Is face-guarding legal in the NBA?

[baseline bum]

I would think because to employ it the way battier does is almost impossible.

I can't imagine how on god green earth, chasing Kobe around screens, and curls that everytime kobe rose up battier was able to swing his hand right inbetween kobe's arm and under the ball just inches from his face. I don't know how he never once hit an arm, hit the face or anything. If I was Kobe I would of just stopped fading away and leaned into a couple of those drawing fouls...lol.

But then again, he might get hurt trying that.

That was impressive as . Battier's got my vote for DPOY this year.

[kingmalaki]

Please STFU Dreamshake. When you beat us healthy then you can talk smack, until then enjoy your win against another undermanned team.

Hmm, so if you guys had Gasol and beat us....would that have qualified as beating an undermanned team since we were missing Yao and Landry? Didn't your lone victory over us this season come when T-Mac got hurt in the game? Wouldn't you consider that an undermanned team? I guess no team should appreciate a win against us for the rest of the season since we don't have Yao, right?

So I guess your le in 87/88 shouldn't be appreciated...considering the Pistons weren't healthy when you beat them (remember the Isiah injury). I guess the le in 99/00 shouldn't be appreciated since Duncan missed the playoffs, right (defending champs). Or that year Derek Anderson got hurt and you beat the Spurs without him?

Need I go on??

[MrChug]

They taught when I played JV basketball when you defend, to put your hand up in the guys face, just don't touch him. Anything to make the shot difficult.

Exactly.

[GetNashty]

Why don't more guys do what Battier did? Is there a youtube up? I want to see this.

Raja Bell gets all up on him and puts hands in his faces like this. Battier did the best job one can hope for against this beast. Battier does the same great job everytime he plays Kobe, just sometimes Kobe will drop 40 anyway and make it seem futile. They've just gotta D him as well as possible and hope for the best.

I mean, even the 24pts tonight is misleading, because it's a Chuck-melo, 11/33. It's about as bad as Kobe's nights get.

[timvp]

"The Lakers failed to spread the floor and run the triangle offense all the way to a satisfactory conclusion. Instead, they depended far too much on letting Kobe go one-on-one against Shane Battier. Relentlessly hounded by Battier, Kobe was 11-for-33 — although it must be noted that Battier face-guarded Bryant on virtually every jumper. The last time I looked at the rule book, face-guarding was illegal. By the way David Robinson was a fvcking scrub. I hated that motherfvcker!!!!"

Fixed.

[TDMVPDPOY]

next time when battier does that, why dont just jump into his hands and make it a defensive foul

[endrity]

I don't know why this is such a big deal. I see it all the times. Actually one of the best to do it was Marbury. He did against Kobe in that epic 2001 All Star game every time down the stretch.

People try to do it against Dirk all the time as well, since blocking his shot is damn near impossible.

The reason why more people don't do it is because:

1) Many more try to go for the block, or believe that it affects a shooter more if he has to adjust his arch on the shot.

2) It is very very easy to get fouls. Considering how close Battier was doing it on Kobe I am surprised he didn't adjust. All you have to do is fake a shot and make the defender react by trying to slip his arms in between yours, and then swing your arms so that they touch a defender's arm. Once there is contact, throw some acting for good measures, and it's a foul every single time. It's how Dirk generates most of the contact on him. Maybe Kobe was trying to prove a point, that he can score on Battier anytime. It might seem silly but Kobe is known to take challenges like these personally. I bet next time they meet he adjusts.

[spurspf]

Check out JV for the Spurs. He never tries for the block, I always just see his hand going for the shooters eyes. He doesn't touch them, though.

[travis2]

Read the rule again.

Putting your hand up in someone's face to contest the shot is NOT face-guarding.

Face-guarding is putting your hand in front of the opponent's eyes while guarding from the rear.

[JamStone]

Why don't more guys do what Battier did? Is there a youtube up? I want to see this.

I think there are a couple reasons. First of all, there are very few players that have the quickness, length, and commitment to do that to Kobe for consistently for over 40 minutes in a game. To do it a couple times in a game is one thing. Battier was committed to doing it every defensive possession. Secondly, as people have mentioned, it's not very easy to do that without getting some fouls. I have a feeling had Battier gotten a couple cheap fouls, he wouldn't have done it so aggressively the entire game. Lastly, when Kobe attacked the basket, he appeared frustrated because he didn't get several fouls he thought he should have gotten when he was bumped on his drives. That forced Kobe into being much more of a jump shooter yesterday. When a defender can play Kobe for his jumper instead of worrying about both that and his drives, you can play him closer and get up into his body to contest his jumpers more frequently. All of that said, it still takes a considerable amount of determination and commitment to do what Battier did consistently for well over 40 minutes to the most prolific scorer in the league.

[RonMexico]

I noticed Battier employing a technique of putting his hand directly over Kobe's eyes whenever he shot. Is this legal in the NBA? I've certainly never seen anyone defend Kobe like that before.

Everyone defends Kobe like that. This was just the only game where it seemed to affect his shot.

[hater]

jacque vaughn does this all the time. and Bowen also. Udoka and TP sometimes.

[The Franchise]

Please STFU Dreamshake. When you beat us healthy then you can talk smack, until then enjoy your win against another undermanned team.

I will say the same to you.

[m33p0]

Please STFU Dreamshake. When you beat us healthy then you can talk smack, until then enjoy your win against another undermanned team.

insert "Yao has a broken foot" comment here.

[DazedAndConfused]

I will say the same to you.

I really hope we play the Rockets in the post season.

[DazedAndConfused]

insert "Yao has a broken foot" comment here.

The difference is Yao isn't coming back this season, makes no sense to talk about him. David West, Dirk Nowitzki, Bynum, and Gasol ARE coming back.

[Indazone]

I really hope we play the Rockets in the post season.

I really hope we play the Lakers. Bring it on!

[Fabbs]

If all you making light of OP Dazed and Fuseds' question, then why is not hand guarding done to shooters by defenders all the time?

[endrity]

If all you making light of OP Dazed and Fuseds' question, then why is not hand guarding done to shooters by defenders all the time?

Seriously, try to read what people have written. There are 4-5 good posts that explain this in detail. It is very easy go get fouls on.

[remingtonbo2001]

The only people I've seen use the hand to the face defense to the closest it can be were Battier and Brad Miller. Other than those two, yes that's rare defense.

I believe you can catch Bowen doing it on occassion.

Personally, it's the most effective defense, but takes a lot of concentration and quick reflexes (to avoid fouling)

[Indazone]

Ya, and you forgot to mention that covering up the shooters eyes usually doesn't work. Makes it a bit more difficult but usually by the time you get your hand in the guys face, he's already got the basket imprinted in his mind, his body is going through the shooting motion and he's already got the release timed and typically he swishes the ball. So it's not something that affects really good shooters that much. Reggie Miller had a hand in his face for a lot of his shots but drilled most of them.

[JamStone]

If all you making light of OP Dazed and Fuseds' question, then why is not hand guarding done to shooters by defenders all the time?

In general, NBA players are lazy on defense.

In general, NBA perimeter players aren't capable of hanging 80 on a team.

Shane Battier is not lazy on defense, and Kobe is capable of hanging 80 on a team.

[Fabbs]

Seriously, try to read what people have written. There are 4-5 good posts that explain this in detail. It is very easy go get fouls on.

Seriously, I'd rather hear from some actual refs or those who have access to them for an accurate explaination vs speculation.
Looks likes its just as easy to not get fouls called as Battier demonstrated vs Kome. I don't buy the foul risk is the reason most NBA defenders do not utilise the hand face.

[DarrinS]

All defensive moves should be illegal.


Sincerely,


M. D'Antoni

[RonMexico]

Stupid Lakers fan, wanting to believe craying lakers fan Journalist.


Here get to know this. It wasn't that hard to look up.

http://www.nba.com/media/rule_book_2006-07.pdf

And how terrible a job did this journalist do to not actually read the rule.


Face guarding is illegal. If you come from behind the player and put your hand around their head to guard their eyes. LOL.

Im sure he just read the glossary where it says

Face (eye) guarding. Listed under the Technicals section.

Well, the author (Charley Rosen) rarely checks facts because he is an egomaniac. He also has copious errors in each article he writes which somehow gets past his "editors."

Probably the most important point is that he's big friends with Tex Winter, Phil Jackson and Jim Cleamons. He's also writing a book called "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA." I don't think we should be surprised when the le team in his book has it's all-time winning streak on the line.