There is no doubt that game-winning clutch shots make one feel like a hero.  Ask Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, or even John Paxson or Steve Kerr.  But what if that heroic moment should never have taken place?  What if that big shot happened as a direct result to mistakes my the referee, just as it happened with Chicago's Jalen Rose and Cleveland's Lamond Murray last week?  It is NBA policy that officials are prevented from seeing the television replay monitors that everyone else analyse, but what if these two moments occured deep in the NBA finals with a championship on the line?

Mike Wise of the New York Times reports that support for replays to aid officials may be growing. Specifically, there is concern about shot clock situations at the end of the game.

In three games last week involving shots at the end of the game, Nets Coach Byron Scott said that only once did the league "get the call right," referring to Kobe Bryant's game-winning shot in the final seconds against Charlotte. In two other games, shots made after the game was over were allowed to count.

There have been instances where the officials have got some close calls correct, such as Kobe Bryant's game-winning attempt against Boston that didn't count and Steve Francis' attempt against the Cavaliers.  But this does not help the Nets, currently fighting for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, who stormed the court in protest after replays showed that the clock had not started until Murray was releasing the ball.

The umpires did confer at center court, but they then left the court without reversing the call.  They certainly would have if there were allowed to view the replay.

"Go out there and find out what happened at the end of the game," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Let's leave the arena getting it right. We don't have to look at everything. We're not talking about judgment calls. We don't want to slow up the game. But that's not the case when the game is over. Let's get it right. This isn't going to hold up anything. Let's get it right."