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Older NBA fans remember the days when the clock would go from 1 second remaining, to zero. Under that system, Wednesday’s game would have ended with Tim’s last second shot. However, digital time keeping was implemented to make sure that games did not end with time remaining on the clock. The problem is that although the league has the ability display time remaining in tenths of seconds, it cannot accurately link action on the floor to those small time increments.

Here is a possible technology solution to a technology created problem. RFID! Radio Frequency IDentification uses super small microchips the about the size of a grain of sand. Each RFID is assigned unique ID code. The chip listens for a radio query and responds by transmitting its ID. It gets power from the radio signal that it is responding to; therefore RFIDs do not need batteries. Big retailers like Costco’s and Wal-Mart use this technology to know the exact location every item that it buys and sell each year. This is very inexpensive. Each RFID cost only a few cents. It has to be inexpensive if it as widely used as it is.

Here is my proposal:
1. Attach a small separately coded RFID transmitter to each player and to each rim.
2. Tag the ball with a RFID Microchip. (The chip will “report” its location relative to each RFID transmitter).
3. Let the computer track time and ball location
4. Start of play -- The computer would start the clock (game and shot) as soon as the RFID transmitter on the player receiving the inbound pass/jump ball reports that he has the ball.
This procedure would take the human out of the loop. It would be much more accurate since reaction time alone makes it almost impossible for the Ref to start the clock the instant the player touches the ball.

Using Wednesday’s game as an example this system could have made sure the game did not end in controversy. The computer would have looked the time log from the RFID transmitter on the Spurs goal to get the exact time Duncan’s shot went thru the basket. The exact time remaining would then be known. No human error. The clock would have started automatically the instant Fisher touched the ball. No human error. The computer would look at the time log on Fisher’s transmitter to get the time he shot the ball. No human error. He either got it off in time or not.

Roadtoad