When is the hand part of the ball?

[DownTownTonyBrown]

After the ball is gone, hitting the hand will not affect the flight of the ball - shot will still be made or missed on it's own merits.

If this hand-to-hand contact is the total contact and it was a valid attempt to block the shot, I'm not going to call a foul (I think I see your point. The shooter's hand is not in contact with the ball yet I'm not going to call a foul.) I rarely see hand-to-hand contact during the act of shooting without some other contact.

In my opinion, if the defender, in his effort to reach the ball, makes other bodily contact, he has been beaten and he should be whistled for the excessive contact with the shooter. Of course you would have to see the play to call it.