NBA expands scope of out-of-bounds coaches challenges, fouls can now be called from review

This play may best sum up the NBA’s announced change on what referees can review on a coach’s challenge for an out-of-bounds play. During the Western Conference Finals, Dallas‘ Kyrie Irving reached in and fouled Minnesota‘s Jaden McDaniels, causing McDaniels to lose the ball out of bounds. On the floor, the referees did not call the foul but did call the ball out off Irving. Dallas challenged, but under the rules the referees could not change their call to give Irving a foul, all they could do was change the call to say the ball did go out off McDaniels, a successful challenge that gave the Mavericks the ball. (Postgame, the officials admitted they missed the call but said they were prevented from doing anything except saying it was Dallas’ ball.)

Not anymore, under the expanded use of a coach’s challenge announced by the league, the referees could change their call to a foul on the play.

There are three conditions: 1) The foul has to be by a player involved in the out-of-bounds play (not somewhere else on the court); 2) The referees will look at the distance between the foul and the out-of-bounds play; 3) How much time elapsed between the foul and the out-of-bounds play?

The league is working to keep this very specific, but it did come up a few times last season. It’s not going to lead to more reviews, as it can only be during a coach’s challenge (although those challenges could take longer in these cases).

The rule change was recommended by the NBA’s Competition Committee — comprised of players, coaches, owners, team and league basketball executives, and referees — who passed it along to the Board of Governors, who approved it.