In a recent game between the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets, an incorrect foul call in the final seconds led to the Knicks filing a protest with the NBA. The NBA's Last Two Minute Report and game crew chief Ed Malloy both acknowledged that the foul call on Knicks guard Jalen Brunson against Rockets guard Aaron Holiday was mistakenly made. The Knicks are hoping that their protest will result in overturning the loss.
However, history shows that successful game protests are incredibly rare in the NBA. In fact, it has only occurred six times in NBA history, and just once in the past 41 years. The odds are stacked against the Knicks, but they are determined to fight for their right to rectify the erroneous call.
One notable game protest incident involved Shaquille O'Neal, who was incorrectly ruled to have six fouls instead of five. The game was eventually resumed, but no additional points were scored in the 51.9 seconds replayed from overtime. The Atlanta Hawks emerged as the winners, and O'Neal, who had been traded to the Phoenix Suns, didn't even play in the resumed portion of the game.
Another remarkable protest occurred during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs. A double lane violation was called but should have been a non-call, leading to a jump ball. The Lakers won the jump ball and eventually won the game in double overtime. The game was resumed with three seconds left and the Spurs leading by two points, but San Antonio managed to secure a victory.
In 1979, a game between the New Jersey Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers resulted in a replay of the final 17 minutes and 50 seconds. Referee Richie Powers had mistakenly called three technical fouls on Nets head coach Kevin Loughery, exceeding the limit of two. Interestingly, these two teams had made a trade between the original game and the replay, resulting in Eric Money, Harvey Catchings, and Ralph Simpson playing for both teams. This event remains the only instance in NBA history where players have represented both teams in the same game.
In another protest incident from 1972, the Cleveland Cavaliers successfully protested that they did not receive the full benefit of a timeout. The final four seconds of the game were replayed, but the result remained the same, with the Buffalo Braves victorious.
The most extraordinary protest controversy occurred in 1953 in a game between the Rochester Royals and the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors were incorrectly allowed to bring in a fifth player, even though they had already lost four players due to disqualifications. Despite this advantage, the Warriors only won by one point in double overtime. As a result of the protest, the game was completely replayed, and the Warriors managed to secure a victory in overtime.
While the odds may be against the New York Knicks in their current protest, they are hoping to join the short list of successful game protests in NBA history. It remains to be seen how the NBA will respond to their request, but the outcome of this situation will undoubtedly be closely watched by basketball fans and pundits alike.
