Since I wrote the play in the first place, I'll clarify.
In real life the defender came from the side. Also the ball did not hit a teammate of the shooter, he spun around and knocked the ball into the backcourt himself to prevent the defender who blocked his shot from picking it up. Then his teammate gained possession.
Hawks Coach, for part a, even though the ball was not released, it is still a try and a blocked shot by definition. Team control simply continues though because the try was never in flight.
I'll also bet that the PA refs didn't give me credit when bringing up this play at their meeting!
