The NBA league office started releasing the Last Two Minute Report of games in March 2015. In the 2017-18 season, these reports covered any games in which teams were separated by three points or less at any point during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.
In these reports, the referees’ calls are confirmed, or the NBA admits that its referees made a mistake. Nothing tangible in terms of game results changes because of these reports, and they tend to cause anger among fans of teams who were given the short end of the stick on important calls. Should this report keep getting released to the public to provide transparency, or should the NBA throw it away to stop causing fan uproar if nothing can be changed?
Sahil (Throw away): What is the point of the L2M report? It frustrates me to see the NBA releasing reviews of calls after the game because it doesn’t change anything. Yes, it provides transparency. However, nothing changes because of that transparency. The results stay the same, and the season moves on without repercussions.
This causes fans on social media to erupt and team personnel to get mad that a call was missed that potentially cost them a game. At this point, we are used to seeing the NBA admit that its officials are wrong and that multiple games in a given week could have easily been won by the losing team if calls were correct.
If the NBA can’t make any changes based on the reports, there is no reason to release them. It just annoys fans and lessens their trust in game officials. Instead, the NBA should be more willing to review controversial plays at the end of a game so they can be corrected, or they should give coaches more than one challenge to curb the large number of incorrect calls referees make.
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Ben (Stay): I don’t feel strongly about this, but I think the last L2M can stay. I have been unhappy with these reports before, especially when I can point out the missed calls in real time. I understand the frustration with the concept because the league doesn’t change the calls, but I think it’s a good step toward addressing officials.
We have a problem on our hands in every league. It’s a poor officiating problem. The MLB is even considering taking human error out of the equation. If it’s getting that bad, I think acknowledging it is the best we can do.
Reversing calls the next day doesn’t make sense, but I find it hard to believe fans are against helping officials understand what they got wrong and why. The L2M provides the play, the original and correct call, with video evidence for fans and officials. This is a major step in the right direction and puts the NBA ahead of other major sports leagues. I don’t think teaching officials to be better and informing fans of that is bad.
Tess (Throw away): I understand the necessity of transparency when errors are made in officiating. But what are people supposed to do with these reports after they’re released? referees can’t go back in time and reverse these calls, and these reports can’t change the outcome of the game.
Sure, accountability is important, and it’s vital to point out where mistakes were made in officiating. However, these don’t matter in the long run because missed calls and poor officiating continue. I can’t imagine how frustrated athletes and coaches must be after they lose a game by a small margin just to see that the L2M report stated a referee made a crucial mistake that could have impacted the game’s result.
Obviously, a lot goes into a team’s overall performance, but these reports don’t make things better for the athletes or coaches. It’s just a facade for the NBA to conceal its officiating flaws and make it seem like it’s better than it really is.
Conor (Throw away): In its current state, the L2M report is completely worthless. An omission of fault can be nice, but it also feels empty when no action is taken. It feels wrong when the NBA admits that its officiating directly impacted the outcome of a game and offers no way to fix it. Games are never replayed, and the referees who make the terrible calls are never punished.
If NBA officials want to admit when they are wrong, it has to have some sort of impact. There is no benefit in telling a team one day later that they were put at a disadvantage because of a bad call.
I am all for completely doing away with the L2M reports as a result. They’re not about accountability or upholding the integrity of the game. It’s just a way for the NBA to make it seem like they care about bad officiating while not having to do anything.
