets guard Aaron Holiday collected a blocked shot while he was positioned well beyond the 3-point line. As the clock was winding down, Holiday attempted a last-second heave with one hand to get the shot off before the buzzer.
The shot did not fall, but a whistle was blown on Brunson, who was called for a foul on Holiday as he was contesting the shot.
Jalen Brunson fouls Aaron Holiday on a last-second heave. Insane. pic.twitter.com/nNVErkSoE0
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) February 13, 2024
Despite the call on the court, the replays showed minimal contact from Brunson after Holiday had already gotten the shot out. Under normal circumstances, it's likely that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau would have challenged the call, but New York had used its coach's challenge earlier in the game.
As a result, the play stood as called on the floor, allowing Holiday to shoot three free throws with 0.3 seconds on the clock. He sunk the first two free throws before intentionally missing the third shot to wind time off the clock, helping the Rockets to a 105-103 win.
After the final buzzer, Thibodeau and assistant coach Rick Brunson both approached the officiating crew at half court and needed to be restrained.
Tom Thibodeau with every right to be upset. The Ref’s straight up dictated the ending and outcome of this game.
— Sean Murphy (@seanhalfcourt) February 13, 2024
pic.twitter.com/RnoAuJEeP6
The foul call was controversial enough. What added more fuel to the fire was the contents of the postgame pool report. In the report, crew chief Ed Malloy admitted that his team got the call wrong: Holiday should not have been awarded free throws.
After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor. 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.
The full pool report is available here.
Both Thibodeau and Brunson kept their feelings close to the chest. Brunson was asked three times about the officiating in the game, giving the same answer each go-around: "Great call. Next question."
When asked about the officiating, Thibodeau first responded by calling it "great" before expanding a bit.
"This is the way I feel about that in general: I don't really care how tight the game is called," Thibodeau said. "You can call it tight or you can call it loose, I just would like the consistency to be the same.
"They have a job. They have to control and manage the game — that's their No. 1 responsibility, so they have to use their judgment and I have respect for that. It didn't go our way tonight."
What is a protest in the NBA?
A protest in the NBA is an effort by a team to have a section of the game replayed because of incorrect rulings or other rules misapplications. Teams that file a protest have to pay $10,000, though they would receive that money back if the appeal is successful.
Teams have 48 hours to file a protest and five days for evidence to accompany the protest. The protest is then evaluated by the president of league operations and that office, with the NBA commissioner being the final voice on the protest.
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If there is a successful protest, the portion of the game needed for the protest is replayed, typically being only a small portion of the game in the fourth quarter.
What NBA protests have been successful?
Eight games have been overturned due to a protest that resulted in a replay, according to NBA Hoops Online. Since 1982, however, just one protest has been successful.
In 2007, the Heat filed a protest for a game in which Shaquille O'Neal was ejected after officials said he reached six fouls. However, O'Neal had just five fouls, which meant he could have stayed in the game.
The final 51.3 seconds of overtime, which had started on Dec. 19, 2007, were replayed on March 8, 2008. By that point, though, O'Neal had been traded from Miami to Phoenix. The Heat originally lost the game 114-111, and wound up losing the replayed game by the same score.
Winners have only been changed after a protest three times in NBA history.
| Date | Replayed time | Original score | Final score |
| Nov. 28, 1952 | Final minutes | Hawks 78, Warriors 77 | Warriors 72, Hawks 69 |
| Nov. 6, 1969 | Overtime | Hawks 124, Bulls 122 | Hawks 142, Bulls 137 |
| Dec. 3, 1971 | 4 seconds | Braves 91, Cavaliers 90 | Braves 91, Cavaliers 90 |
| Jan. 14, 1973 | 60 seconds | Pacers 84, Spurs 83 | Spurs 95, Pacers 90 |
| Jan. 7, 1976 | 3 minutes | Squires 112, Nets 89 | Squires 107, Nets 100 |
| Nov. 8, 1978 | 5:50 of third quarter, all of fourth | 76ers 137, Nets 133 | 76ers 123, Nets 117 |
| Nov. 30, 1982 | 3 seconds | Lakers 137, Spurs 132 | Spurs 117, Lakers 114 |
| Dec. 19, 2007 | 51.3 seconds | Hawks 114, Heat 111 | Hawks 114, Heat 111 |
