NBA reviewing Mavs protest, Cuban outburst

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban looks on ahead of a game between the Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on December 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.Katharine Lotze/Getty Images/AFP

Any NBA discipline of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for his criticism of the league after a loss to Atlanta is reportedly on hold pending the Mavs’ official protest of the Saturday result.

The Mavericks filed a protest after their 111-107 loss to the Hawks citing a “misapplication of the rules” on a play with 8.4 seconds left and Atlanta leading by two points.

Hawks guard Trae Young drove for a layup and Dallas forward Dorian Finney-Smith blocked the shot and was whistled for goaltending.

Atlanta’s John Collins got the ball as it bounced off the rim and put it back through the basket — releasing the ball after the foul whistle.

Game officials and those working in the NBA’s replay center determined that Finney-Smith’s block was not goaltending, and therefore decided that Collins’ basket should stand because it was an “inadvertent whistle.”

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle thought Collins’ basket should have been disallowed and a jump ball awarded.

“It’s baffling and disappointing,” he said.

The reaction from Mavs owner Cuban, however, was more explosive.

“So they call a goaltend,” Cuban tweeted. “They literally blew the whistle that it was a goaltend. There was a putback after the whistle.

“After review they said no goaltend but count the basket? WTF is that? That’s NBA officiating.”

Cuban went on to blast the state of officiating in the league in general, and the entire procedure for recruiting and training officials.

“We’re going to review the matter in its totality,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.

Protests of game outcomes are rare in the NBA. Some 35 have been filed in the league’s history, and only three have been upheld.

In 2007, Miami won a protest over a game against Atlanta and the final 51.9 seconds were replayed — with Miami losing.

This season Houston protested a 135-133 double-overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs after officials acknowledged a wild dunk by James Harden in the fourth quarter should have counted when it didn’t.

The league rejected the Rockets’ request to replay the final 7:50 of the fourth quarter.