The Dallas Mavericks lost by two points to the Golden State Warriors, but the close result isn’t what everyone is talking about. Instead, it is the terrible officiating that has cost the Dallas Mavericks two points, and potentially a better playoff seed in the Western Conference.
A Game-Changing Call
The controversial moment occurred in the third quarter when the game’s referees changed their decision without telling the Dallas Mavericks about it. What happened was that the Mavericks were at one end of the court while the Warriors were at the other. The referees gave the ball to the visiting team, and the Warriors, who were completely unchallenged and unmarked, scored with ease.
Now that wouldn’t have become the problem it now is if the game ended in a Dallas victory or if the Mavericks lost by a bigger margin. However, Doncic and co lost by exactly two points, two points the Warriors scored after that controversial call. And that’s when an already controversial call came under even more scrutiny.
Unhappy Mavs’ players made their frustration known, and Luka Doncic even indicated to the refs that the Warriors bought them, something for which he will almost certainly be fined.
Dallas Will Ask the NBA to Annul Warriors’ Win
Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban was quite mad too. After the game, Cuban took to social media to vent his anger. He also made it clear that he would ask for the Warriors’ triumph to be overturned.
Cuban explained exactly what happened. He said that during the time out, the refs changed the decision without telling Dallas. Then the officials saw that the Mavs were lining up as if they were going to get the ball.
However, the ref gave the ball to Golden State without saying a word to the hosts, resulting in easy two points for the Warriors, two points that Cuban knew would always matter in a two-point game.
Cuban wrote he would have had no issue with the call if the game officials told the Mavericks it wasn’t their ball.
Interestingly, the Mavericks’ owner pointed to the fact that only two refs were on the side of the court where the ball was. Only one knew that he would give the ball to the Warriors, while the other ref thought it was a Dallas ball.
So, what happens now? One thing is certain and that is that the Mavericks will file a complaint to the NBA and ask that the game is declared as “no contest.” Mark Cuban has disputed calls in the past, in 2008 and 2020, so this is nothing new to him. Whether the league will accept or reject that formal protest is another matter.
