NBA commissioner Adam Silver again pushed back on Wednesday night against calls from referees to stop releasing the Last Two Minute Reports.
Speaking in an ABC interview during halftime of Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Warriors and the Cavaliers, Silver reiterated his stance that the league releases the Last Two Minute Reports in a bid to be transparent and doesn't expect an end to the after-the-fact public critiques.
"You can't turn back the clock on transparency," Silver told ESPN's Sage Steele. "People expect accountability."
Silver said the NBA will talk with the referees union this summer but insisted the league has a duty to serve both the effort to be transparent and the best interests of fans, even if releasing the reports doesn't change the outcome of games whether calls are right or wrong.
"Of course it doesn't change the outcome of a game that was already played, but accountability on behalf of the league office is critical, just as it is with all league and businesses," Silver said. "And more importantly, that fans have a right to know that the games are being called consistently."
Silver was responding to a statement released by the National Basketball Referees Association on Tuesday, in which the union argued for an immediate halt to the league's reviews of officiating in the last two minutes of close games. The statement said the NBA's effort to "promote so-called transparency will cause more harm than good for the officials and the game."
"I understand the referee union's point of view and we'll discuss it in the summer," Silver said. "But I can't imagine in this day and age that in response to fans wondering what the league's view is of a call, we wouldn't respond."
The reports have been a hot-button issue at times this postseason. The league issues the reports following all games that are within five points at the two-minute mark. The reports assess all whistles and notable non-calls.
In his halftime interview, Silver once again made the case that the league's postgame officiating reviews were vital to the league's integrity.
"I think this notion that if I'm here and you want to say to me, what does the league think about a particular call, I'd say, 'We won't talk about that,'" he said. "It's not realistic in this day and age."
Silver also said the league followed the correct procedures with Cavaliers forward Kevin Love under the NBA's concussion protocol.
The Cavs ruled out Love several hours before Cleveland's 120-90 Game 3 victory. He remains in the NBA's protocol after taking an elbow from Golden State's Harrison Barnes in the back of the head and having to leave Game 2 on Sunday night.