Most Misunderstood Rules!!

 

The following are some of the most misunderstood rules in basketball.

 

Traveling

A player can only travel if they are holding the ball and the clock running. They are not traveling if they are dribbling, attempting to inbound the ball, or fumbling the ball. They may take several steps while attempting to get control of a ball passed to them, and that is no violation.

 

3 seconds (in the key)

This is a very complicated rule, in spite of sounding simple. Key points are:

·        There must be team control in the front court.

·        The count resets on any attempted shot, whether the ball hits anything or not. This means they can continuously stand in the key repeatedly shooting until the quarter expires.

·        A player must get completely out of the key including not being over the lane space to avoid the violation.

·        If the player with the ball starts a move toward the basket, it suspends the violation. This means they can be in the paint for 2.9 seconds, and then start a 2-second move toward the basket with no violation, assuming they eventually shoot at the end of the "drive". If they instead pass the ball to a team mate the violation is immediately called for their 4.9 seconds in the key.

 

Kicking the ball

To be a violation this must be a deliberate act by the defender moving his leg or foot to deflect or stop the ball.  Accidentally being hit on the foot by the ball is not a violation.

 

Edges of the backboard

All four edges of the backboard are in play and inbounds. Only the back surface and supporting braces are out-of-bounds. However, if the ball goes over a square backboard it is out-of-bounds, even if it did not touch anything.

 

Time out after a made basket

You see this one near the end of the game. When taking a time out after the opponent makes a basket, you get the ball on the endline for a throw-in. The team still has the right to run the endline on the throw-in. Only in the NBA (or WNBA) do you get the ball at half court for a throw-in. 

Throw-in after a timeout is called.

The ball is made available for a throw-in after a timeout at the spot nearest to where the ball was on the court when the timeout was recognized. It does NOT matter who called timeout or where they were when they called timeout. The only thing that matters is where the ball was when a timeout is recognized. 

5-second count on throw-in

The count ends when the ball is released to pass through the plane of the boundary. It does not have to touch anything nor any player.

 

5-second closely guarded

This means a player, while closely guarded (less than 6'), can hold the ball for 4.9 seconds, dribble for 4.9 seconds, then hold the ball for 4.9 seconds without a violation. To get a 5 second violation the defender or defenders must be in continuous guarding position for 5 full seconds while the player holds the ball or the defender or defenders must be in continuous guarding position for 5 full seconds while the player dribbles the ball. If the defenders switch, but at least one defender is always within 6 feet, the count continues.

 

"Over the back" foul

There is no such foul. It is not illegal to reach over the back of another player, especially to get a rebound. Honest! It is illegal to hit the player with your arms while reaching over them, but the contact should affect the play. (Typically any such contact is called a foul.) It is illegal to contact the player with the body while reaching over the opponent, but to be a foul you need to physically displace the opponent and it must affect the play. Otherwise you have incidental contact. No displacement, no foul.

 

High-dribble

You can dribble above your head as long as you don't put your hand under the ball. (Technically allow the ball to come to rest in the hand.)

 

Player gets 2 steps on a lay-up

There is no such rule. They don't get any steps. The rule is once a pivot foot is established, if it is picked up the player may only pass, shoot, or request a time out. If they put the pivot foot back down, or start a dribble (assuming they have not already dribbled), it is a traveling violation ("walk"). The exception is a jump-stop. When a player stops their dribble or catches the ball, their first foot to touch the floor (or last one to be picked up if both are on the floor) is the pivot foot. If the player is moving he/she can jump off that foot and land on both feet simultaneously ("jumpstop") but then cannot pivot on either foot. So on the drive to the bucket you must identify which foot is touching the floor when the dribble ends. If that foot moves or comes off and returns to the floor while the player still has the ball, it is a traveling violation.

 

Self-pass

It is perfectly legal to catch your own "air ball" (a shot that misses everything) provided the official deems it was a valid attempt to shoot. Any shot is a loss of team possession and therefore all 10 players have equal rights to secure the ball.

 

Over-and-back

The most confusing part of this rule is that the over-and-back violation is not dependent upon which team "caused" the ball to go into the back court. It is a violation if:

·        the ball has front court status (team control and in the front court)

·        the ball was last touched by the offense before obtaining back court status

·        the ball is first touched by the offense after achieving back court status.

So, if the offense has the ball in the front court and the defender bats the ball, it hits the offensive player's leg and rolls into the back court, and the offensive player is first to touch the ball in the back court, you have a back court violation.

 

Block/charge

This is often considered the most difficult call for an official to make. A couple of principles that affect the play are that any player is entitled to any position on the court if they legally get there first. The other factor is "legal guarding position" which few people know about. To establish a legal guarding position the defender must:

1. be positioned between the offensive player and the basket,

2. be facing the offensive player, and

3. have both feet on the floor inbounds.

Once this position is established they must only remain between them and the basket. So, jumping in the air does not give up position (the verticality rule applies) and the play can still be a charge. The defender can be looking the other direction and it still is a charge. The defender can give way and it can still be a charge. But if the defender never establishes a legal guarding position, and the defender is moving at the time of contact, it is a blocking foul. (Just try to keep track of all of that while counting the 5-seconds closely guarded, 3-seconds on two other players in the key for different lengths of time, keep track of the pivot foot of the player with the ball, etc.)