Fun With Two Or Three Points ...

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Zoochy

This was NEVER a Try. The 'Pass' was never above the rim until it was deflected by a defender. Thus ONLY 2 Points.

Maybe thirty years ago when, initially, the three points had to come from a legal try, but the rule was changed after that due to infamous and controversial alley-oop passes.

A successful try, tap or thrown ball from the field by a player who is located behind the team’s own 19-foot, 9-inch arc counts three points.

A ball that touches the floor, a teammate inside the arc, an official, or any other goal from the field counts two points for the team into whose basket the ball is thrown.

In this video, the ball touched none of these, rather the ball touched a defensive player, no different (except one's a try, and the other is a pass) than a defender who is standing inside the arc deflecting (blocking) a try (or any thrown ball) from behind the arc.

Do not confuse this situation with the similar one where the horn sounds before the deflected passed ball (initially with no chance to go in) enters the basket, not a try, don't count it, not even for two points.

5.2.1 Situation C: A1 throws the ball from behind the three-point line. The ball is legally touched by: (b) B1 who is in the two-point area. The ball continues in flight and goes through A's basket. RULING: In (b), three points are scored since the legal touching was by the defense and the ball was thrown from behind the three-point line.

[JRutledge]

This is a two-point basket. It was never the intent of the rule IMO. This was clearly not even an attempt to put the ball at the basket. I get what the interpretation might suggest if you take it completely out of context, but this to me just one of these times when they cannot cover all situations perfectly.

Peace