It's there for clear violations of the rules, or miscounted fouls, stuff like that. Not for judgement calls.
In that case, our claim to protest should have been rejected outright immediately. Instead of waiting almost two weeks to hide behind a public holiday...
Not disagreeing with you, BTW. I'm sure you're right.
EDIT: Just as an add-on, and this isn't in disagreement with Chubbs as I understand the point made, but how is a debatable violation (such as a missed clear backcourt violation) any less of a "judgement call" than a missed tipped inbounds pass? They both rely on the judgement of the offical, and both can be corrected with the use of replays.
Essentially, the NBA is saying they're only dealing with extreme clock malfunctions. Everything else is a "judgement call" unless it suits them and public opinion.
In effect, I stand by my original opinion, that the appeal process is futile. Unless LeBron or a big market is involved, of course.