Being a defensive player in the NBA is a task that requires a lot of skill and creativity.
Good defenders can track every move of the offensive players and know exactly where to situate themselves. The rules aren’t in their favor. The easiest defense tactics are forbidden by the regulations.
Now the players have to be extremely careful not to commit any violation or foul.
What is the Goaltending Basketball?
Goaltending occurs when the player illegally obstructs the ball or goal while it looks like the ball will go in.
Goaltenders often do this by blocking shots with downward flight, touching an incoming shot before it reaches the rim, or catching balls thrown at them during free throws.
But one might ask: what are the exact regulations? When the defense is goaltending and when their moves are legal?
The NBA goaltending rules are violated when the player touches the ball while it’s already touching the basket ring or when it’s above the ring. The player should have his hand neither on the ring nor the basket. A player’s hand must be touching the ball before entering the area above or under the basket, not to consider this play to be goaltending.
After the ball has been released the players can’t trap the ball against the backboard. The players also cannot move the hoop, the backboard, or the net in any way to cause the ball to drop or to prevent it from scoring. Even a slight touch of the backboard/rim/net is considered illegal when the ball is in the net.
Defensive goaltending is spotted most commonly when the players try to block a shot or make a defensive rebound.
Upward or Downward Flight
To make things more difficult for defenders, they have to be particularly careful when there is a field goal attempt. If the ball is considered to have a chance to score, meaning it has touched the backboard and it’s on the upward flight or downward flight, above or below the ring level. To examine if the ball was in an illegal space, the referees call for the imaginary cylinder with its circuit being the ring.
Luckily, the game is videotaped and nowadays, they don’t have a problem determining if the violation was committed. If the ball is thrown from within the playing area and has the chance to score, meaning it’s on the downward flight, it also will be considered goaltending.
What is offensive goaltending in the NBA?
The offensive player also can be accused of goaltending. Not to confuse it with dunking, players can touch the ball and the ring of their basket while they are in possession of the ball and the contact with the ball doesn’t end when the ball touches the hoop.
But if the player isn’t touching the ball before it goes on the rim it would be considered goaltending. The players cannot help the ball to score after it has already touched the backboard or is circling on the hoop.
Is Slapping the Backboard Basket Interference?
Some of the fans think that if the player slaps the backboard he just has committed goaltending. It’s far from the truth. If the player accidentally touches the backboard and it doesn’t interfere with the ball, it isn’t considered basket interference.
But if the player slaps the backboard hard, because his emotions got to him, he can get a technical foul for unnecessary aggression and unsportsmanlike behavior.
Jump Ball
When both teams are caught goaltending, the situation is resolved with a jump ball at the center circle. But if just one team commits goaltending, the ball is treated like it would score. The offended team is awarded two points if the field goal is shot from the two-point zone, and three points if the field goal is shot from the three-point zone. Unless it’s an offensive goaltend. In that case, the points won’t count and the other team will get possession of the ball.
When Did Goaltending Become a Rule in the NBA?
The goaltending rule was implemented in the NCAA in 1944. The rule quickly gained popularity among other leagues, for example, the National Basketball League. The legendary player, George Mikan, was so tall that he could block and snatch any shot from their opponent very easily.
In NBL (which later became NBA) the rule was fixed particularly for Mikan. Of course, the goaltending rule changed with time, as basketball evolved and the NBA players surprised us with their ideas on how to block a shot.
Offensive goaltending mainly happens when a player tries to perform an offensive rebound, he tries to catch the ball to quickly make a scoring attempt once again.
We hope that this explanation of the goaltending rule helps you understand this type of basket interference a little bit better and watching NBA games will start to be less confusing.
Is there goaltending in FIBA?
FIBA’s goaltending rules are slightly different from those used in the NBA. Similarly, players can’t block a shot that is in a downward flight, however, once the basketball hits the basket ring, they’re allowed to touch the ball.
