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I agree with Smitty. The question posed by SeanFitzRef is impossible to answer in a real life context without seeing the play and the level of players involved. As for this thread, Nate, I think we'd all agree that reasonable people presented with the same set of facts could come to different yet reasonable conclusions. That is judgment. Two officials may see the same play and one may call a foul while the other may pass. I don't think anyone here would dispute that. The problem I think people are having, and the way I read your posts, is that you appear to be presenting your scenarios from a "player's" perspective. The world of playing and the world of officiating are two very different things. For instance, almost every post player believes they can back a defender down in order to get to the basket. However, what the official is looking for is the illegal displacement of that defensive player. If that happens we are going the other way. A classic example is the post player using his upper back and shoulders into a defender to create space. That is a foul but when it's called, the post player almost always has this look of shock on his face. Similarly, defensive post players using forearms and hands and knees to keep an offensive post player at bay. Again, from an official's standpoint, that is a foul. Can two players jockey for position? Certainly as long as neither one puts the other at a disadvantage from an official's perspective. If someone gets the advantageous position legally (i.e. not using the swim stroke, etc), play on. Unlike other sports, strength doesn't entitle one to do as he pleases on the basketball court. As a former player, it took me a long time to get used to calling the game from an official's perspective rather than a player's perspective. While being a player may give you a feel for the game, which is great, you can't call the game as if you were playing in it. Once you understand that, I think you'll find the game a lot easier to call and you'll see where others here are coming from. Never stop learning.
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