<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The Hawks can expect an official protest of Wednesday's victory over the Toronto Raptors, their second of the season including the Miami Heat's protest of the finish of a Dec. 19 loss to the Hawks. There's no disputing the call on T.J. Ford's almost buzzer-beating layup that would have won the game for the Raptors in regulation; the ball didn't leave his hands until after the game clock had expired. But there was a lengthy discussion in the Raptors' locker room after the Hawks' 127-120 overtime victory about the clock starting early on Ford's layup attempt. TV replays clearly showed that the clock started before Ford caught the ball in mid-air and began stretching for the basket. The Hawks' official scorer was at fault for the error in the Miami game. But the culprit Wednesday was one of the game officials, Eric Lewis, who started the clock with a mechanism on his belt. "It could have gone either way," Ford said. "I didn't get too excited." Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said he thought Ford's shot was good and one of the officials actually called it good, but it was overturned on replay. "I thought it was an early [start on the] clock," Mitchell said. This is the second statistical/game clock problem involving the Hawks and Ford. He wasn't credited for a layup late in a loss to the Hawks last season that ultimately played a part in the league upholding the Heat's protest of that Dec. 19 game.t has to be what it feels like. That felt like what a playoff basketball game must be like."</div> The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
