Quote:
|
However, basing a foul/no foul decision only on the success of the try is wrong.[/B]
|
Not necessarily. In many cases of a player driving to the hoop, there is light contact that may or may not affect the shot. If an official were to blow a foul immediately, only to have the player easily put the ball in the basket with no trace of being affected by the light contact, he/she would have penalized contact that put the shooter at no disadvantage whatsoever. However, if the shot misses, it could very likely have been caused by even light contact, such as on the arm--just enough to throw the shot off--and, thus, SHOULD be called. The ball going through or missing may, in this situation, be the best way of determining the significance of such light contact. Remember, severity of contact in and of itself does not determine a foul, but rather the IMPACT of the contact on the play (advantage-disadvantage): severe contact could be a no-call, while very light contact could be a foul. The official, by waiting to see the impact of contact on the shot, is looking to penalize if necessary, but "pass" if possible.