For those Knicks fans who will be heading to Madison Square Garden this fall to see what Walsh, D'Antoni and Co. have put together there are some new official and unofficial rules to understand in terms of the game we love.

First of all the NBA Board of Governors approved the expanded use of instant replay for the 2008-09 season. This year the team of referees working a game will be at liberty to review the instant replay to determine whether a field goal was a 2- or 3-point attempt or to decide whether a foul was committed inside or outside the 3-point shooting arc (and thus warranting 2 or 3 shots at the line.) Although this should lead to better decision making accuracy for the refs, it also could easily lead to a game with too many stoppages.

That's the only official rule change I've read about—but the other night during the Knicks game one of the TV announcers mentioned that this year referees will allow a player to express a single emotional response following a call he disagrees with-- but it cannot be directed at a referee or another player. Apparently the refs got together and agreed that Rasheed Wallace should not be given technicals for smirking this year. As far as I know this a soft change, with no Board of Governors approval.

I think if a bad call is made in the Garden during a game this year, the Jumbotron should light up with the words "EXPRESS YOURSELF!" and maybe they sample Madonna saying it in her song at the same time. That would really give the situation of a bad call a collective psycho support factor to go along with the more traditional boo. It would also be hilarious.

If anyone has heard of any more rule changes, please follow up to this blog.