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Originally Posted by jdw3018
I believe '88-'89 was the permanent switch to 3-man.
The NBA also used 3-man officiating for one year in 1978-79, but tossed it after that year. It was a strange experiment where the 3rd official was limited to only making certain calls. I don't believe there was any rotation or switching with the 3rd official - he was in one spot on the court the entire game. I wish I could remember what he was allowed to call, but I can't. I'll look for it.
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This explains what I saw in a replay of a game from the '79 Finals (Bullets/Sonics).
The "Slot" official never changed positions. He was always the "C" and always opposite the table. The lead would rotate to his side sometimes in the front court but the 'C' stayed put and the lead always went back tableside in transition as the new trail.
The lead and trail were the only ones to switch on fouls.