Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald reports that instant replay really works. Last night?s Raptors/Bulls game would have ended with a regulation win for the Raptors if not for the new rule allowing officials to use instant replays for last second shots.

The referees originally counted Mamadou N'diaye's tip-in of an Alvin Williams miss at the buzzer that would have given the Raptors a 96-94 victory. After studying the replays, the officials determined that time expired a split second before the ball left N?diaye?s hand. The basket was disallowed and the game went into overtime.

Having the backboards light up at the buzzer helped in interpreting the replay. The picture showed the backboard light up with a red glow while the ball was still in N?diaye?s hand. The Raptors may have lost a chance at a win in regulation, but they finally won in overtime, 109-105.

Bulls coach Bill Cartwright?s feelings on the effects of instant replay: "Obviously, we would have gotten home a lot earlier."