The NBA Play-In Tournament has proven to be an exceptional addition to the NBA calendar. It provides a beautiful transition from the regular season to the playoffs, while giving viewers high-stakes basketball that oftentimes keeps them glued to their seats. This season’s NBA Play-In Tournament, however, kept fans glued to their seats for a different reason. One that will tarnish the credibility of the Play-In and the NBA itself if a solution isn’t found this offseason: the gaps and flaws in NBA officiating stemming from the LaMelo Ball and Bam Adebayo incident.
On April 14th, the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets played the tenth-seeded Miami Heat to determine which team would advance to the subsequent Play-In game against either the Orlando Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hornets won 127-126 in overtime. In all likelihood, the Heat should be advancing, if not for a controversial play by Ball, the Hornets’ star point guard.
Early during the second quarter, Ball’s shot was blocked, and Miami big man Adebayo snagged the rebound while trying to stay in bounds. Ball fell and appeared to grab Adebayo’s ankle, causing the star center to land hard on his back. No whistle was blown, and the play continued while Adebayo remained on the hardwood, exiting the game soon after, and not returning.
Officiating Changes Must Be Made To Save The NBA Play-In Tournament
During a post-game explanation, crew chief Zach Zarba said that there was no whistle to stop the play immediately. Zarba continued, telling reporters, “Play was stopped, after a change of possession, and then a time out. So, by rule, our window to review that play then is closed.” The two words that matter the most here are “by rule”. The NBA Play-In Tournament officials are operating exactly how the rule is written. The refs will usually swallow the whistle to keep the game moving.
On the whole, this is understandable. It will discourage players from “faking” or “embellishing” injuries to stop the game, much like in soccer. In this case, an official was right along the baseline, even looking down at Adabayo as he fell onto the floor. It would be reasonable to assume that the ref saw Ball grab his opponent’s ankle. Perhaps since it happened so fast, the ref might’ve thought that Ball fell into Adebayo.
Issues like this are especially egregious in the NBA Play-In Tournament because it’s a win-or-go-home mentality. Adebayo is arguably Miami’s best player, and since he left for the locker room with over half the game yet to be played, there’s a good chance that the Heat would’ve kept their season alive. If the NBA wants to keep the current rule in place, it needs to be modified so future teams don’t suffer the same fate as Adebayo and Miami. Safety-related issues should have no review timeframe. If a player is injured, the “window” should remain open until the refs have deemed the cause of the injury. This wouldn’t slow the pace of the game at all, as the review could start at the next dead ball. It would work similarly to out-of-bounds possession reviews.
Since this incident occurred during an NBA Play-In Tournament game, each call (or non-call) is amplified because the stakes are so much higher. This makes coaches’ challenges invaluable. Why are coaches not allowed to challenge a non-call? Coaches’ challenges have been such an integral addition to the game because it’s a way to curb the power of the referee. This idea leads to another potential change that’s influenced by the third quarter of Game 1 of the 2017 Western Conference Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs.
Warriors big man Zaza Pachulia attempted to close out a jump shot by Spurs superstar Kawhi Leonard. Pachulia placed his foot underneath Leonard, who landed on it, aggravating a previous injury, and the “Zaza Rule” was born. Since the Zaza Rule is meant to deter reckless closeouts, a new rule can be put in place to deter reckless acts specifically while going to, or while on, the ground. This new rule would be reviewable.
Ball claims that he was disoriented during the fall and meant no Ill will towards Adebayo. According to the current Hostile Act, Ball’s actions can’t be deemed reckless and therefore can’t be automatically reviewed because Ball says it wasn’t intentional. There’s just one huge problem with this. When Ball was asked about being checked for a concussion after the game, he said that he didn’t think he ever had one and didn’t know how they work.
If coaches were allowed to challenge a no-call, this would’ve been straightforward. Spoelstra labels the non-call as a hostile act, forcing the officials to go to the monitor, where they would’ve seen Ball intentionally tripping Adebayo. Ball would’ve been guilty of committing a hostile act (intentionally or recklessly harming or attempting to harm another person) and ejected from the game. This also means that Ball wouldn’t have scored the game-winning layup in overtime.
The Illusion Of Discipline
While the NBA Play-In Tournament is a perfect example of the NBA striving to improve the game for the fans, it seems to come at the risk of the players. There’s an illusion of discipline present. Ball was fined $35,000 for reckless contact with Adebayo, and another $25,000 for profane language during an interview after the Play-In game. Fines are useless if they happen after the game has ended. According to Adebayo, Ball still hasn’t apologized. If this incident truly was an accident, Ball would’ve apologized to Adebayo’s face, not to the media. At minimum, Ball should be suspended for Charlotte’s final Play-In game against Orlando, but the NBA felt the fine was sufficient.
This isn’t even the first time Ball and Adebayo have had history on the court. In 2024, Ball was on the floor and intentionally reached for Adebayo’s leg as the center was running back up the court. If rule changes aren’t put into place for the NBA Play-In Tournament next season, people will start to question its credibility. The LaMelo and Bam incident will be a stain on Adam Silver’s tenure as Commissioner. There’s no need to go overboard like soccer and the NFL with regards to player safety, but by lightly slapping Ball with a fine and no suspension, the NBA is basically saying that they don’t care about player safety as they should.
While the extent of Bam’s injury is still up in the air, hopefully it’s nothing too serious or persistent. What if Adebayo was seriously injured from this? How would the NBA react then? Perhaps a higher fine and two slaps on the wrist for LaMelo instead of one.
