The end of Saturday’s game between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers was marred by a bizarre series of replays, refereeing decisions and technical difficulties that left both teams embittered. The ending was so bad that Warriors coach Steve Kerr called for a major change in how replay is handled.
LeBron James had a key three-point shot taken off the board late in the fourth quarter when officials reviewing a separate out-of-bounds call observed James’ heel touching the sideline before the shot. They retroactively denied the three, then missed another out-of-bounds call on an ensuing jump ball, leading to a Lakers challenge and scrutiny.
To top it all, the shot clock no longer works after the second examination. The match was essentially delayed 18 minutes from start to finish while all this was sorted out.
The fiasco prompted Kerr to suggest that the NBA should limit review of replays to potential buzzer-beaters, arguing that the disruption to the flow of the game outweighed the benefits derived from further review.
