Check out Antonio McDyess’s tip-in at the buzzer to beat the Lakers last night at Staples Center.
Was it goaltending? Lakers fans think so, but a quick read of the NBA’s goaltending rules leads me to believe that it wasn’t:
Section I-A Player Shall Not:
a. Touch the ball or the basket ring when the ball is using the basket ring as its lower base.
EXCEPTION: If a player near his own basket has his hand legally in contact with the ball, it is not a violation if his contact with the ball continues after the ball enters the cylinder, or if, in such action, he touches the basket.
b. Touch the ball when it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder.
c. For goaltending to occur, the ball, in the judgment of the official, must have a chance to score.
The view from the side shows that the ball was coming off, but I think it was still in the imaginary cylinder when McDyess’s hand touched it. However, as part “c.” states, if the official d...
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