Ready for a tablet to help manage your information - the NBA is and uses Tablet PCs quite extensively

The NBA referees are cashing in big time with tablets...if it does so well for sports, think about how managing medical information can work..and does work, just talk to any physician using a tablet for information management. BD

As the Cavaliers and Spurs tip off in the NBA Championships, the last thing on most people’s minds are computers. But behind the scenes, the NBA uses a slew of technology to provide fans and media with accurate real-time statistics and ensure fairness.

At the courtside statisticians’ table, X60 tablets are used to keep track of hundreds shots, fouls and other events during games. As many as three statisticians use X60 touch-screens to quickly enter the details of each play. Referees constantly interact with computers both on and off court. Each time they blow their whistle to start or stop the game clock, a ThinkPad works with the NBA’s Precision Timing System to log the event. Just a few years ago clock starts and stops were controlled manually and it was impossible to tell exactly when a whistle was blown. As basketball fans know, a fraction of a second can change the outcome of a game.