Cuban Mavs NBA Protest is a Victory Either Way

It's Completely Possible The Dallas Mavericks Win Their Official NBA Protest. However, Replaying The Final 9.5 seconds Isn't The Point.

DALLAS- Did Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban deserved to be fined for his multi-tweet rampage about NBA officiating during and after the Mavs loss to the Atlanta Hawks? No doubt.

When officials appeared to botch a goaltending-related call against Dallas that extended the Hawks’ lead to four points in the final 10 seconds, Cuban couldn’t hold back.

But the better question, was “Mark Cuban in the wrong?''

“He is in the wrong because a fine is a violation,” said Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher in the video above. “But, speaking out about something that is wrong in the league, is right.”

For Cuban, the frustration came from years of vying for improvements for the training and structuring of the NBA’s officiating. That “vying” has turned into many fines and money out of Cuban’s pocket.

It’s about the bigger picture for Cuban.

“For the last three years, they told me things would be different,” Cuban said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “And over the last few months, I kept on saying ‘When’s it going to change?’ and [gave] them examples of problems.

“I was just like ‘OK, the only way it’s really going to change is if I say something and protest the game.'"

It’s completely possible Cuban and the Mavs win the protest, which would create a silly situation in which the final 9.5 seconds of the game is replayed. If the ruling comes down in the Mavs’ favor, Cuban doesn’t expect to actually follow through with the replay.

"I think we tell them that if it didn't impact the playoff standings, we don't care if we replay it or not, because there'd be no point to it," Cuban said. "But if it comes out the way we hope it will, they'll start the game from the 9.5 seconds left to go with a center-court jump ball and Mavs down by two."

So, was this ‘much ado about nothing’? Not exactly. Cuban will write a check but in the grand scheme, consider this a victory in Cuban’s fight for better officiating. The point wasn't to replay the final seconds of the game in hopes for a win, the real goal was to shed light on an issue - and Cuban has succeeded.