The Toronto Raptors lost a heartbreaking game on Sunday night after a replay resulted in a buzzer-beating three-pointer being waved off, and the team feels the wrong call was made. As a result, the Raptors are filing a formal protest.
While the NBA has already addressed the controversial ruling and stood by the decision of its officials, the Raptors feel they were wronged.
Source: Raptors indeed launching official protest of end of game Sunday in Sacramento.
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) November 21, 2016
Protest costs $10K, money refunded if they win; have 5 business days to submit evidence, league has 5 days from then to rule https://t.co/s1lWVhHSSy
— Doug Smith: Raptors (@SmithRaps) November 21, 2016
The odds are stacked against the Raptors, to say the least. Only one formal protest has been upheld in the last 33 years, and that had to do with a discrepancy in the foul count, which is more straightforward.
If you saw the ending of the game, you understand why Toronto is devastated. Terrence Ross hit what appeared to be a game-tying three-pointer before time expired, but officials determined on replay that the clock actually should have started sooner because the inbound pass was tipped by DeMarcus Cousins. Although the clock on the court — which is the only one Ross has to go by — showed there was time to get the shot off, the ruling was that it was inaccurate.
Here’s a video:
While technically the clock should have started when the ball made contact with Cousins’ hand, there’s no way Ross would be able to account for that. It basically put him in a no-win situation. The formal protest is likely more about the Raptors showing support for their players than anything else.
