[Back In The Saddle]

When I was young and stupid (I'm older now) I used to jump my truck off of a drop-off next to the driveway at the back exit to where I worked. I'd get going at a good clip, go airborne, and then land in the road and tear off toward home. Which was all just fun and games until one night I discovered after going airborne that another vehicle had been in my blind spot (which, when I was young and stupid was larger than most people's). The really interesting thing about being airborne in a vehicle is that no matter how hard you crank the wheel or stomp on the brakes...you just keep heading the same direction at the same speed. I don't know, it has something to do with physics.

Same thing in this case. It's not like the shooter went headhunting for the defender. When the shooter dipped his shoulder and went airborne toward the basket, there was nobody in his path. But once he's airborne, if the defender steps into his path...there ain't much the shooter can do about it. It's the own defender's fault he got creamed, and the foul is just insult to (self-inflicted) injury.

You might also want to point out to this coach that a player dipping his shoulder is not a rule, it's only a rule of thumb.