The Sacramento Kings will protest a very controversial loss that took place last week vs. the Memphis Grizzlies, in an early, pivotal Western Conference match up.
The Kings broke down defensively that night, yet retook the lead late on 2 DeMarcus Cousins FT’s. Within the last 0.6 seconds however, Ben McLemore missed two free throws, & gave the Grizzlies a gasp of air with just 0.3 seconds remaining.
The controversy surrounding the final play is based off two separate occurrences. The first being the inbound play, in which Carter tosses the ball into Courtney Lee. In that occurrence, it appears that the ball was tipped by Ryan Hollins. By rule, that should have ended the game. The second controversial sequence, was the clock malfunction. As Lee is inbounded the ball, & attempts the lay in, the clock doesn’t start properly. The clock continues to show 0.3 seconds as Lee lays the ball in & barely begins to start as the ball touches the bottom of the net.
If the NBA determines Hollins deflected the ball or that Lee did not release the ball in time as the clock started late, & his basketball move would have required more than just 0.3 seconds to perform, the Kings will be awarded the victory.
Obviously, this is a huge decision for the NBA. Some fans & media have speculated the NBA might choose not to want to “open this can of worms”, as it may lead to more complicated examples & issues with protesting games in the future.
The NBA has until December 2nd to make it’s decision.
