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Originally Posted by dkmz17
At a recent game I watched, during a throw in, two offensive players stood in the lane, one behind the other, so close that a defender could not get in between them. A defender did try to move between, but was not allowed to by the referee.
Are the offensive players required to let a defender move between them on the inbounds play or can they stand together as described? If the defender does have the right to get in between the offensive players, where is the rule/authority that grants the player that right?
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The only rule restricting how the players can line up during a throw-in is rule 7-6-4. That states that teammates can't occupy adjacent positions that are parallel to and within three feet of the boundary line if an opponent desires one of the positions. Anywhere else, including in the lane, it's first come, first served. Rule 4-23-1 states "Every player is entitled to a spot on the playing court provided that such player gets there first without illegally contacting an opponent". That's the guiding principle. Once a player or players has legally established their spot(s) on the court, they do not have to move. The officials were correct in this case in not making them do so.
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