Backcourt Violation - Mavs Heat

[mcrowder]

I'm a football, baseball, softball official, so I am speaking with a lack of knowledge here...

But wasn't that a backcourt violation with 9 seconds to go in OT when Wade, who was established in the front court, caught the inbounds pass while airborne and landed in the back court? Seems to me that he is in the frontcourt until he's not. And since he was in the front court when he caught the ball, it was a violation when he then landed in the back court. I know you're typically allowed to inbounds the ball to the back court, but I thought the person catching the pass had to already be there for that to be legal.

Little help?

[ChuckElias]

No violation. This is legal, even in NFHS and NCAA. It used to be a violation, for the reasons you stated. If you jump from the frontcourt, then when you catch the ball, it has frontcourt status. Then when you land in the backcourt, the ball obviously has backcourt status.

However, a few years ago, NCAA and FED added an explicit exception to the backcourt rule for this situation, saying that a player should be allowed a normal landing after catching the ball while airborne. (They also added similar exceptions for defensive steals in a team's own frontcourt, and for a player securing the ball during a jump ball.) The NBA added the same exception when they changed the throw-in/backcourt rules a few years after the NCAA.

Here are the relevant NBA rules.

Rule 10 Section X - Ball in Backcourt
a. A player shall not be the first to touch a ball which he or a teammate caused to go from frontcourt to backcourt while his team was in control of the ball. EXCEPTION: Rule 8-Section III-e (EXCEPTION).

Rule 8, Section III
e. Any ball out-of-bounds in a team's frontcourt or at the midcourt line cannot be passed into the backcourt. On all backcourt and midcourt violations, the ball shall be awarded to the opposing team at the midcourt line, and must be passed into the frontcourt.
EXCEPTION: During the last two minutes of the fourth period and/or any overtime period, the ball may be passed anywhere (frontcourt or backcourt) on the court.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

Here are the relevant NBA rules.

How about 4-VIg?

[ChuckElias]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

How about 4-VIg?

g. Frontcourt/backcourt status is not attained until a player with the ball has established a positive position in either half during (1) a jump ball, (2) a steal by a defensive player, or (3) a throw-in in the last two minutes of the fourth period and/or any overtime period.

[BktBallRef]

Mark Cuban, the idiot who knows so much about officiating, was screaming at Joe DeRosa after the game. Not about the timeout that Joe correctly granted to Dallas but about what he, Cuban, absolutely knew was a BC violation.

Idiot.

[mcrowder]

Well damn... I've now been thrown in with a group with Mark Cuban. Where's that cyanide pill when you need it.

(Note - on the timeout, I think it's hard to tell from the TV what really happened - it appears to me in replay that Josh is making the TO signal to his coach, asking a question. But I have to say that if I see that signal on the football field from a player, even if he's looking at his coach, I'm calling the TO too, just like they did last night.)

Thanks for clearing up the backcourt thing for me. If I'd heard Cuban was complaining about it, I would have not brought it up, knowing that if Cuban agreed with me, I must be wrong.

[BktBallRef]

Yep, you can see Howard signal from the camera angle but it's clear that he's put his hands together and is now moving towards the Mavs bench. Further, you never saw him protesting that he didn't call timeout. He had that stupid Chris Webber look on his face. Joe Crawford issued a statement after the game, ""Josh Howard goes to Joe DeRosa and not only once, but twice asks for timeout. Forced to call it, simple as that."

[Jay R]

Chuck,

The rules you cited don't seem to specify about jumping from the frontcourt, catching the ball and landing in the backcourt. The exception you cited is about the last 2 minutes, not about keeping the status you had when you left the floor.

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm not sure you cited the rule completely.

JP

[mcuban]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Mark Cuban, the idiot who knows so much about officiating, was screaming at Joe DeRosa after the game. Not about the timeout that Joe correctly granted to Dallas but about what he, Cuban, absolutely knew was a BC violation.

Idiot.

No, Mark Cuban , the idiot was screaming because DeRosa didnt rotate to be in position to see Wade push off on Terry. Salvatore should have called, but in the event his angle was bad, Derosa had nothing else going on and should have been able to see the ball.

At least according to my understanding of Ronnie Nunn mechanics. You got a good reason why he didnt move ?

i didnt see it as a backcourt until after i saw the tape. The league said i was wrong. Fine.

I still cant find "positive possession " defined anywhere in the rule book. Can you ?

In fact, 2 NBA officials gave me different definitions of what it meant.

Welcome to NBA officiating.

Of course the most entertaining part of the play was the look on Joe Crawfords face when Salvatore blew the whistle from 30 feet away , on a play right in front of Joey

[Larks]

Welcome aboard Mr. Cuban.

Was at an officials camp this weekend and heard from a reasonably realiable source that the game 5 questionable calls in the last few seconds were both CCs and that the crew received one of the highest ratings for a NBA playoff game ever.

Your comment if any.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by mcuban

No, Mark Cuban , the idiot was screaming because DeRosa didnt rotate to be in position to see Wade push off on Terry. Salvatore should have called, but in the event his angle was bad, Derosa had nothing else going on and should have been able to see the ball.

At least according to my understanding of Ronnie Nunn mechanics. You got a good reason why he didnt move ?

i didnt see it as a backcourt until after i saw the tape. The league said i was wrong. Fine.

I still cant find "positive possession " defined anywhere in the rule book. Can you ?

In fact, 2 NBA officials gave me different definitions of what it meant.

Welcome to NBA officiating.

Of course the most entertaining part of the play was the look on Joe Crawfords face when Salvatore blew the whistle from 30 feet away , on a play right in front of Joey

LOL! You're worse than a fanboy! You're a wannabe fanboy!

Mark Cuban my azz!! Go away wannabe fanboy.