The game was famous for referee Bob Rakel disallowing a game-tying basket because he claimed the buzzer sounded, even though there was one second left on the clock, and also for being the first incident where an official protest was upheld by the NBA.

Bulls coach Dick Motta and GM Pat Williams immediately began protesting to Rakel.

Despite both of them pointing right to the clock on the scoreboard, which showed one second left, and timekeeper Jim Serry outright telling Rakel he did not touch the clock or buzzer, and further proving this by flipping the switch to run the clock to zero and allowing the buzzer to sound while the press corps watched him do it, Rakel and partner Jack Madden, who deferred to him despite later admitting he also did not hear the buzzer sound, refused to budge from his ruling and walked off the court declaring the game over and Atlanta the winners.

Unfortunately, when the suspended contest resumed, the clock ran to zero without the buzzer sounding, because the timekeeper had forgotten to set it.

Despite Motta's embarrassment and Hawks coach Richie Guerin's mock protests, the officials working that game declared the second had expired and started the overtime period.