[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich

See one of the other 100 threads on this topic.

https://forum.officiating.com/basket...ml#post1000556

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Even if the ball is balancing on the ring, about to fall into the basket, and the backboard is "swinging like a pendulum" due to a legitimate block attempt, that resulted from an unbelievably hard slap on the backboard, causing the ball to bounce off the ring, preventing the ball from going in the basket, and everybody, and their mother, is screaming "Goaltending", or "Basket interference", the official cannot award the goal, and since it's a slap caused by a legitimate block attempt, the official can't even charge a technical foul.

And even if the official doesn't believe that it was a legitimate attempt to block the shot, the official still can't award the basket. All that can be done is to charge a technical foul, two free throws by any member of the offensive team, and the ball at the division line. The official can't award the basket, even if the backboard comes crashing to the floor.

Why do such incorrect myths regarding this situation exist? I believe that it's because, about thirty years ago, a legitimate attempt to block a shot that resulted in a slapped backboard could result in a technical foul if the backboard, or ring, vibrated during the shot attempt. That rule was removed from the rulebook a long, long time ago, yet the myth persists.

I only go back thirty-six years, but I believe that the official was never allowed to count the basket under any of these circumstances.

Twelve years ago, this situation was one of the first things that I wrote in my list of The Most Misunderstood Basketball Rules.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

A player cannot touch the ball, ring, or net while the ball is on the ring or within the basket. A player cannot touch the ball if it is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. These are examples of basket interference. It is legal to touch the ring or the net if the ball is above the ring and not touching the ring, even if the ball is in the imaginary cylinder above the ring. It is legal to hang on the ring if a player is avoiding an injury to himself or herself or another player.

The backboard has nothing to do with goaltending. Goaltending is when a player touches the ball during a try, or tap, while it is in its downward flight, entirely above the basket ring level, outside the imaginary cylinder above the ring, and has the possibility of entering the basket. On most layups, the ball is going up immediately after it contacts the backboard. It is legal to pin the ball against the backboard if it still on the way up, and is not in the imaginary cylinder above the basket. Slapping the backboard is neither basket interference, nor is it goaltending, and points cannot be awarded. A player who strikes a backboard, during a tap, or a try, so forcefully that it cannot be ignored because it is an attempt to draw attention to the player, or a means of venting frustration, may be assessed a technical foul. When a player simply attempts to block a shot, and accidentally slaps the backboard, it is neither a violation, nor is it a technical foul.