NBA states referees acted correctly

NEW YORK (TICKER) —According to the NBA, the referees were on their own in handling the screwup of time.

The league released a statement on Tuesday about the clock malfunction that plagued Game Two of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic on Monday, stating that the officials acted properly.

Unable to use instant replay, the officials were on their own to determine if the Pistons did have enough time to get off the 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups that gave them a 78-76 lead after the clock froze at 4.8 seconds.

Detroit went on to win, 100-93, in taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

“The referees followed proper procedure in addressing the clock malfunction by estimating the elapsed time and using their judgment as to whether the shot was taken in time,” league president Joel Litvin said. “Under NBA rules, the referees did not have the option of using instant replay and a timing device to determine exactly how much time had elapsed, nor do the rules allow for a replay after a clock malfunction is discovered.

“The NBA Competition Committee was scheduled to discuss the possible expanded use of instant replay at its meeting at the end of the month and we will raise, for the committee’s consideration, the use of replay in situations like this.”

The controversial possession began with 5.1 seconds left after Billups took the inbounds pass on the far baseline and brought the ball upcourt before passing to Rodney Stuckey on the right wing. Stuckey made a move to the basket before passing back out to Billups, who threw up a 3-pointer to conclude a possession that appeared too long.

The NBA admitted Tuesday that time actually ran out on the Pistons.

“After reviewing the video of last night’s Pistons-Magic game, we determined that the play that concluded with Chauncey Billups’ 3-point field goal at the end of the third quarter took approximately 5.7 seconds,” the statement read. “Because there were only 5.1 seconds remaining in the quarter when the play began, the shot would not have counted had the clock continued to run.”

The NBA also stated that the clock stoppage was due to a technical malfunction in the timing system of the Palace of Auburn Hills. Under playoff rules, the timekeeper for a contest is always from a “neutral” city.