They're kidding me, right? Ugh. :(

Gotta be a mistake. Surely they changed the call! :)

Care to enlighten those of us who couldn't stay awake to see the Lakers game? It's just as well that I went to sleep and missed the end of the Celtics game. Yeesh!

They called a "charge" on Shaq.Slappy was amazed 'cause the big guy is usually allowed to run over people in the paint.I think that it's in the NBA rulebook somewhere that he's allowed to do that,so I was kinda surprised too.

I was very surprised that Shaq got a charge on that play, in terms of contact & the defender's positioning it seemed weak to me at best, at least from my seat 15 ft from my TV.

The defender's feet were set. He was outside the arc. Shaq
ran right over him and put him flat on his back....

"I was very surprised that Shaq got a charge on that play.."

Me too! Shaq is allowed to do that 99% of the time.

Shaq is allowed 10X that 99% of the time! :)

"I was very surprised that Shaq got a charge on that play.."

Me too! Shaq is allowed to do that 99% of the time. [/B][/QUOTE]

Shaq is allowed 10X that 99% of the time! :) [/B][/QUOTE]


"Shaq is the hardest player in history to officiate."

Translation: "If we called half of everything on Shaq he'd never play past the first half, and we'd lose the biggest draw in the game."

Shaq is allowed 10X that 99% of the time! :) [/B][/QUOTE]


"Shaq is the hardest player in history to officiate."

Translation: "If we called half of everything on Shaq he'd never play past the first half, and we'd lose the biggest draw in the game." [/B][/QUOTE]

I will agree that Shaq gets away with alot (as do many other centers and other stars in the NBA). I would also argue that it goes both ways with Shaq, to be perfectly fair. He is so large that, in order to contain him, many teams use a lot of what would be blatantly illegal contact against anybody else and don't get called for it using it against Shaq.

I don't envy anybody trying to officiate when there is a player of that extraordinary size on the court.

"I would also argue that it goes both ways with Shaq, to be perfectly fair."

I agree, but I'd say Shaq leads the NBA in elbows/shoulders/forearms to the face of a defender
and no call, OR (and this happens a lot with Shaq) the
defender is called for hitting Shaq's elbow
with their face ;-(.... OUCH!


"I don't envy anybody trying to officiate when there is a player of that extraordinary size on the court."

Point taken.



"Shaq is the hardest player in history to officiate."

Translation: "If we called half of everything on Shaq he'd never play past the first half, and we'd lose the biggest draw in the game." [/B][/QUOTE]

I will agree that Shaq gets away with alot (as do many other centers and other stars in the NBA). I would also argue that it goes both ways with Shaq, to be perfectly fair. He is so large that, in order to contain him, many teams use a lot of what would be blatantly illegal contact against anybody else and don't get called for it using it against Shaq.

I don't envy anybody trying to officiate when there is a player of that extraordinary size on the court. [/B][/QUOTE]

The problem is that they officiate to the "player" and not the "play" in the NBA. It's the same as Patrick Ewing taking his 4/5 steps every time he came across the key,Reggie Miller not knowing or caring what a pivot foot is,or Alan Iverson palming the ball on every dribble-etc.,etc.,etc. Entertainment,not rules,rulz!

Both of these points are irrelevant. You don't have to have your feet set to take a charge. And in the NBA, the primary defender (Shaq's man) can be on or inside the arc and be fouled. It's the secondary defender (the help defender) that must be outside the arc.

Great points
 

PA Coach - You are comletely correct on both points regarding the PC foul rule.

JR - I will concede that an element of entertainment enters into the officiating in the NBA (i.e., they don't want to blow a violation every time down the court, they don't want to oful out the stars if possible). However, I think that oversimplifies the problem of officiating play involving players of Shaq's size.

I know your feet don't *have* to be set, but they were anyway...and it was the secondary defender on this play.

With a secondary defender, the arc is defintely relevant and the feet almost always will need to be set. It is hard to imagine circumstances where the secondary defender can draw a PC foul without getting set in the offensive player's line of movement first. Feet moving on a PC is something that occurs when you are on the ball, not off the ball.