The NBA announced on Friday that Commissioner Adam Silver fined the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $500,000 for “his public criticism and detrimental conduct regarding NBA officiating” according to a statement. In addition, Silver rejected the Mavs’ protest to replay the final seconds of their loss against the Atlanta Hawks on February 22.
The protest centered on a “successful field goal” from John Collins that tied the game with 8 seconds to end the game. Before Collins made the putback, Trae Young shot was blocked and the referees called for a goaltending. During the review of the play, the officials overturned the called and ruled that Collins basket should count. The Mavs believed the referees misapplied the playing rules allowing the basket.
When the game ended, Cuban entered the court, for the second time during the game, to complain to the officials. Later he would talk to reporters and tweeted on his personal account “comments that were highly critical , personal and demeaning to the league and its officiating staff”.
So they call a goaltend. 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.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 23, 2020
Just when you think the NBA officiating can't get any worse , guess again. This is absurd
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 23, 2020
Refs have bad games. Crews have bad games. But this isn't a single game issue. This is the same shit that has been going on for 20 years . Hire former refs who think they know how to hire , train and manage. Realize 2 years later they can't. Repeat https://t.co/GPqvvWSpuT
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 23, 2020
Cuban violated NBA rules with his comments and entering the court to complain to the officials. According to Tim McMahon from ESPN, Cuban has paid up to $3 Million from previous fines since he’s the owner of the Mavericks.
The NBA also reminded team executives that there are several channels where they can share their concerns about the officiating and that they should behave properly.
“A team owner’s effort to influence refereeing decisions during and after a game creates the perception of an unfair competitive advantage and thereby undermines the integrity of the game… Unlike fans or the media, team executives are provided with several formal channels to voice their concerns with the league office about officiating.”
