Can an offensive player move into the path of an airbourn defensive player?

[APG]

Originally Posted by AKOFL

the thread just went over my head with carte blanche. I have never seen an offencive foul called on this type of play. should there be??? maybe. when it is obvious that the offencive player initiates contact it is a no call usually. is that right by rule? prob not. not how ive seen it called though. i have no prob with a no call though.

Well usually if a defender jumps where he'll clearly land short, and the offensive player jumps into the defender, the contact is marginal. And when this happens usually the offense player contorts himself and puts up an off-balance shot and taken himself out of the play, and the defender is not disadvantaged at all. The defense has done his job in forcing up a bad shot.

Now have I seen this call and offensive foul? Sure, I've seen it called in the NBA where you're more likely to see this type of play occur. Heck I remember there being a big discussion about a similar play that occurred in the 2008 NBA Finals when Paul Pierce was called for an offensive foul for side stepping and initiating contact with a defender that had jump clear and to the side of him.