MIami win now in Protest

[TexasPete]

The fact that Shaq fouled out even though he actually had only 5 fouls has lead the Heat to protest our win.

The league is reviewing the tape and it appears the Heat are correct. There are three options:

1. Dismiss the protest (unlikely if the Heat are correct)

2. Replay the game from the point of the error. (when Shaq got his 6th foul)

3. Fine the Hawks a substantial amount of money. (What I hope happens)

There is no precedent in this as far as I remember. Let's just hope that the league doesnt make us replay from the point that Shaq fouled out. They wouldnt do that if the shoe was on the other foot but with Riley who knows?

[ToeKnee]

Relax bud, they can't take the win away from the Hawks, or replay it. Honestly, you think they would REPLAY from the point shaq fouled out?? Thats ridiculous. The Hawks would obviously protest anything that attempted to take away that W. a win is a win, and having shaq really wouldnt have mattered for them anyway. The Heat are in full-fledged desperation mode and are just grabbing at strings here. They've only got two good players in haslem and wade, and they'll be at the top of the lottery this year.

[drzachary]

My quick responses:

1. Mistakes are made in games all the time. Since when do teams get a do-over?

2. It's up to the Heat staff to make sure the official stats are correct and protest them in the game if they want them corrected.

3. They should look at Wade's free FTA before they start whining.

[LongTimeHawksFan]

That is some BS!!!!! Officials make mistakes all the time!! Every game in fact. And yes Miami's staff should have caught that when it happened. They didn't take the win away from the Patriots this year after the whole cheating thing. They just made them pay money....but this wasn't Atlanta's doing it was the officials mistake. If anything they should fine the officials or the league for not getting it right. But even that is a stretch.

[TexasPete]

I am not saying that the Heat will win. I am pointing out that the Heat just spent 10K to file the protest with the league so they are serious about it.

It must also be stated that this is the Hawks SECOND scoring screwup that cost the opponents a better shot at a win. Last year a TJ Ford layup was not scored in the Hawks 97-95 victory...

Clearly the league will not be happy with this second offense. Again, I'm not worried but this situation bears watching.

[capstone21]

With all the assistants on the team...none of them kept track of Shaq's fouls. They are as much to blame as the league.

[DrReality]

How about some cheese with that whine.

[TroyMcClure]

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I am not saying that the Heat will win. I am pointing out that the Heat just spent 10K to file the protest with the league so they are serious about it.

It must also be stated that this is the Hawks SECOND scoring screwup that cost the opponents a better shot at a win. Last year a TJ Ford layup was not scored in the Hawks 97-95 victory...

Clearly the league will not be happy with this second offense. Again, I'm not worried but this situation bears watching.

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I remember that game. We screwed them big time. I agree with Capstone that the Heat should have caught this when it was happening. I think the Heat are just going through the motions to show the league their displeasure. If it was so important, they should have known there was an error then and had Shaq refuse to leave the floor until it was cleared up. Seriously, who's going to forcibly remove Shaq from the court?

[TheTruth]

Here is what the NBA.com Recap of the game had to say...

"Notes: The first postgame statistics showed O'Neal with only five fouls, prompting Riley to suggest he would protest the game. A review of the play-by-play sheet showed one of O'Neal's fouls was credited to Haslem, and the error was corrected. ..."

http://www.nba.com/games/20071219/MIAATL/recap.html

That is by an independent source--the Associated Press. It was posted immediately after the game.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

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That is some BS!!!!! Officials make mistakes all the time!! Every game in fact. And yes Miami's staff should have caught that when it happened. They didn't take the win away from the Patriots this year after the whole cheating thing. They just made them pay money....but this wasn't Atlanta's doing it was the officials mistake. If anything they should fine the officials or the league for not getting it right. But even that is a stretch.

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LOL . . . how the tables have turned for the Heat. I don't believe that the Heat intend on having the game replayed. Something like that has never happened in the history of basketball, based on a miscalculation of points or fouls. But they do want someone suspended or fired over this. This the ultimate act of desperation we see here.

If any team in history ever had a beef about replaying a game because of an error by an official, it would have to be Missouri in that "5th down" game. Now that's a game that a team can bytch about. And even in that game, the Missouri coach didn't immediately complain that the other team got an extra down.

I know if JJ was called for his 6th foul, but he really only had 5, Woody, or someone on that damn staff better throw a damn fit. And most of the time, a player knows how many fouls he has at all times. So JJ better throw a damn fit too. Shaq knew he had 6. That's why he didn't cry about it.

Riley just needs to resign and save himself the embarassment of going through this season. They aren't going to miraculously get better, and sneak into the playoffs. They'd have to win almost 65% - 70% of their ballgames now, just to sneak in the playoffs.

If they did replay the game, advantage Heat. Because they'd probably replay the game at the beginning of the next Heat game in ATL. All of the emotion from the players, coaches, and especially the fans, would completely be gone. And most importantly, Shaq would be totally fresh, and all he'd have to do is play hard for about 30 seconds. A block or a key rebound, could turn the tide of that game. And if we lost, we'd have to turn right back around and play a full game, knowing that we'd just lost a game.

I need to check RealGM, and see what the Heat fans think of all of this.

[AtLaS]

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must also be stated that this is the Hawks SECOND scoring screwup that cost the opponents a better shot at a win. Last year a TJ Ford layup was not scored in the Hawks 97-95 victory...

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Yeah we screwed that one up also, but we won that game by 4, not 2.

[TroyMcClure]

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must also be stated that this is the Hawks SECOND scoring screwup that cost the opponents a better shot at a win. Last year a TJ Ford layup was not scored in the Hawks 97-95 victory...

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Yeah we screwed that one up also, but we won that game by 4, not 2.

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No, I remember watching the game. I'm pretty sure it was 2 pts. There was controversy immediately following that game.

[KB21]

The Miami Heat's administration has to be honest with itself. That team needs to be rebuilt around Dywane Wade. Dywane Wade is the only quality young player on that team though, so it's going to be a long, arduous process that may result in 4-5 seasons where they struggle.

They have to start thinking about Pat Riley and make a decision on whether he's the guy to rebuild them. Pat Riley doesn't relate well to the younger players in the league today. He relates to the vets that have been around the block.

If I'm Miami, I'm looking for a general manager in the offseason to start the rebuilding process.

[TroyMcClure]

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must also be stated that this is the Hawks SECOND scoring screwup that cost the opponents a better shot at a win. Last year a TJ Ford layup was not scored in the Hawks 97-95 victory...

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Yeah we screwed that one up also, but we won that game by 4, not 2.

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No, I remember watching the game. I'm pretty sure it was 2 pts. There was controversy immediately following that game.

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You're right, Atlas. It was a 4 point game. I think there was controversy because they could have attempted a game winning or tying shot but didn't because they were down 4. It's all a little fuzzy, but I do remember thinking we had stolen one.

[FrankWhite]

Also, remember Wade only signed a 3 year extension. If they don't make some moves and get considerably better next year, Wade will be demanding a trade by the end of '09, maybe sooner.

[Plainview1981]

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The Miami Heat's administration has to be honest with itself. That team needs to be rebuilt around Dywane Wade. Dywane Wade is the only quality young player on that team though, so it's going to be a long, arduous process that may result in 4-5 seasons where they struggle.

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Haslem is only 27 and is a pretty good player. He is putting up 13/9 this year.