Mavericks Lose Protest Of Hawks Game, Mark Cuban Fined $500K For Criticizing Refs
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Mavericks have lost their protest of the Feb. 22 game against the Atlanta Hawks, and owner Mark Cuban has also been fined $500,000 for his criticism and actions against the referees of that game, the league announced Friday.
The Mavericks filed a protest regarding the final eight seconds of that game after the referees counted a basket by Hawks' John Collins as a whistle was blown for goaltending against Dorian Finney-Smith. After replay, the referees found that there was no goaltending but still counted the points.
This situation put the Hawks up 111-107, which ended up being the final score.
The play was questioned by the Mavericks because the referee had blown a whistle for goaltending as Collins was putting the ball through the hoop. However, the league found there was "no misapplication of the playing rules."
This play (and other apparent questionable calls) led to a slew of criticism from Cuban. According to the league, he publicly criticized the referees to reporters and on Twitter and also walked onto the court after the game to confront the referees.
"The NBA further determined that Mr. Cuban's conduct toward game officials -- along with his public criticism of NBA officiating, the officiating program and individuals who work in the league's Referee Operations Department -- violated NBA rules," the league said in a statement.
The leagued decided to issue Cuban a $500,000 fine for his comments and actions.
