NEW YORK — The NBA approved the use of instant replay Monday, just months after several controversial last-second calls in the playoffs.
Beginning with the 2002-03 preseason, referees will automatically review any shot that goes in with no time left on the clock in any quarter or overtime. They will also be able to use video to determine if a player had his foot on the 3-point line or out-of-bounds line.
Recommended by the league's Competition Committee last month, the NBA's Board of Governors approved the move last week.
There were several last-second shots last season that helped precipitate the move.
"I don't think there's any one event that drove this decision," Stu Jackson, the NBA's vice president for basketball operations said. "There have been a number of instances where, quite frankly, for any human being it would have been impossible to determine whether the shot got off in time."
In an April playoff game between the Hornets and the Orlando Magic, Charlotte's Baron Davis banked in a shot that clearly beat the buzzer after the Hornets inbounded with 0.7 seconds left and the score tied.
Referee Bernie Fryer waved the shot off while it was in the air, saying the officiating crew had discussed beforehand that no player could catch, turn and shoot in that amount of time.
The Hornets went on to beat the Magic in overtime, but the episode showed that the league needed to address its policies regarding rulings on last-second shots.
In the Nets-Pacers series, Reggie Miller forced overtime in Game 5 with a shot that left his hand after the clock reached 0.0 seconds.
And in Game 4 of the Kings-Lakers series, a 30-footer by Samaki Walker to end the first half was allowed even though it left his hand too late.
Replay will not be used to determine whether the clock started on time.
This was an issue in March, when Cleveland's Lamond Murray made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 100-97 win over New Jersey.
There were only 0.5 seconds left on the clock when Andre Miller inbounded the ball, and Murray was able to catch it and shoot it before the buzzer sounded.
"That is not a reviewable matter, as to whether the clock began on time," Jackson said.
Replay will also not be able to determine whether or not a foul call was correct, only whether it occurred before time expired.
For any reviewable call to be overturned, officials will need to have "clear and conclusive" evidence. The league said the reviews will take two minutes or less.
The officials will use video provided by the game's telecast. If a game is not televised, Jackson acknowledged the possibility of inconsistencies.
"We're mulling that over as we speak," Jackson said. "Maybe we can't review during those games. What we could do is use the in-arena feed."
The rule will be "reviewed on an ongoing basis," Jackson said, with the first meeting on it likely to take place at the All-Star game.
"The officials themselves are very much in favor of an instant-replay system," Jackson said. "The overwhelming majority of officials are in favor of the system."
PRO BASKETBALL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
GOLF
OLYMPICS
