NBA Replay Center reduces review time to 31.9 seconds

NEW YORK – NBA referees spent significantly less time reviewing calls this season as the NBA Replay Center stepped up its efforts to improve efficiency and maintain the flow of the game.  The average review time was reduced by nearly 25 percent, dropping from 42.1 seconds during the 2014-15 season to 31.9 seconds.

Overall, the average review time has been trimmed by more than one minute since the state-of-the-art NBA Replay Center was unveiled last season to enhance the performance of NBA referees.  A review officially starts when the headset is put on by an oncourt referee and ends upon removal.

This season, in addition to the three referees working each game, current NBA referees were staffed in the NBA Replay Center for all games to make decisions on certain replay situations and facilitate the on-the-court review of others.  With the NBA Replay Center ruling on more than half of all replays, oncourt referees were able to resume play faster.

Final statistics for the NBA Replay Center during the 2015-16 regular season included:

  • The NBA Replay Center conducted 2,296 reviews, averaging 31.9 seconds.
  • The 1,228 games monitored averaged 1.87 reviews.
  • The top two triggers reviewed were the two-point/three-point made field goal (764 instances) and end-of-period made field goal (527 instances).

The NBA Replay Center provides NBA referees with multiple camera angles on one screen at the same time, ensuring they have the best angles to make a ruling when a play is reviewable.  Located in Secaucus, N.J., the facility is outfitted with 19 replay stations and more than 100 television monitors and is directly connected to all 29 NBA arenas, streamlining the process of instant replay video review.

 

NBA Replay Center 2015-16 Regular Season Breakdown Trigger and Average Chart

Trigger Frequency Overall Representation Avg. Review Time (seconds)
End of Period Made FG 527 23% 13.0
Last Second Foul 44 2% 36.5
Foul-Flagrant Criteria 230 10% 65.2
Player Altercation 65 3% 88.6
Clock Malfunction 14 1% 40.5
2pt/3pt 764 33% 18.8
Out of Bounds 209 9% 52.2
Shot Clock Violation 132 6% 24.4
Foul-Clear Path Criteria 172 7% 50.7
Correct FT Shooter 21 1% 24.0
Shot Clock Reset 12 1% 53.8
Restricted Area 8 0% 79.8
Goaltending/Basket Interference 31 1% 48.0
Off-Ball Foul Timing 66 3% 43.1
Number of Players on the Court 1 0% 88.0
Total 2296  

 

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