Wednesday night’s game between the Mavericks and the Pelicans had one of the biggest controversies of this NBA season. Apart from the NOP fans, the lion’s share of the NBA community called it a disgrace how things went down at the dying embers of the game. Spencer Dinwiddie’s layup attempt hit the backboard first before Trey Murphy III hit the ball off the backboard again and nothing was called. Everyone was expecting a goaltending call from the refs but the call never came. And it was only a point separating the two sides at that moment and a few seconds later, the Pelicans took the Dub. The Mavs community was livid and was expecting the franchise to appeal against it. Is it happening though? GM Nico Harrison has the answer everyone was looking for.

His stance is clear about the situation. What’s done is done! “You can do an appeal but if you do it, you have to spend some money. It might make you feel good, but it’s not going to change the outcome. Refs make mistakes. It’s frustrating…. It is what it is. You have to move on to the next game,” Harrison told 96.7 The Ticket.

Thrifty move? Lack of passion? No matter what you call it, one thing stands is that the outcome will not change. The NBA only overturns misapplication of game rules, not missed calls.

To sprinkle some salt on the wound, the league has also decided the Mavericks and LA Clippers game on April 5 will no longer be televised by NBA TV, according to Dallas reporter Grant Afseth. The fans can feel aggrieved by it and that was exactly the mood in the Mavs camp after the closing buzzer sounded in the game.

Mavericks HC Jason Kidd and Spencer Dinwiddie made themselves crystal clear over the controversy

We’ve seen crazy things in the NBA after teams felt hard done by officiating. Anthony Edwards is no stranger to the troubles with refs for his disapproval of calls. Chris Finch, Mike Brown, Michael Malone last season, came under the glare of the league for aggressively and publicly protesting the wrong decisions against their sides. However, Jason Kidd kept himself calm enough not to cross the line and make things worse.

In the post-game interview, Kidd was asked the no brainer question to start off proceedings. “I think they (the three refs) were scared to death to do anything, so they did nothing,” he bluntly stated. On further probing about any interaction with the officials, Kidd clarified, “That’s the explanation, they didn’t see it. It’s tough, I get it, that’s their job. They didn’t do their job tonight.” That comment alone could cost him at least $25,000 for calling out the officials in public.

Spencer Dinwiddie, on the flip side, was much more animated than his HC. The man in the center of the controversy was bemused to witness the call not going in his favor. “It’s just like the scoop layup I take all the time. If you watch this throughout my career,” Dinwiddie told the media. Explaining how that was a goaltend he added, “I made a bunch of money doing the same type of move.” He was wise enough not to deliberate any further as that could’ve actually made him lose some money he was talking about.

The Mavs will look to move on from this as soon as possible. The return of Kyrie Irving was a welcome boost for the Mavericks as Luka Doncic is still on track to recovery. The next game against the OKC Thunder, a team they saw out last season in the Western Conference semifinals. The Oklahoma side will be missing Isaiah Hartenstein so that should level the field to some extent for the Mavs to get back on the winning track. And they’ll certainly hope, that was the last goaltending controversy for them this season as the GM wouldn’t be interested in a crusade with the league.