Santa Cruz Warriors protest granted against Iowa Wolves
Move could have playoff implications moving forward
The NBA G League announced today they have granted the protest of the Santa Cruz Warriors after their loss against the Iowa Wolves on Jan. 19.
Per a league press release:
“The Warriors protested the game because they were incorrectly assessed a technical foul for calling an excessive timeout with 17.5 seconds remaining in the game when, instead, a reset timeout should have been granted. The technical foul resulted in a successful free throw by Iowa, a loss of possession and subsequent intentional foul by Santa Cruz, and two more successful free throws by Iowa — putting the Wolves ahead 114–111. The sequence caused by the incorrect technical foul clearly and unfairly impacted the outcome of the game.
The Warriors currently sit as the eighth ranked team in a tight playoff race, (18–16) and are one game out of playoff contention, meaning this replay could have huge implications for that picture, especially with the game being replayed much later in the season (Mar 23).
At the time of the protest, there was much confusion on the court. The Warriors were unable to inbound the ball, and Warriors head coach Aaron Miles signaled for a timeout, but then indicated for a reset timeout to inbound the ball once more. According to the rules, a player must indicate for a regular timeout then signal with the appropriate gesture for a reset instead.
Protests are fairly uncommon in the G League, as there is a price to pay to the league (literally). If a team wants to follow through with a protest, they must provide the league with a $5,000 deposit. That amount is refunded only if the protest is granted.
The league, otherwise, would see more games protested without some sort of deposit structure, and in the case of the Warriors, the $5,000 is a small price to pay if it means they make the playoffs.
Update: Both Warriors General Manager Kent Lacob and Team President Chris Murphy shared their comments on the granted protest from the G League front office.
Lacob: “The Santa Cruz Warriors want to thank the NBA G League for its review of the team’s official game protest and for reaching a fair and equitable decision. While our team’s focus is on tomorrow night’s road game against the Salt Lake City Stars, we are excited and look forward to completing our season series at home against the Iowa Wolves on Friday, March 23.”
Murphy: “We are very pleased with the outcome of our team’s official game protest to the NBA G League. While we can’t perfectly re-create the game conditions that took place on January 19, the Santa Cruz Warriors want to encourage fans to arrive early and bring their energy to Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday, March 23 as the team replays the final 17.5 seconds of action.”
