Tuesday 29 October 2019 06:05, UK
The coach's challenge is new to the NBA this year and for the first time on Sunday night, we saw how it could have a potentially decisive impact on the outcome of a game.
Late on in the clash between the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks, Damian Lillard was called for a foul on Dorian Finney-Smith and the hosts were awarded a pair of free throws which, trailing by a single point, would have given them the chance to take the lead.
This season, though, the NBA is trialling a new rule where coaches have a single challenge they can use within a game which can be used on personal foul calls at any time in the game, as well as out-of-bounds and goaltending or basket interference calls during the first 46 minutes of the game and the first three minutes of overtime. Teams are allowed one challenge per game and if it's unsuccessful, they lose a timeout.
Portland head coach Terry Stotts did not seem particularly vexed by the decision to call the foul but after he was implored by his star player to challenge the call, he did so.
It resulted in the original decision being overturned, meaning that instead of potentially trailing by a point, they instead kept their lead and a jump ball was called.
Kent Bazemore then chased the ball down for Portland after Kristaps Porzingis tipped it and so Portland had possession and their lead remained intact.
They went on to close out a narrow 121-119 victory and in doing so they showed the entire league just how vital the coach's challenge could prove to be down the stretch of games.
Lillard said: "I walked up and said, 'Coach, you've got to trust me. I hit all ball.' He was like, 'We've only got one timeout.' I was like, 'I hit all ball.' That was when he called for the review.
"After the game when I was walking through the tunnel, I was like, 'You can trust me now. I didn't lie to you.'"
NBA guidance says "in order to overturn a call on the floor, there must be clear and conclusive visual evidence that the call was incorrect".
Stotts admitted he was not entirely sure at first but said Lillard's insistence prompted him to use the challenge.
He said: "If Dame hadn't been so adamant, I probably wouldn't have challenged.
"We've had this discussion. I told the players, 'When I ask you, you've got to be truthful because most of you think you didn't foul.'
"They have a responsibility. I will trust you in those situations, but they have a responsibility to know if they fouled him or not."
After the game, referee Courtney Kirkland explained why the decision was overturned and how it led to a jump ball being contested.
He said: "Once Portland challenged the play and we were able to go and look at replay, we were able to have clear, conclusive evidence that Damian Lillard legally deflected the ball from Dorian Finney-Smith.
"Once the ball was legally deflected, the ball was loose when the whistle blew, which led to an inadvertent whistle. Therefore, we ended up having a jump ball at centre circle between any two players."
No doubt this new rule, when used to its full efficacy by coaches, could have potentially huge consequences for teams. Some have met the rule change with scepticism but, unsurprisingly, Lillard is now a fan.
He believes that it could help iron out key mistakes from officials at the most important times in matches.
Lillard said: "I'm sure it might come a time where it doesn't work in our favour, but I think it's still a good thing because the right call is being made.
"We've had situations where we've lost games at the end of the game because of situations like that. If they don't overturn that, he's going to the line, and we're down one, and we have to score up against the clock.
"I think it's going to be a good rule."
