GSH
12-06-2007, 03:25 AM
(Dammit...another thread on this....sorry. Got interrupted while I was writing and the other sprang up without me seeing it.)
You haven't seen that play before because it's not legal...for several reasons. It's not that important, since the won the game, but they should have someone refer it to the league for clarification before it happens again. I listed my reasons below, and included text from the NBA's rules below that. (Reason #1 is enough by itself, though.)
1. An offensive player can't leave the floor on the endline in the frontcourt for the purpose of setting a screen. No question Nitwitzki stepped out the endline. No question that he screened Ginobili off the guy making the throw-in. It's specifically illegal. The fact that he kept running to the corner is immaterial.
2. The rule states that until the throw-in has passed the plane of the boundary "no person" shall have any part of his body over the boundary line. Nitwitzki didn't just reach over the plane, he ran for 20 feet out-of-bounds. It's legal on the other end of the floor, after a made basket. But not under your own basket. Elson didn't follow him because he couldn't without drawing a whistle.
3. The throw-in was made as the result of an out-of-bounds, which means the Mavs had to designate a person to throw-in, and he was only allowed to take a single step. The ball became live when it was placed in his hands, and I'm pretty sure Nitwitzki was not entitled to enter that "box" where the thow-in was being made, without a time-out being called. (Different from a throw-in after a made basket, where they can run along the baseline, or even pass to another player out of bounds.)
4. You could make a case that the moment Nitwitzki passed between Ginobili and the player making the throw-in, he "occupied a position adjacent to the baseline" that his opponent wanted. Ginobili was entitled to the spot - Nitwitzki wasn't.
Section XIV—Offensive Screen Set Out-of-Bounds
An offensive player shall not leave the playing area of the floor on the endline in the frontcourt for the purpose of setting a screen.
Section X—Screen
A screen is the legal action of a player who, without causing undue contact, delays or prevents an opponent from reaching a desired position.
3. Screening
When a player screens in front of or at the side of a stationary opponent, he may be as close as he desires providing he does not make contact.
RULE NO. 8—OUT-OF-BOUNDS AND THROW-IN
e. After the ball is out-of-bounds, the team shall designate a player to make the throwin. He shall make the throw-in at the spot out-of-bounds nearest where the ball crossed the boundary. The designated thrower-in shall not be changed unless the offensive team makes a substitution or there is a regular or 20-second timeout.
Section III—The Throw-In
a. The throw-in starts when the ball is at the disposal of a player entitled to the throw-in. He shall release the ball inbounds within 5 seconds from the time the throw-in starts. Until the passed ball has crossed the plane of the boundary, no player shall have any part of his person over the boundary line and teammates shall not occupy positions parallel or adjacent to the baseline if an opponent desires one of those positions. The defensive man shall have the right to be between his man and the basket.
You haven't seen that play before because it's not legal...for several reasons. It's not that important, since the won the game, but they should have someone refer it to the league for clarification before it happens again. I listed my reasons below, and included text from the NBA's rules below that. (Reason #1 is enough by itself, though.)
1. An offensive player can't leave the floor on the endline in the frontcourt for the purpose of setting a screen. No question Nitwitzki stepped out the endline. No question that he screened Ginobili off the guy making the throw-in. It's specifically illegal. The fact that he kept running to the corner is immaterial.
2. The rule states that until the throw-in has passed the plane of the boundary "no person" shall have any part of his body over the boundary line. Nitwitzki didn't just reach over the plane, he ran for 20 feet out-of-bounds. It's legal on the other end of the floor, after a made basket. But not under your own basket. Elson didn't follow him because he couldn't without drawing a whistle.
3. The throw-in was made as the result of an out-of-bounds, which means the Mavs had to designate a person to throw-in, and he was only allowed to take a single step. The ball became live when it was placed in his hands, and I'm pretty sure Nitwitzki was not entitled to enter that "box" where the thow-in was being made, without a time-out being called. (Different from a throw-in after a made basket, where they can run along the baseline, or even pass to another player out of bounds.)
4. You could make a case that the moment Nitwitzki passed between Ginobili and the player making the throw-in, he "occupied a position adjacent to the baseline" that his opponent wanted. Ginobili was entitled to the spot - Nitwitzki wasn't.
Section XIV—Offensive Screen Set Out-of-Bounds
An offensive player shall not leave the playing area of the floor on the endline in the frontcourt for the purpose of setting a screen.
Section X—Screen
A screen is the legal action of a player who, without causing undue contact, delays or prevents an opponent from reaching a desired position.
3. Screening
When a player screens in front of or at the side of a stationary opponent, he may be as close as he desires providing he does not make contact.
RULE NO. 8—OUT-OF-BOUNDS AND THROW-IN
e. After the ball is out-of-bounds, the team shall designate a player to make the throwin. He shall make the throw-in at the spot out-of-bounds nearest where the ball crossed the boundary. The designated thrower-in shall not be changed unless the offensive team makes a substitution or there is a regular or 20-second timeout.
Section III—The Throw-In
a. The throw-in starts when the ball is at the disposal of a player entitled to the throw-in. He shall release the ball inbounds within 5 seconds from the time the throw-in starts. Until the passed ball has crossed the plane of the boundary, no player shall have any part of his person over the boundary line and teammates shall not occupy positions parallel or adjacent to the baseline if an opponent desires one of those positions. The defensive man shall have the right to be between his man and the basket.