[ysong]

I have been wondering for while why NBA post players are allowed to backing-in toward the basket and to push their defenders away with their back while doing so.

In a recent example, in 2004 NBA final Lakers vs. Piston Game 4, Ben Wallace was guarding Shaq O’Neal. Wallace well established his guarding position and put a forearm on O’Neal’s back. O’Neal started dribbling from outside the lane with his back toward basket, and plowed backward slowly, pushing Wallace step by step till under the basket, then he scored.

If we interpret NBA rules literally, this play is definitely foul play: the defender established his guarding position before the backing-in move and the post player clearly dislodged the defender from his legal maintained guarding position. That was a foul from my understanding. But such plays are rarely ruled as fouls in NBA, even when the defenders are knocked down sometimes. What do I miss here?

Here is the clause of NBA official rules that my theory is based upon:


II. BASIC PRINCIPLES
A. CONTACT SITUATIONS
(2) Guarding an Opponent

f. “Any player who conforms to the above is absolved from responsibility for any contact by an opponent which may dislodge or tend to dislodge such player from the position which he has attained and is maintaining legally. If contact occurs, the official must decide whether the contact is incidental or a foul has been committed.”


Thanks.

y. song