How Do Challenges Work in the NBA?

NBA Coach's Challenge

Basketball has long been one of the most popular sports in the world, due to the entertainment that its gameplay produces and the huge fan bases that have been created to support the most outstanding teams in the best leagues. When talking about this, we must mention the NBA, the best tournament in the world in this discipline, bringing together franchises of the highest level.

This competition is the most followed and, therefore, one in which most sports bets are made, an action that requires knowledge of the sport, the competition and above all its rules. One of those that has only been in the NBA for a couple of years is the Coach Challenge, which has positively changed this competition, but what does it consist of and why has it been so important?

❓What is the Coach Challenge?
💡How does it work?
🔍Which plays can be challenged?
🏀Pros and Cons

What is the Coach Challenge?

The Challenge Rule Known as the Coach Challenge, is a rule in the NBA that allows team coaches to review a decision made by the refereeing team in a game. The Challenge made its debut in the 19-20 season, so it can be considered one of the newest rules in the NBA. Although it has undergone some adjustments in this period, the idea remains the same: to have a fairer game in which refereeing errors can be minimized for one team or another.

As mentioned, there have been changes in recent years, one of the most significant being in 2023, where the NBA Board of Governors decided that coaches will have a second Challenge in the game, as it was a tool they could apply only once per game. However, with this change, coaches will have the opportunity to use it twice, albeit with one important condition.

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How does the Coach Challenge work?

Like any rule, the Coach Challenge depends on a few factors in order to be applied, which coaches and, above all, spectators who want to fully understand everything that is happening in a match must know very well:

Two challenges per game

As already mentioned, from 2023 on, coaches will now have the opportunity to carry out two Challenges per match, and the second one can only be carried out if their first request is successful. Unlike the first one, they will not recover the time-out even if they get the review right.

To call for a Coach Challenge, the coach must call a time-out

This rule can only be applied by calling a time-out and requesting a review of the specific play, taking into account that it must be done before the change of possession or the execution of a free throw. If the initial decision is overturned, the team can keep its time-out, but if not, they will have lost it, all of this in the first Challenge, so they must be very sure to make this request so as not to waste an action that can change the course of a match.

Challenges only for certain plays

As in other sports, the request for review is applicable in certain types of plays, specifically in 3 of them; Personal fouls against, out-of-bounds and goaltending. It must be taken into account that this rule can only be applied in plays that have been called, for example, if the main referee calls a foul that the coach considers not to be a foul, he can opt for the Coach Challenge.

The head ref makes the final decision

Depending on the Coach Challenge request, either the main referee or the Replay referee will make the decision on the specific play. In the case of fouls, the main referee will be in charge of deciding whether to change what he has called or not, for everything else, the Replay Center will be responsible.

Advantages and disadvantages of the “Coach’s Challenge”

Challenges have been added to pro sports to allow technology to make the game fairer- the human factor will always have a margin of error in refereeing that can considerably affect the result of a match.

Despite this, the Coach Challenge still has its drawbacks, the most obvious being the fact that it requires stopping the game, one of its main strengths for generating entertainment. In addition, some of its conditions are not to the liking of the teams in the competition, an issue that has led to small changes over the years in an attempt to find the perfect balance.

Likewise, the impact of the rule has been quite striking, achieving more benefits than controversies, which is important even in sports betting, since a Coach Challenge can change the course of a game and lead a bet headed toward an undesirable result that can make users lose money.

For this reason, if you are a fan of the NBA or it is a tournament in which it is feasible to make sports bets, it is important to know this and all the rules of the competition to understand what is happening in a match, in addition to the factors that can alter the score of a match. SportyTrader has basketball predictions for several leagues, including NBA predictions, so don't forget to take a look at our predictions section for more info!