Stiff Arm

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by mick

So how does that work when:

the defender hacks [neither intentional nor flagrant] the not legal arm of the ball handler.

With no displacement, is that an offensive violation, an offensive foul or incidental contact?
mick

I would guess that it's like any other pushing foul. You have to determine who initiated the contact, then determine if the contact affected the play. That's what we normally do in a handcheck/push/rebound situation, right? So do it here.

Did the defender reach and initiate the contact? Or did the dribbler extend the arm to ward off the defender? Once you answer that question, then you can ask whether the contact affected the play. If it did, then you have a foul on the guy who initiated the contact.

That's my guess. I don't think the thought process is any different in the NBA.