The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers’ game on Saturday was ended by an odd sequence of replays, callous refereeing calls, and technical issues that left both teams feeling defeated. The conclusion was so awful that Steve Kerr, the coach of the Warriors, demanded a significant overhaul of the replay system.
LeBron James had a key three-pointer taken off the board late in the fourth quarter when officials who were reviewing a separate out-of-bounds decision observed that James’ heel touched the sideline before the shot. They retroactively disallowed the three, then missed another out-of-bounds call on an ensuing jump ball, leading to a Lakers challenge and extensive review.
The game was effectively delayed by eighteen minutes while all of this was resolved, and to top it off, following the second review, the shot clock malfunctioned. Kerr suggested that the NBA restrict replay review to possible buzzer-beaters, claiming that the disruption to the game’s flow outweighed any advantages from additional reviews.
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