Challenge rule unlikely in PBA

The NBA is experimenting with the coach’s challenge system on a one-year trial basis this season and has so far gotten mixed reactions. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is against the rule because it “just slows things down.” Flow of the game is critical in Spoelstra’s approach to maintain a high level of pace.

Curiously, in Game 2 of the NBA playoffs between Miami and Milwaukee last week, Spoelstra could’ve used a challenge to contest a phantom foul called on Goran Dragic with 4.3 seconds left and the Heat up, 114-111. Dragic was vertical when Khris Middleton elevated for a triple and initiated contact. Middleton hit three free throws to tie it. Then, with no time left, Giannis Antetokounmpo was whistled for a grazing foul after Jimmy Butler released a corner jump shot. Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer would’ve also asked for a challenge but couldn’t. Under NBA rules, a coach is allowed one challenge a game, regardless of an uphold or not. And a coach may signal for a challenge only after a timeout. A challenge may be made on a foul called at any time but a challenge on goaltending or an out-of-bounds decision is not accepted in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the last two minutes of overtime.

Spoelstra couldn’t question the Dragic foul because he asked for a challenge in the first period and had none left. Budenholzer also couldn’t challenge the Giannis foul because the Bucks had ran out of timeouts. According to reports, challenges have overruled a referee’s call at a rate of 44 percent. If a challenge is correct, a coach isn’t given an additional challenge but the timeout isn’t deducted from his quota. If a challenge is wrong, the timeout is deducted from a coach’s quota. A no-call is not subject to a challenge because a call must be made to trigger it. The NBA rule is silent on whether or not a call on a two or three-point shot is questionable.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said he’s not in favor of implementing the challenge rule. “Coach Yeng (Guiao) asked if we could look into it,” said Marcial. “But sa tingin ko, hindi na kailangan kasi we have reviewable calls na wala sa NBA. Mayroon tayong officials who can review calls right away. Baka gumulo lang kung may challenge rule at humaba pa ang laro.” Additionally, the courtside technical committee may adjust a call on goaltending or a three-point shot during a quarter.

There was a suggestion for the PBA to institute a challenge rule in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime.  In the NBA, the challenge rule applies only for fouls called, nothing else, in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime. Marcial said the PBA has enough measures in place to correct reviewables so that a challenge rule isn’t necessary.

In the PBA, reviewables at any time are a call on contact in a shooter’s landing spot, flagrant foul, end of period basket, goaltending and two or three-point basket. Reviewable under the last two minutes of regulation and overtime are if a shot is made within 24 seconds, out-of-bounds call, deliberate foul and foul away from play. Both the NBA and PBA are agreed that too many interruptions take away the flow of a game. While the goal is for every call to be perfect, referees are human and there’s still such a thing as breaks of the game.