NEW YORK — The NBA is reportedly preparing to test a rule allowing officials, coaches, and fans to simply agree that the fourth quarter was “probably fine” whenever the final two minutes become too exhausting to adjudicate.
“At some point, certainty becomes less important than everyone getting home,” said one league executive, adding that the phrase “close enough” had performed strongly in internal testing.
Under the proposal, any disputed late-game call could be resolved by a referee placing both hands on his hips and asking whether anybody truly wants another seven-minute replay review.
League officials said the rule would apply only after 10 p.m. local time, during nationally televised games running 40 minutes behind schedule, or whenever both coaches have already used all available facial expressions.
The competition committee is also studying a companion signal in which the crew chief shrugs toward the scorer’s table and quietly says, “Basketball happened.”
At press time, the league had already approved a second rule allowing the final two-minute report to conclude with the phrase, “You know what we meant.”
