Steve Kerr: NBA's Last Two Minute reports put 'refs in a tough spot'

OAKLAND — Add Steve Kerr to the growing list of prominent NBA people who don’t like the league’s Last Two Minute officiating reports.

Four days after Kerr’s Golden State Warriors were on the wrong end of two late calls in a Christmas Day loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and in the wake of LeBron James and Kevin Durant both expressing their disapproval of the practice, the third-year coach explained why he sees the NBA’s approach as, well, the incorrect call.

“I’m not a huge fan of the two-minute report myself,” Kerr began. “It does put the refs in a tough spot. I don’t know what it accomplishes, but I do appreciate that the league is trying to be transparent about what they’re looking at, and how the refs are judged and all that. But I’m not sure to what extent it really helps anybody.”

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As most will agree, the NBA’s intent here is admirable. By trying to provide clarity on key calls late in games decided by five points or fewer, league officials – according to an FAQ that resides on the league’s web site – hope “to build a greater awareness and understanding of the rules and processes that govern our game” while offering “accountability to our fans and the media who fairly seek clarifications after our games.” The reports break down all the key late moments in games that fit the aforementioned parameters, with a verdict coming in four different forms: CNC (Correct Call), IC (Incorrect Call), CNC (Correct Non Call) and INC (Incorrect Non Call).

A commitment to transparency has been a hallmark of commissioner Adam Silver’s tenure, and his attempt to pursue that principle should be applauded. But as Kerr rightly noted, there’s a dearth of nuance or context in the L2Ms that often leads to them missing the mark.

“In my mind, I think the league is trying so hard to be perfect with the officials, where every call is being judged,” Kerr said. “From what I gather, every official is graded on every call. There’s too much gray area in basketball. I don’t believe that you can just say that every call is right or wrong. I think there’s a feel element that’s lacking right now. I could give you a lot of examples, but I just think that there should be more feel involved.

“A call that’s made five minutes into the game maybe shouldn’t be called (in) the last five minutes. Maybe as a referee, you have to establish that, ‘Hey we’re not going do that. You can’t hold and grab.’ But maybe it’s questionable whether it’s a foul, but you call it early to set the tone. I believe in that kind of officiating. But I don’t know that that’s how the league is approaching it. I think they’re taking a very systematic approach, and trying to make it perfect when it's absolutely an imperfect world we live in."