The Houston Rockets might have won last night, but they would have been better off without it. The victory was nothing short of a failure in that it came only because of a foul call. Crew Chief, Ed Malloy, himself admitted that it wasn’t a necessary call. But the Knicks aren’t going to let it go easy. The foul, called on Jalen Brunson, had the entire NY team up in arms.

As reported by Woj of ESPN, New York has gone the formal path and filed for a protest. But seeing as how things are in the NBA, it seems like the likelihood of them winning is slim. According to Bobby Marks, the last time a protest was held was in December 2007 and the foul then was called on none other than Big Shaq!

It was the Rockets’ last-second desperation when Aaron Holiday tried to drill a three-pointer. But Brunson saw what he was trying to do and came charging. But it was clear that there was little to no minimal contact on Holiday and his shot was off the mark. Yet the initial call got Houston their free throws, of which Holiday hit two, leading to a 105-103 win.

And just like that, Houston managed to snap a four-game losing streak. Albeit the courtesy of the ref and, by extension, Brunson and the Knicks. The franchise’s leading superstar finished the night with 27 points, seven assists, and four rebounds. They also had another issue in the form of Donte DiVincenzo. Vincenzo had to exit the game due to a right hamstring strain.

Anyway, it seems like with Malloy also conceding the call was unnecessary, the Knicks are determined to see this through.

How the NBA formal protest works

According to the NBA rules and regulations, to file a formal protest, the team has to file the protest with the league office within 48 hours of the infraction and a $10,000 check. This amount will be refunded if the protest is successful.

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The franchise then has five days to provide enough evidence that support its claims. The NBA Commissioner, currently, Adam Silver, also has five days to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. If the league is convinced that the said issue has indeed happened, then the game is scheduled for a later date.

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The initial result, in the case of the Knicks vs Rockets, 105-103, will not be counted as season totals for either team. There have been 44 known cases of formal protest in the league to date. The most recent being the 2023 Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors. Unsuccessful protests also get a nasty fine. Prior to this, the Mavs had filed another protest, then against the Atlanta Hawks.

Unsuccessful, again. Mark Cuban was slapped with a $50,000 fine. In the history of the NBA, there have only been six successful protests. The recent one is the Shaquille O’Neal case. So, although it looks like the chances of the Knicks winning the protest are slim, their demands are just. So, Brunson might just get to avenge himself!

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