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I just finished a 2nd round playoff game a few hours ago. Even after a 2 hour drive home, I'm still a little annoyed by intentional fouls. Team A... 4 out of the starting 5 are freshman, none are probably over 5' 6", all are lightning fast. Team B... Starting 5 are all seniors, none are under 5' 6", average speed.
Late in the 4th quarter, with Team A in the lead, the laws of Physics came into play. F=MA.... A1 runs into a legal screen and is floored hard. This set the crowd off. Nothing wrong short of viewing this 90 lb young lady laying on the floor after running into a brick wall she didn't see. 3 minutes later she has gotten enough air back into her lungs to get up and get off the floor.
Then come the intentionals... Team A comes right back with a steal and A2 drives only to have Team B take her into the wall by a 2 handed shove to the lower back on the lay-in. The crowd didn't care for this one either. Then with 50 seconds left, the 2nd intentional comes with an attempt to get Team A to the line, with a 2 handed shove to the stomach that once again floors B hard. Fans are now on their feet coming out of the stands to the edge of the court....
No brawl... just a rough game. Sometimes I wonder about the differences between what we see and call as intentional fouls and someone just punching another player.....
ART. 3 . . . An intentional foul is a personal or technical foul designed to stop or keep the clock from starting, to neutralize an opponent's obvious advantageous position, contact away from the ball or when not playing the ball. It may or may not be premeditated and is not based on the severity of the act. A foul also shall be ruled intentional if while playing the ball a player causes excessive contact with an opponent.
License to hurt someone????
jc
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