Get it right.
That’s all we all want as fans of the game. And while perfection will always be impossible — fans will always call the block/charge with their heart anyway — instant replay can get it a lot closer. (Did you hear that MLB?)
So when the owners were not bemoaning their financial plight during the Board of Governors meetings, they took a few steps to expand instant replay use in NBA games. Those expansions are:
• During the last two minutes of regulation and the entire duration of any overtime period, to determine whether the ball touched the rim and thus whether the shot clock should be adjusted.
• During the last two minutes of regulation play and the entire duration of any overtime period, to determine which of two players on opposing teams caused the ball to become out-of-bounds. This modification expanded the previous rule to include the entirety of an overtime period instead of just the last two minutes of an overtime period.
• During a replay review of an out-of-bounds call, to determine when the ball is out of bounds for purposes of adjusting the game clock and shot clock.
• At any point during the game, to determine which player should attempt free throws after a foul occurred.
• At any point during a game, to determine whether a foul that was called a clear-path-to-the-basket foul met all the criteria of a clear-path-to-the basket foul.
These are in addition to existing instant replay uses, such as to see if a shot was released before the buzzer or if a shot was a two-pointer or three-pointer. Don’t worry, Kevin Garnett will still complain about the calls, replay or not (except now he’ll get a technical for it).
