Each week, experts and referees observers are analyzing the games. In order to improve the understanding of referees’ decisions and 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: Unicaja v BAXI Manresa – Travelling
Red 32 finishes his dribble and attempts a 2-point field goal. The referee calls a travelling violation.
Article 25.2.1 A player who catches the ball while he is progressing:
- May take two steps in coming to a stop, passing, or shooting the ball.
- The first step occurs when one foot or both feet touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.
- The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor or both feet touch the floor simultaneously.
Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. Red 32 stopped and caught the ball with his left foot on the floor (step 0). Then he put his right foot in the floor (step 1), lifted his left foot and put it again on the floor (step 2). Finally, he moved his right foot and then his left again before releasing the ball for a shot. This is a travelling violation.
Tough Call 2: Tofas Bursa v Lenovo Tenerife – Travelling
Green 23 drives towards the opponents’ basket. After finishing his dribble and while trying to make a lay-up, Black 42 touches the ball, Green 23 controls the ball again and scores. The referees don’t call any infraction.
Article 25.2.1 A player who catches the ball while he is progressing:
- May take two steps in coming to a stop, passing, or shooting the ball.
- The first step occurs when one foot or both feet touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.
- The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor or both feet touch the floor simultaneously.
Article 24. 2 A player shall not dribble for a second time after his first dribble has ended unless between the 2 dribbles he has lost control of a live ball on the playing court because of:
- A touch of the ball by an opponent.
Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. Green 23 caught the ball with his left foot on the floor (step 0). He then put his right foot on the floor (step 1), followed by his right foot (step 2) and jumped for a shot. Then the ball was touched by Black 42 (his hand was not firmly on the ball) and Green 23 lost the control of the ball. Afterwards, Green 23 regained the control of the ball with both feet on the floor and jumped for a shot. Legal play.
Tough Call 3: Unicaja v BAXI Manresa – Time control
Near to the end of the game, the Red team scores a field goal. The Green team had requested a time-out. The scorer sounded his signal to notify the referees of the time-out opportunity. At that moment, the referees want to review if the game clock was stopped at the right moment. After the IRS review, they decide that the game clock must display 1.0 second.
F.3.1 The following game situations may be reviewed during any time of the game:
– after a malfunction of the game clock or shot clock occurs, on how much time the clock(s) shall be corrected.
F.2.2 The review shall take place before any time-outs or substitutions are administered and before the game is resumed.
OBRI F-1.7 A time-out or substitution request may be cancelled after the IRS review ends and the referee communicates the final decision.
Outcome: Correct decision from the referees. When the ball passed through the basket entirely, the game clocked showed 1.0 second. However, the time-out started before the IRS review had finished so the Green team had no option to cancel it, had they wished to.
Tough Call 4: Unicaja v BAXI Manresa – Travelling
Red 19 receives the ball, starts his dribble, and finishes it in the low post, squaring up to shoot. He misses the shot, and the game continues.
Article 25.2.1 A player who catches the ball while he is progressing:
- May take two steps in coming to a stop, passing, or shooting the ball.
- The first step occurs when one foot or both feet touch the floor after gaining control of the ball.
- The second step occurs after the first step when the other foot touches the floor or both feet touch the floor simultaneously.
- A player may not touch the floor consecutively with the same foot or both feet after ending his dribble or gaining control of the ball.
Outcome: Incorrect decision from the referees. There are 2 travel violations in this clip. First, Red19 gained the control of the ball with his left foot on the floor, then he touched the floor again with his left foot before putting his right foot on the floor and again his left foot. This is a travelling violation. Then, Red 19 finished his dribble with his left foot on the floor (step 0). Then he put his right foot in the floor (step 1), lifted his left foot and put it again on the floor (step 2). Finally, he lifted his right foot and put it on the floor again before releasing the ball for a shot. This is also a travelling violation.
Tough Call 5: MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg v U-BT Cluj-Napoca – Personal foul
Black 8 attempts a 3-point shot from the corner and the referees call a personal foul on Yellow 24 during the rebound situation.
Article 34.1.1 A player shall not hold, block, push, charge, trip or impede the progress of an opponent by extending his hand, arm, elbow, shoulder, hip, leg, knee, or foot, nor by bending his body into an abnormal position (outside his cylinder), nor shall he indulge in any rough or violent play.
Outcome: Incorrect decision from the referees. It was Black 13 who was holding Yellow 24 by grabbing his playing shirt and his shorts.
Source: FIBA
Frederick Marfo is a sportswriter and social worker well known for his advocacy for equal chances and rights for all athletes, especially those with disabilities.
