The Dallas Mavericks filed an official protest with the League office following a four-point loss to the Pacers on Friday night.
According to the Mavs, Troy Murphy was rewarded with a three point basket despite shooting it from well within the arc. Dallas also protested a non-call on Devin Harris, who didn’t get a whistle despite being clearly hacked as he went to the hoop in the fourth quarter (leading to the ejection of an enraged Avery Johnson.)
In a delicious twist of irony, the ref in the middle of all this is Bennett Salvatore. Yes, the same Salvatore who called the ultra-controversial foul on Dirk when D-Wade drove through the entire Mavs team towards the end of Game 5 during the 2006 NBA Finals.
Here’s what I don’t get: What good could possibly come out of this protest? The Mavs obviously won’t get the call reversed, and this will certainly not absolve Mark Cuban’s team of its unfortunate reputation as a group of soft whiners.
He’s great for the League, no doubt, but sometimes, Cubes should stick to signing the checks and just try to keep his mouth shut.
