Coach’s challenge decision explained

NBA clarifies why Butler’s crucial basket didn’t count vs. Spurs

MIAMI — So how were the San Antonio Spurs able to take an extended period before deciding to issue an officiating challenge that resulted in Miami Heat points coming off the scoreboard Sunday?

Because of “an unintended consequence,” Joe Borgia, senior vice president of replay and referee operations, told the Sun Sentinel.

While the NBA has a 30-second time limit in certain cases for coaches to issue challenges, that limitation only is in place if a mandatory timeout or timeout by the opposing team has been taken. Otherwise there is no specific limit.

“The 30-second rule does not apply,” Borgia said by phone of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich talking with the officials while assistant coach Becky Hammon consulted with another member of the Spurs’ staff.

“We knew this might happen,” Borgia said. “It’s a little bit of gamesmanship.”

With 1:22 to play and the Spurs up five in what turned into five-point Heat loss, the officiating crew initially signaled a successful basket for Heat forward Jimmy Butler on a continuation play, sending him to the foul line for a potential 3-point play.

Then, after a delay, Popovich opted to invoke the officiating challenge allotted to each team, contending the basket should not have counted.

The ruling resulted in video review and the basket being taken off the scoreboard, with Butler instead awarded two free throws, thereby denied the opportunity to make it a two-point game.

“You know, you can’t blame the Spurs,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said in the wake of the loss, before turning his attention to Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings at AmericanAirlines Arena. “If you have time to look at replay, that’s what’s it’s there for, and you have to take advantage of it. And they did.”

Spoelstra added, “A lot of it just seems a gray area.”

Borgia agreed with that element of the assessment, with the challenge a one-year NBA experiment.

“We don’t have a timeout clock going, because there is no timeout,” with such a visible clock otherwise starting, and the 30-second countdown beginning from the start of a mandatory timeout or opposition timeout. “We can’t have a ref have a stopwatch.”

In essence, Spoelstra could have limited the Spurs’ deliberation time by calling a timeout of his own, which would have triggered the 30-second countdown.

“The reason we picked 30 seconds,” Borgia said, “was, because on average, from the time a referee blows their whistle to the time they make their signal to the scorers’ table and either line up the free-throw shooter and give the shooter the ball or get everybody settled for a throw-in, it was approximately 25 seconds. So to make it easier, we said, ‘Let’s do 30.’ ’’

Of when the window for a challenge, which requires a timeout from the team seeking review, ceases, Borgia said, “The time limit to call the timeout would be the official giving the ball to the thrower-in or to the free-throw shooter.”

Borgia estimated Sunday’s extended time to seek review “only the second or third it’s happened,” with 355 challenges made entering the weekend.

“You just can’t control certain things, and this was one of ‘em,” he said. “Because, again, we don’t put a clock up, we’re not going to sit there to count 30. So there are ways to buy a little bit of time, and this is the perfect example.”

The rule on “Coach’s Challenge — Foul” reads:

“Clear and conclusive visual evidence is necessary for the crew chief to overturn the foul.

“Additional reviewable matters include whether:

“A different player shall be called for the foul or a prior foul (immediately preceding the called foul) on the same play: or

“Continuation should be granted on a shooting foul.”