Nets GM Sean Marks Suspended, NBA Accepts Officials' Mistake Over Allen Foul

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has been handed a one game suspension without pay and fined $25,000 for entering the officials’ room after the Nets lost 112-108 to the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 4 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Saturday night.

President of NBA league operations Byron Spruell made the announcement Sunday but failed to divulge further details about the incident, according to Yahoo Sports. Marks will miss the Nets’ Game 5 encounter against the 76ers Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Marks was likely to be protesting about the officials missing a blatant foul on Jarrett Allen by Tobias Harris with 4.8 seconds remaining in the game. The Nets had the ball and were trailing by two and clearly had the opportunity to either tie or win the game with the final shot.

Harris grabbed Allen which prevented him from rolling his screen and get to the basket sooner. Instead of him making a run toward the basket, the grab saw him surrounded by three defenders which eventually ended up with him turning the ball over. 76ers forward Harris was then fouled and made two free throws to win the game.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson admitted that he was very disappointed with the officials after the game as the wrapping of a player when he rolls to the rim was one of the major discussions they had during the coaches meeting. And to compound their problems, the NBA agreed that Harris had indeed fouled Allen when the league’s Last Two Minute report was released.

"So the big point of emphasis this year was the wrapping, wrapping the player when he rolls to the rim," Atkinson said after Saturday's game, as quoted on ESPN. "Judge for yourself if you watch the clip, but there was a clear wrap by Tobias Harris on the roll. "I am just disappointed. That was a point of emphasis on day one at the coaches' meetings -- that they were going to emphasize that at the beginning of the game, the end of the game and all season. So how that all of a sudden doesn't become a foul on the wrap, I don't understand that."

It was an emotionally charged game as Jared Dudley and Jimmy Butler were also ejected after a fracas midway through the third quarter after a flagrant foul by Joel Embiid on Allen. The duo was fined $25,000 and $15,000 respectively for their actions.