Basketball's toughest calls - anyone read it?

[wanja]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Determining who a ball went OOB off of can be the most difficult call in the game.

Agreed, particularly since its a call that cannot be passed on. The only bailout is the rare go to the arrow. How many wrong oobs were re-played during the NBA playoffs? Too many.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by wanja

Agreed, particularly since its a call that cannot be passed on. The only bailout is the rare go to the arrow. How many wrong oobs were re-played during the NBA playoffs? Too many.

The NBA only reviews those calls in the last few minutes of the half or game. I think those are reviewed because like everything else with replay everyone wants to dispute every one of those calls. That does not make that call very difficult or hard to determine. If OOBs calls are that hard, then you must not have games with 3 officials. No way that is a difficult call on the level of others. Then again this is about opinions.

Peace

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

If OOBs calls are that hard, then you must not have games with 3 officials.

Regardless of the number of officials, when the ball comes out of a crowd, it is sometimes difficult/impossible to tell who touched it last.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by just another ref

Regardless of the number of officials, when the ball comes out of a crowd, it is sometimes difficult/impossible to tell who touched it last.

Yeah, but that is not how many of them happen. And yes the number of officials does matter because the more you can focus on an area. Most of these calls are one or two players involved. I cannot say that is hard to call compared to other calls in the game.

Peace

[BktBallRef]

Anybody who can't get an OOB call correct when there's only one player involved needs to GTF out of officiating.

But when two players are involved and both have hands near the ball, it can be very difficult to know who the ball touched last. It makes no difference how many officials are on the floor. It's always one official's call, not two or three.

And you're right wanja, that's exactly what the NBA allows replay of OOB calls during the closing minutes.

[APG]

Originally Posted by wanja

Agreed, particularly since its a call that cannot be passed on. The only bailout is the rare go to the arrow. How many wrong oobs were re-played during the NBA playoffs? Too many.

Not that many since they can only review plays in the final two minutes of the 4th and all of OT.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Not that many since they can only review plays in the final two minutes of the 4th and all of OT.

And I did not see that many. I cannot even think of any that were replays that were reviewed during the Finals or even the Conference Finals. I am sure it might have happened once, but not in any of those games.

Peace

[stir22]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Sorry I couldn't say more when I originally posted, but I had two Varsity football games to prepare for.

Camron's points are right on the money.

That's what I was thinking...thanks.

[stir22]

Originally Posted by Camron Rust

If you think about the violations that can be called, traveling stands alone in the complexity of the criteria used to call it.

The occurrence of the following are all easy to determine....

• OOB
• Any count
• thrower stepped inbounds
• FT didn't hit the rim
• player in the lane before the ball hit
• double (illegal) dribble
• kick
• backcourt
• GT/BI

These are easy to determine due to their black/white nature or their rather uncomplicated combination of factors to consider when it may occur. Of course, the backcourt rule is complicated but it is easy to call once you understand the rule.

Traveling, on the other hand, requires several elements to all align to call correctly....holding the ball relative to the release on a dribble/pass or the catch from dribble/pass relative to the foot movement (some of which is legal and some isn't).

Many thanks!!!

[Rob1968]

For me, one of the hardest calls to get right, is the tap on the forearm of a jump-shooter. A1 makes his move, into the lane, or on the perimeter, and goes up for a jumpshot. B1 reaches up and towards the shooter's arm, and it's so difficult to be sure of the contact, which is often minor, but does affect the shot. Sometimes, a secondary indicator, such as the apparent terrible arc of the shot - short and flat - has to be considered, and that makes the call seem late.

[Scrapper1]

I've changed my thinking on this, but only a little. I do think traveling is very hard to get right consistently because of the reasons stated above. But I think that because it happens so infrequently, basket interference (on a putback, in particular) is the most difficult. You're far away, you're usually at a weird angle, you're probably surprised that it's that close in the first place, and it's just one touch. When the ball is coming off the rim and the rebounder just taps it back, it can be very tough to judge if the ball was completely out of the cylinder or not.