Tough calls: October 2024

The Tough Calls are sponsored by Fiziocentrs – a well known physiotherapy clinic in Latvia. The videos shown below will help to understand the game, referees and rules.

1. White 2 drives to the basket and tries to make a shot. Defender Blue 34 grabs his arm from the back and holds. Referees call an unsportsmanlike foul by Blue 34.

FIBA OBRI 37.1.1. An unsportsmanlike foul is a player contact which, in the judgement of a referee is:

• Contact with an opponent and not legitimately attempting to directly play the ball

within the spirit and intent of the rules.

Outcome: correct decision from the referees. Blue 34 holds White’s 2 arm and doesn’t allow to make a shot. Blue 34 is penalized by an unsportsmanlike foul.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b81db6_52c5b227e2214ccbad6bdeb196ec798f/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

2. Black 12 makes a successful shot from a three point line. Defender White 35 jumps to him, after the contact Black 12 falls down. Referees call a personal act of shooting foul by White 35 and award Black 12 with additional free throw.

FIBA OBRI 15.1.2. The act of shooting on a shot:

• Begins when the player starts, in the judgement of a referee, to move the ball upwards towards the opponents’ basket.

• Ends when the ball has left the player’s hand(s), or if an entirely new act of shooting is made and, in case of an airborne shooter, both feet have returned to the floor.

  
  

FIBA OBRI 33.8. Charging

Charging is illegal personal contact, with or without the ball, by pushing or moving into an opponent’s torso.

FIBA OBRI 34.2.1. If the foul is committed on a player not in the act of shooting:

1. The game shall be resumed with a throw-in by the non-offending team at the

place nearest to the infraction.

Outcome: incorrect decision from the referees. White 35 makes illegal contact with Black 12, when he already lands with both feet on the floor. As it is fourth White team’s foul, White 35 is penalized by personal defensive foul and game restarts with a throw in from sideline by the Black team.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b81db6_1117598a1b344abfa64e3bcbe79500ac/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

3. End of the third quarter, Red 77 drives to the opponent’s basket and makes a shot. Ball touches backboard and after that defender Black 22 touches the ball and backboard. Referees call goaltending violation and count a basket. Referees then go to IRS to make sure that the violation happened before the time expired. After review referees corrected a time, added 1.1 sec. and game restarted with Black team throwing the ball in from the baseline.

FIBA OBRI 31.2.1. Goaltending and Interference

Goaltending occurs during a shot for a field goal when a player touches the ball while it is completely above the level of the ring and:

1. It is on its downward flight to the basket, or

2. After it has touched the backboard.

   
   

FIBA OBRI F.3.1. At the end of the quarter or overtime,

• whether a shot for a successful field goal was released before the game clock signal sounded for the end of the quarter or overtime.

Outcome: correct decision from the referees. When Black 22 touches a ball, ball already has touched the backboard. Also correct use of the IRS to adjust a game time.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b81db6_76cef982deb7432a9ae333dfdce0a97c/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

4. White 1 makes a shot, defender Black 10 jumps close to him. Shot is successful and White 1 falls down, trying to show contact. Referees stop the game and penalize White 1 with technical foul for Fake.

FIBA OBRI 33.16. Fake being fouled

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

FIBA OBRI 36.3.1. If a technical foul is committed:

1. By a player, a technical foul shall be charged on him as a player foul and shall

count as one of the team fouls.

FIBA OBRI 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.

Outcome: correct decision from the referees. White 1 is correctly penalized with technical foul for fake.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/b81db6_4126a2716e514ba0b4965174ed7df347/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Author: Oskars Lucis, ENBL Head of referees