The NBA has officially denied the New York Knicks' protest of their recent loss to the Houston Rockets. The Knicks contested their 105-103 defeat on February 12, which concluded with a controversial foul call against Jalen Brunson that led to Aaron Holiday's game-winning free throws for the Rockets.
Referee Ed Malloy later acknowledged that the foul call was based on an error in judgment, as the contact between the players was deemed marginal. Despite this admission, the NBA ruled that the call did not constitute a misapplication of the official playing rules, thus rejecting the Knicks' protest.
This decision marks the continuation of a trend, as the NBA has not upheld a protest since the 2007-08 season. During that season, a scoring error by the Atlanta stat crew resulted in Miami's Shaquille O'Neal being incorrectly disqualified from a game, prompting the league to order a replay of the final 51.9 seconds.
In a separate incident, the Knicks recently benefited from a controversial call in their favor during a game against the Detroit Pistons. Following a review of the game tape, it was determined that a foul should have been called on New York's Donte DiVincenzo, but was overlooked by the officials. This call allowed the Knicks to retain possession and ultimately secure a 113-111 victory over the Pistons.
Despite the Knicks' recent experiences with contentious calls, the NBA's decision to deny their protest underscores the league's strict criteria for overturning game results. The ruling emphasizes the distinction between errors in judgment by officials and misapplications of playing rules, highlighting the challenges of contesting game outcomes based on subjective calls.
For more NBA news and updates, visit the official NBA website.
