duncan228
04-14-2009, 12:11 AM
On further review, NBA will consider using more replay (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/On_further_review_NBA_will_consider_using_more_rep lay.html)
Mike Monroe
Imagine if Michael Finley had launched a game-winning shot a split-second after the shot clock expired, but the game in question had been Game 7 of a playoff series, rather than a regular-season game against the Kings.
Better yet, imagine it had been Kobe Bryant making an instant-too-late shot to deprive the Spurs of a Game 7 victory in the Western Conference finals.
Would that convince you the NBA needs to add televised review of timing errors in the final two minutes of every game?
In case you just returned from a spelunking expedition, here's what happened Sunday night:
Finley made a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left at Sacramento, giving the Spurs a 95-92 lead; replays showed the shot clock had expired before the ball left his hand; replay rules did not allow the referee crew to check a TV monitor to correct the error.
The NBA allows replay to be used only to correct timing errors when the clock reaches zero at the end of any quarter, or to determine, at any time, if a shot was released behind the 3-point line.
The NBA's Board of Governors will consider what seems an urgent need for amendment to the rules when it meets Thursday and Friday.
Immediate change, though, may not be forthcoming.
Commissioner David Stern understands there is a problem that needs fixing. He promised Monday that the board would hear about the problem.
What is less certain is the potential timing of the fix.
“I'm open to consideration of the subject,” Stern said. “We are moving, perhaps too gradually for some, to more and more review, instant replay.
“I don't know that, given the number of categories that this potential review of that call would open up, that we want to do it on three days' notice or four days' notice (before the playoffs).”
Key timing errors are rare, but the Spurs have been involved in two over the past 17 days. They were on the wrong side of the we-can't-look-at-replay rule March 29, when a couple of seconds ran off the game clock with nine or 10 seconds left in a one-point game in New Orleans.
The NBA is justifiably reluctant to inject replay delay into its games. Basketball is more dynamic than football, where there is a stoppage between every play just to place the ball at the proper spot on the field before the next play begins. Interrupting the flow of an NBA game has the potential to damage the product.
The integrity of the game, however, depends on the participants, including the fans, knowing that every effort will be made to get things right, especially in the tension of crunch time. Allowing reviews of all timing issues in the final two minutes of games, when each possession often is precious, makes so much sense the board should err on the side of integrity, rather than efficiency.
Mike Monroe
Imagine if Michael Finley had launched a game-winning shot a split-second after the shot clock expired, but the game in question had been Game 7 of a playoff series, rather than a regular-season game against the Kings.
Better yet, imagine it had been Kobe Bryant making an instant-too-late shot to deprive the Spurs of a Game 7 victory in the Western Conference finals.
Would that convince you the NBA needs to add televised review of timing errors in the final two minutes of every game?
In case you just returned from a spelunking expedition, here's what happened Sunday night:
Finley made a 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left at Sacramento, giving the Spurs a 95-92 lead; replays showed the shot clock had expired before the ball left his hand; replay rules did not allow the referee crew to check a TV monitor to correct the error.
The NBA allows replay to be used only to correct timing errors when the clock reaches zero at the end of any quarter, or to determine, at any time, if a shot was released behind the 3-point line.
The NBA's Board of Governors will consider what seems an urgent need for amendment to the rules when it meets Thursday and Friday.
Immediate change, though, may not be forthcoming.
Commissioner David Stern understands there is a problem that needs fixing. He promised Monday that the board would hear about the problem.
What is less certain is the potential timing of the fix.
“I'm open to consideration of the subject,” Stern said. “We are moving, perhaps too gradually for some, to more and more review, instant replay.
“I don't know that, given the number of categories that this potential review of that call would open up, that we want to do it on three days' notice or four days' notice (before the playoffs).”
Key timing errors are rare, but the Spurs have been involved in two over the past 17 days. They were on the wrong side of the we-can't-look-at-replay rule March 29, when a couple of seconds ran off the game clock with nine or 10 seconds left in a one-point game in New Orleans.
The NBA is justifiably reluctant to inject replay delay into its games. Basketball is more dynamic than football, where there is a stoppage between every play just to place the ball at the proper spot on the field before the next play begins. Interrupting the flow of an NBA game has the potential to damage the product.
The integrity of the game, however, depends on the participants, including the fans, knowing that every effort will be made to get things right, especially in the tension of crunch time. Allowing reviews of all timing issues in the final two minutes of games, when each possession often is precious, makes so much sense the board should err on the side of integrity, rather than efficiency.