We babbled earlier this month about the possibility of the NBA expanding its use of instant replay proposals this season. Looks like we can confirm that development.
As reported by USA Today's Jon Saraceno:
The NBA will expand use of instant replay this season, giving referees greater discretion to use it as another officiating tool, USA TODAY has learned.Game officials will be able to use instant replay in two cases:
• At any time to determine whether a field goal was properly awarded two or three points and to determine the correct number of free throws on a missed two- or three-point field goal.
• If the game clock malfunctions during a play ending with no time left at the end of a quarter or overtime.
Good and good. Glad it's done.
As I've written before, as long as replay is being used to resolve calls of complete objectivity - such as whether a player did or did not step on a line - it hardly seems worth fretting over a brief delay in the games in the interest of officiating accuracy. The idea of replaying calls of interpretation would be superfluous, and if we ever get to a day when we're reviewing block-charge calls, I'm going to have one whale of a headache. Since we're nowhere near that point and not getting close, it's hard not to like the current developments.