The Sacramento Kings are protesting Thursday night's last-second loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, according to multiple reports.
Kings to protest buzzer-beating loss to the Grizzlies
Sacramento claims to have visual evidence that Courtney Lee’s game-winning layup on Thursday night should not have counted.
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
The Kings claim to have visual evidence that Courtney Lee's buzzer-beating alley-oop, which capped of a 26-point comeback, should not have counted, according to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. That evidence is that the inbounds pass was deflected by Sacramento center Ryan Hollins. The pass was thrown with just 0.3 seconds remaining, and the clock is supposed to start as soon as the ball is touched by a player on the court. If Hollins did indeed tip the pass, the clock should have expired before the ball made it to Lee.
Sacramento is also claiming that Lee took 0.377 seconds to catch the ball and shoot it, even though he only had 0.3.
You can watch the play below:
The play was reviewed extensively by the game’s officials and the NBA’s new replay center before a final ruling was made. All angles and images pointed to Hollins not touching the ball and to Lee getting rid of the ball before the game clock expired, which is what the officials ruled.
The NBA's charges teams $10,000 to protest games, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Amick also had the following to add on Kings general manager, Pete D'Alessandro.
In other Kings news, GM @Pdoro was so incensed by Grizzlies game that he blew a blood vessel in his eye right after the controversial finish
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 16, 2014 Visual proof of aforementioned, loss-induced blood vessel pop RT @Pdoro: @sam_amick the truth is in the details...Lol pic.twitter.com/VLhFqDYPPm
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 16, 2014 The last time the NBA granted a protest was seven years ago in a December 2007 contest between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat. That game was protested by the Heat after Atlanta's home scorekeeper incorrectly ruled that Shaquille O'Neal had fouled out with 51.9 seconds remaining in overtime even though he had only committed five fouls. An earlier foul by Undonis Haslem had mistakenly been attributed to O'Neal. Atlanta went on to win that game, but Miami protested and the NBA ruled in favor of the Heat. The league also fined the Hawks. The last minute of the game was replayed in March, 2008 and the Hawks won 114-111.
The last granted protest prior to that came in 1982 when the Spurs claimed that a late lane violation call in a game between them and the Lakers had been incorrect, according to ESPN Research. The NBA also granted a Nets protest in 1978 centered on a technical foul called in a game between them and the Sixers.
The earliest granted protest on record is from 1954 when the Celtics claimed that two free throws made by Lakers forward Vern Mikkelsen should not have counted because the foul committed came after the game clock had expired.
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