MIES (Switzerland) - Each week, experts are analysing the games. In order to improve the understanding of referees' decisions and to increase the transparency towards our fans, we publish some of those "tough calls", together with an explanation.

Please find below this week's "tough calls":

Tough Call 1: Tofas Bursa vs Happy Casa Brindisi - Travelling

White 9 receives the ball in the low post, bounces the ball and finishes his dribble, faces the basket and attempts a field goal. He misses it and in the rebound the referees call a personal foul to White 3. 

Article 25.2.1  A player who catches the ball while standing with both feet on the floor:

• The moment one foot is lifted, the other foot becomes the pivot foot.

Outcome: Incorrect decision from the referees. These play situations in the low post area are usually covered by two referees as they are a dual coverage area. In this occasion it seems that the focus was on any eventual contact that could happen during the act of shooting. The travelling violation was missed. 

 

Tough Call 2: Lenovo Tenerife vs Igokea - Fake being fouled

Yellow 4 drives towards the basket and passes the ball to Yellow 19, who catches it and starts his act of shooting in a continuous movement towards the basket. At the same time, Black 32 falls to the floor and the referee calls a technical foul on him for faking being fouled and makes the signal to cancel the basket by Yellow 19. After a short talk with the crew chief they decide that the field goal is valid and award 1 free throw to the Yellow team for the technical foul. 

Article 33.16   Fake being fouled
Fake is any action by a player to simulate that he has been fouled or makes a theatrical exaggerated movement in order to create the opinion of being fouled and therefore gaining an advantage. 

Article 36.2.1 A technical foul is a player non-contact foul of a behavioural nature including, but not limited to:

• Fake being fouled.

Article 36.3.2 The opponents shall be awarded 1 free throw. The game shall be resumed as follows:

• If a valid field goal, or a last free throw is scored, the game shall be resumed with a throw-in from any place behind the endline.

Article 15.1.3 The act of shooting in a continuous movement on drives to the basket or other moving shots:

• Begins when the ball has come to rest in the player’s hand(s), upon completion of a dribble or a catch in the air and the player starts, in the judgment of the referee, the shooting motion preceding the release of the ball for a field goal.

Article 10.4 The ball does not become dead and the goal counts if made when:

• The ball is in the control of a player in the act of shooting for a field goal who finishes his shot with a continuous motion which started before a foul is charged on any opponents’ player or on any person permitted to sit on the opponents’ team bench.

Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. The basket counts and the Yellow team will be awarded 1 free throw with no line-up for the technical foul. The game shall be resumed with a Black team throw-in from any place behind their endline.

 

Tough Call 3: Nizhny Novgorod vs Türk Telekom - Backcourt violation

Blue 33 misses an attempt for a field goal and during the rebound situation, the ball is tapped by Blue 5. The ball returns to the Blue teams backcourt, where it is passed by Blue 6 to Blue 8, who is in his frontcourt.  The referees don’t call a backcourt violation. 

Article 30.1.2 A team in control of a live ball in the frontcourt has caused the ball to be illegally returned to its backcourt, if a player of that team is the last to touch the ball in his front court and the ball is then first touched by a player of that team:

• Who has part of his body in contact with the backcourt, or
• After the ball has touched the backcourt of that team.

Article 14.1.1 Team control starts when a player of that team is in control of a live ball by holding or dribbling it or has a live ball at his disposal. 

Article 14.1.3 Team control ends when:

• The ball has left the player's hand(s) on a shot for a field goal or for a free throw.

Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. The Blue team didn’t have the control of a live ball in the frontcourt as they had lost control of the ball when Blue 33 shot to the basket. They only established a new team control when Blue 5 let the ball rest in his hand to make the pass. Legal play.

 

Tough Call 4: Pinar Karsiyaka vs Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon - Technical foul

With 0.6 seconds to the end of the game, Blue 10 is going to make a throw-in. Before the throw-in the referee makes the conventional signal to inform White 9 (and other defenders) that they are not allowed to move any part of their body over the boundary line. White 9 tries to defend the throw-in but his feet and arms cross the boundary line. The referee calls a technical foul. 

Article 17.3.3 When the game clock shows 2:00 minutes or less in the fourth quarter and in each overtime, and there is a throw-in, the referee shall use an illegal boundary line crossing signal as a warning while administering the throw-in.

If a defensive player:

• Moves any part of his body over the boundary line to interfere with a throw-in, or
• Is closer than 1 m to the player taking the throw-in when the throw-in place has less than 2 m distance,

it is a violation and shall lead to a technical foul. 

Article 36.3.2 The opponents shall be awarded 1 free throw. The game shall be resumed as follows:

• The free throw shall be administered immediately. After the free throw, the throw-in shall be administered by the team which had control of the ball or was entitled to the ball when the technical foul was called, from the place nearest to where the ball was located when the game was stopped.

Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. White 9 has interfered with the throw-in and during the last 2 minutes of the game this is a technical foul without previous warning. Any Blue team player shall attempt 1 free throw with no line-up and the game shall be resumed by a throw-in to the team that had the control of the ball from the place nearest to where the ball was located when the game was stopped for the technical foul.

 

Tough Call 5: Tofas Bursa vs Happy Casa Brindisi - Basketball interference

White 0 dribbles towards the basket and makes a lay-up. Blue 22 tries to block the shot and hits the backboard. The referee calls a basketball interference violation and awards the field goal, 2 points. 

Article 31.2.4 Interference occurs when:

• A player causes the basket to vibrate or grasps the basket in such a way that, in the judgement of a referee, the ball has been prevented from entering the basket or has been caused to enter the basket

Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. Blue 22 hitting the backboard caused the basket to vibrate preventing the options of the ball from entering the basket. 2 points are awarded to White 0 and the game shall be resumed with a throw-in by the Blue team from any place behind their endline.

 

Tough Call 6: Tofas Bursa vs Happy Casa Brindisi - Basketball interference

White 6 makes a lay-up and in their attempt to block the shot, Black 5 and Black 10 touch the backboard. The referee calls a basketball interference violation and awards the basket. 

Article 31.2.4 Interference occurs when:

• A player causes the basket to vibrate or grasps the basket in such a way that, in the judgement of a referee, the ball has been prevented from entering the basket or has been caused to enter the basket.

Outcome: Incorrect decision from the referees. Even if the defensive players hit the backboard, the ball was not prevented from entering the basket: it didn’t have any option to enter.