Unsporting act(s) or ignore it/them?
 

Play discussed in a meeting last night:

Team A is leading by 1 point.
.3 seconds on the clock, clock stopped,
A1 oob for throw-in, guarded by B1,
A1 throws the ball off of B1's body, ball bounces on the court,
End of game horn sounds,
A1 immediately kicks the ball, forcefully, but it doesn't contact B1.

a) Several attendees insisted that throwing the ball off of the opponent was an unsporting act, and should have resulted in a T assessed to A1, and the subsequent free throws would have determined the winning team.

b) Some attendees said that kicking the ball should have been considered an unsporting act, with a subsequent T and free throws, determining the winner.

c) Some attendees said that the two acts combined, should have been considered worthy of a T, with free throws determining the winner.

I was the extreme minority, stating that if the throwing of the ball off of the opponent was not judged to be unsporting, that the kicking of the ball, after the horn had sounded, should be ignored. I cited CASE BOOK 10.3.6 SITUATION B.

I'm not looking for justification for my opinion, but will appreciate your discussion and responses.

You'd really have to be able to read intent to do harm to entertain penalizing A on the throw-in.

Always difficult to call a T after the final horn, but that doesn't mean it isn't right or shouldn't be done. Throwing the ball off the opponent is nothing, good strategy. Kicking the ball afterward? Might've had to be there. A full on punt would be hard to ignore, but a "soccer pass" I might pass on. Probably have to use some judgement on the 2nd one, but the first is probably nothing, and the "Combination of the two," should not be used to justify a T.

Each act needs to be viewed separately. If that case play is the one I think it is, it's the right cite for the first part of the play (and it's a smart play by A1).

Would be hard for me to penalize this as I'm walking off the floor. :D

There probably has to be more to the throw-in off the player and the immediate kicking of the ball in this situation that would help guide me to a decision. Did the crew have ANY issues with A1 previously during the game? Was that issue between he and the player he threw the ball off of? How did he throw the ball? i.e. baseball style as hard as he could - at B1's head - at B1's crotch - was A1 showing obvious signs of being pissed when he did it (body language type of thing). Was the "kick" a follow up to his throw-in? Was it directed at the same player he threw the ball at?

So many things to consider within the span of a few moments - but things that are critical to making proper judgement and call/non-call.

Is it unsporting to throw the ball off a defender when the 5 second count is about to hit 5 when we are 2 minutes into the game? Why would it be unsporting at .3?

Pass on it - unless you know the intent
 

With 0.3 on the clock, there isn't time for B to catch and shoot. So, B2 would have to somehow tap a pass from A1 to A2 in the basket. B's best chance is a 5-second violation. A1 throwing the ball somewhere to avoid the 5-second violation seems a reasonable thing to do unless throwing the ball off of B1 was done with intent to cause pain, I would pass on it.

Kicking the ball is likely a htbt situation. I don't consider kicking a ball to be part of a typical celebration. If A had won by four points, would the B team/fans been expecting a technical (with no need to shoot FTs) or was the B team/fans only looking for it because it would give them a chance to win. I would pass on it if I could.

A T for throwing the ball off the opponent calls itself. It must be obviously malicious before I call a T here. This is a common play designed to get the clock started or take advantage of an inattentive opponent. In this case, even if B1 catches it the game is over. It's a smart play.

As for the kick: game over, there's nothing to delay. I don't chase the ball down anyway, so it's not slowing me down as I leave the court.

Got to perform my favorite move on the final possession of a game that wasn't close -- rotated opposite as the lead -- that's the side our door was on. :D

Haven't worked with a "have to get the ball and return it to the table guy" in a while.

There's one vet around here who does it, otherwise it's new guys that just assume we're supposed to.

Let's Go To The Videotape ...