LATEST HEADLINES - NBA NEWS E-mail RSS Feeds E-News Sign Up Add Widget 0204_clock608.jpg Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images Ask Bernie: Shot cl

By NBA.com staff reports
Posted Feb 4 2009 2:07PM

This one almost happened the other night: With one second showing on the 24-second clock, a player is fouled while shooting. He continues the shooting motion, and the 24-second clock expires before the ball leaves his hand. The ball goes in. Does the basket count? My guess is that the foul stops the clock, so the 24-second clock expiration does not count. Therefore, the basket counts.

Bernie's Answer: The league uses transmitting devices to stop the game and shot clocks instantaneously when a referee whistle is blown. When a referee blows his/her whistle for a shooting foul with one second left on the shot clock, the basket would count, even if the shooter's motion finished after what would have been shot clock expiration. A shooting foul would be assessed and there would be no shot clock violation, since the shot clock would not have reached zero. However, if a foul were committed so close to zero that a whistle was blown with (or even just after) the shot-clock buzzer, the official could treat the play as if the whistle had been blown in time. They would count the basket and assess the shooting foul, with no shot clock violation.

What's the NBA's rule on players pinning the ball against the backboard? Is that considered goaltending? -- Joseph in Pennsylvania

Bernie's Answer: It is legal for a defensive player to block a shot attempt into the backboard, even if his hand remains on the ball after the block and he pins it against the backboard. However, once the ball hits the backboard (or rim), the defensive player may not touch it, by pinning or otherwise. The reason for this distinction goes to the purpose of the goaltending rules, which are meant to ensure that a shot that has a chance to score is allowed to do so.

So in the first scenario (pinning the ball against the backboard before it hits the backboard on its own), a defensive player is following through on what would otherwise be a legal block on a ball in upward flight. In the second scenario (pinning the ball to the backboard after it hits it) the defender is not permitted to take the away the opportunity to score.

Here is an example of goaltending, where the defensive player pins the ball after the it has hit the backboard.

Why is it that some defenders in the Restricted Area are called for a blocking foul when run into by an offensive player driving to the basket, while other defenders are able to draw an offensive foul on the same exact play?

-- Emily in Arizona

Bernie's Answer: The Restricted Area only applies to "Secondary" defenders -- defensive players who are not actively guarding the offensive player with the ball.

A secondary defender cannot be in the Restricted Area when a drive starts outside the lower defensive box (the area between the 3-foot posted-up marks, the bottom tip of the foul circle, and the endline) for the purpose of drawing an offensive foul. However, the offensive player's Primary defender may draw an offensive foul no matter where he is positioned at the time of contact. (On a fastbreak, all defenders are considered Secondary.)

Even if he is in the Restricted Area, a Secondary Defender will not be called for a blocking foul if contact is made while he is alighting vertically in an attempt to block the shot, or if the drive starts inside the lower defensive box.

Offensive fouls can also be whistled, even if contact is made with a Secondary Defender inside the Restricted Area, if the offensive player leads with an unnatural knee or foot.

In this first play, the offensive player's drive begins inside the lower defensive box and so the Restricted Area rule does not apply and the play is judged just like any other block/charge play.

In this second clip, the play is a fastbreak so all defenders are considered Secondary. The offensive player's drive starts outside the lower defensive box, so this is ruled a blocking foul as the defender was inside the Restricted Area.