Act of shooting

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

FWIW I believe that you are 100% correct. An official needs to see some movement to indicate that the player is attempting to score. It doesn't have to be much, but it does need to be more than simply ending a dribble or picking up the ball.

While I don't disagree, I think ending the dribble can be the starting point of a shot attempt more often than some officials allow.

Let's say in the OP, as A1 takes the allowed strides towards the basket after ending the dribble, gets fouled, fakes a pass to the wing, then releases the ball towards the basket - I would agree this would not be a shooting foul. The foul preceded a pass attempt, not a shot.

But, as an example, continuous motion also specifically mentions a pivot. So a player can get fouled with their back to the basket at the start of a pivot, finish the pivot, take the step towards the basket and release the ball, and this should be a shooting foul. I think there are a number of officials that would not call this a shooting foul because they would feel the pivot and/or the following step would be actions preceding the actual shot. There are some that feel a shot would only be the action of the arms going up. But the rule specifically says, "...and if pivoting or stepping when fouled, may complete the usual foot or body movement in any activity while holding the ball".

You're right in that a blanket statement of "ending a dribble is the start of a shot" would not be correct. But it is correct more times than a lot of officials allow. That's my point - there is more to a try, by rule, than simply moving the arms to bring the ball above the head to release it.