The NBA already has admitted twice that the referees screwed up at the end of regulation in the Knicks’ last-second loss Monday in Houston.
A source confirmed the Knicks officially are filing a protest with the league in an attempt to take the game to overtime after the acknowledged blown foul whistled against Jalen Brunson — and two free throws by Aaron Holiday with 0.3 seconds remaining — sent the Knicks to their fourth loss in five games.
An NBA team has 48 hours to file a protest with the league office and five additional days to provide evidence, with the league office then having five days to render a decision.
The NBA only has upheld six of 44 formal protests in its history, according to ESPN Stats and Information, and one since 1982.
The most recent came in December 2007, when Heat center Shaquille O’Neal was ruled to have six fouls when he only had been assessed five.
The game was resumed in March — after O’Neal had been traded to the Suns, with 51.9 seconds remaining and neither team scored in that time, upholding a win for the Hawks.
The Knicks and Rockets are not slated to face each other again this season. The protest filing will cost the Knicks $10,000, but they will recoup that money if successful.
“I don’t see New York winning this,” ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks posted on X. “Opens up a slippery slope of teams protesting whenever a call is missed/made incorrectly at the end of games.
“I don’t blame them for trying.”
Crew chief Ed Malloy acknowledged after Monday’s game that referee Jacyn Goble had made an incorrect call on Brunson, who made contact with Holiday only after the ball left his hand on a desperation chuck from beyond the 3-point arc.
“After seeing it during postgame review, the offensive player was able to return to a normal playing position on the floor,” Malloy told a pool reporter. “The contact which occurred after the release of the ball therefore is incidental and marginal to the shot attempt and should not have been called.”
Additionally, according to the league’s official Last Two Minute (L2M) report, released Tuesday evening, “Brunson (NYK) legally contests Holiday’s (HOU) shot. Holiday released his shot before contact with Brunson and is able to return to a normal floor position.”