Quote:
Originally Posted by HokiePaul
I'm not sure this is correct - if the punch occurs while the ball is live -- the rulebook language is that fighting is a flagrant "act".
There is also this case play from a few years back
10.4.5 SITUATION A: Post-players A1 and B1 begin punching each other and
play is stopped. Two substitutes from each team leave the bench area and come onto the court. The four substitutes: (a) do not become involved in the fight; (b)all become involved in the fight; or (c) substitutes A6, A7, and B6 do not participate in the fight, but B7 becomes involved in the fight. RULING: A1 and B1 are charged with flagrant fouls and are disqualified, but no free throws result from the double personal flagrant fouls...
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And then you have this...
Quote:
Rule 10, SECTION 3 PLAYER TECHNICAL
A player shall not:
ART. 8 . . . Be charged with fighting.
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And that is without any qualification about the status of the ball.
At best, the rules are contradictory here. There are two competing rules.....the one that says live ball contact is a personal foul and another that says that fighting is a technical foul. The situation above does imply that the personal rule takes precedence but that is only by interpretation, not by rule. I have no problem with that interpretation. It has to be one or the other and the distinction is not likely to matter. The player is DQ'd either way. If it involves two players (and most fights do), there is no practical difference. Even if it involves one player, the only differences that really matters is who shoots the FT. The throwin spot will differ but that isn't likely to matter as much.