NBA approves expanded use of instant replay

Source: Agencies  |   2008-10-24  |     ONLINE EDITION

THE use of instant replay will be expanded in the upcoming NBA season following approval by the league's board of governors yesterday.

Referees will be allowed to review video to determine if a field goal was a 2- or 3-point attempt, or to decide if a shooting foul was committed behind the arc and warrants three shots instead of two.

"I can see at the end of the game that's a really important aspect," Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

"We've been playing with the 3-point line, what, 30 years? There are mistakes that happen, and there are 2-pointers that are missed. But that's also part of the game. Guys step on the out of bounds line, guys are in the 3-second lane too long, guys hang on the rim -- there are a lot of things like that."

At their meeting on Thursday, owners also approved the use of replay if the game clock malfunctions in the final seconds of a quarter of overtime, helping the officials better determine how much time should have come off the clock or if the period should have ended.

Now, refs must reconstruct the play and make that determination without video -- a rule that was criticized following a clock problem during an Orlando-Detroit playoff game last season.