In Saturday's Lakers/Kings game, Kobe was holding the ball at the three point line. Doug Christie was crouched down, defending him closely. Kobe was holding the ball at about eye level, and when he pivoted he caught Christie in the face with an elbow. Chrisite fell to the ground and the official (Dick Bavetta I believe) immediately called a defensive blocking foul.

Correct call?

Nothing or a block.
 

Either a block or a no call. Kobe did nothing but move the ball from one position to another. The action was not exaggerated or really outside of his vertical space. If anything Christie got up right next to Kobe and Kobe had no place to go. If you call anything, call a block. But I think you could have called nothing too. Just because you get hit in the face does not automatically mean that a foul has been against the person that hit you in the face. The rules of verticality should still apply. ;)

Peace

It was a case of the official having the wrong angle,and making the call. On TV when you can come from 100 different angles on any given play, it is easy to make the call or no-call.

I don't understand your reply AK, are you saying that the official was wrong. I think that you maybe but I think you need to think over how the principle of a vertical plain is called. What do you have here, if you see the whole play.

hmmm...
 

Thanks for the responses.

I actually agree with JR's assesment that it could have been a no-call. Especially since the defense gained no advantage on the play.

The play just struck me as remarkable because I'm sure that if the same sequence of events happened in the post, and Shaq had the ball instead of Kobe, we would have been looking at an offensive foul.

Iref21-all am am saying was from the officials point of view or angle(if you looked at where the official was standing in the replay) he probably did not see the elbow hit christie in the face. My point was, it is easy to be an armchair referee when we have many different angles to look at. I was not agreeing or disagreeing with the call.
I don't know about anyone else but, i have made a call because at the angle that it I was at it sure looked like a foul.

And actually to answer the question that you asked....what do you have here. An NBA game that to me has become more entertainment than a sport, and the official was protecting the superstar.

AK ref SE

tonite, kobe threw the same elbow and a correct offensive foul was called, dicky b. must have had a bad angle or not seen the entire play. im glad joey c. got it right tonite

Re: Nothing or a block.
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRutledge

Quote:

Originally posted by zaheer In Saturday's Lakers/Kings game, Kobe was holding the ball at the three point line. Doug Christie was crouched down, defending him closely. Kobe was holding the ball at about eye level, and when he pivoted he caught Christie in the face with an elbow. Chrisite fell to the ground and the official (Dick Bavetta I believe) immediately called a defensive blocking foul. Correct call?

Either a block or a no call. Kobe did nothing but move the ball from one position to another. The action was not exaggerated or really outside of his vertical space. If anything Christie got up right next to Kobe and Kobe had no place to go.[/QUOTE

Sounds like great defense to me!

Quote:

If you call anything, call a block. But I think you could have called nothing too. Just because you get hit in the face does not automatically mean that a foul has been against the person that hit you in the face. The rules of verticality should still apply. ;) Peace

If Kobe was in his own vertical plane, how did he contact Christie who was only "right next to Kobe" and in a legal guarding position?

Sounds like anything but a block.