NBA rule change addresses critical mistake from Timberwolves-Mavericks series
By Will Eudy
Minnesota Timberwolves fans obviously look back fondly on this past NBA season, as their team came close to a franchise record for victories, and reached the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in the organization's history. However, the actual memories of the conference finals itself were a bit forgettable.
The Timberwolves were beaten handily by the Mavericks, losing four of the series' five games and leaving a sour taste in everyone's mouth headed into the offseason. What was once a promising dream season was ruined at the hands of Dallas.
A lot went wrong in that series for the Wolves. Fresh off a thrilled Game 7 victory over the defending champion Denver Nuggets, Minnesota fans likely felt the most difficult part of the Timberwolves' Western Conference run was already behind them, especially considering Dallas had taken down the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
But the Mavs dismantled the Timberwolves from start to finish. There were plenty of questionable calls that went against Minnesota in that series, but one that was particularly frustrating for Wolves fans came when Kyrie Irving fouled Jaden McDaniels, but the play still led to Dallas ending up with possession of the ball.
Under the new rules, instant replay on an out-of-bounds play can cover whether a foul should've been called on the play, with the NBA referring in its announcement to a play when Kyrie Irving fouled Jaden McDaniels but Dallas got the ball. Now, a foul would be called instead. https://t.co/J8YIyQFr2u
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) September 10, 2024
A new rule change would have helped Minnesota in the playoffs
According to the old rules, the Timberwolves could challenge the play to try to overturn the ruling of which team the ball would belong to. But the old rules could not retroactively assign a foul to a player the referee initially missed calling it on.
Now, that has changed. Tim Bontemps of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the NBA's replay rules were updated after the Board of Governors approved the change. Foul calls can now be made after a play given review of a replay that would overturn a ref's prior call.
Plenty of Timberwolves fans will read this and groan, wishing the rule had been in place months ago. But the fact of the matter is that this rule will be helpful to referees in making sure the correct call is made in crucial moments in the future. The only downside is it may once again lengthen the already long review process.
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