On March 23, Beijing time, the Warriors narrowly defeated the Lone Ranger, and the scene of the Warriors 5-0 Looney dunk in the third quarter caused heated discussion, Cuban tweeted in response that this may be the worst penalty in history, and the Lone Ranger plans to protest to the league; After the game, the referee explained that there was no change in the decision, and that the blow was that the Warriors held the ball.
In the final stage of the third quarter between the Warriors and the Lone Ranger, the timeout came back and the Warriors went straight 5-on-0, and the Lone Ranger players were all at the other end of the court, such a weird scene caused controversy; As can be seen from the live video, the referee did not give the ball to the lone ranger for the first time, but directly expressed the ball in front and the warrior ball!
The referee first made a gesture to the right to indicate the direction of the ball (that is, the ball in front, the ball of the warriors), and then to the left, extending the palm of the hand while sounding the whistle, this posture is to blow a timeout.
After the game, the referee explained the Warriors' 5-on-0 controversy, and referee Wright replied: The original penalty for that ball on the field was the Warriors' ball, which can be seen on video. There was indeed a second gesture at the time, but that gesture meant a forced pause on the lone ranger.
According to reports, the Lone Ranger planned to protest to the league, and the misleading referee caused the Warriors to easily score 2 points; The Lone Ranger boss Cuban tweeted and complained about the referee, saying: At that time, the referee first blew our ball, the announcer on the scene also broadcast, and then went into a timeout, during which the referee changed the ball to the Warriors, but they did not tell us about the referee. Then, when they saw us standing like we were ready to serve, he gave the ball straight to the Warriors.
Cuban also wrote: "It's crazy in a game with a 2-point difference. It was probably the worst penalty in NBA history; All they needed to do was tell us, but they didn't.
Marc Stein reported that the Lone Rangers also protested unsuccessfully after losing to the Hawks in February 2020, and Cuban was fined $500,000 for it, which has not been the NBA since 2008.
In the Lone Ranger's Feb. 23, 2020 defeat to the Hawks, Trae Young was covered for a layup in the final moments of the game, but the referee blew the jamming ball while John Collins added the ball. After a replay, the referee determined that the ball was not a interference ball and that Collins' basket was valid. The Lone Ranger filed a protest with the NBA for "abuse of the rules," but it was dismissed.
NBA salary expert Bobby Marks then tweeted some details of the protest - 1. The protest application must be filed within 48 hours after the game; 2. The protesting party needs to pay a fee of 10,000 US dollars, which will be refunded after successful protest; 3. The lone ranger needs to provide evidence within five days; 4. The commissioner responsible for handling the protest will make a ruling within five days of receiving the evidence.
Perhaps, after reading the referee's explanation, the Cuban will give up protesting.