Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891. Over a century later, Phoenix Suns coach Jay Triano served a reminder that Canadians are still on top of the rules.
The Suns and Memphis Grizzlies were knotted at 97 with 0.6 seconds remaining in Tuesday’s game when Triano used a technicality to his team’s advantage when running the final play to perfection.
With such limited time remaining, it’s fairly common practice to run a lob play for one of the team’s more athletic players to catch and tip the ball into the basket before time expires. Teams will often run sets that will have said player come off a few screens to create some separation from their defender and build momentum to elevate towards the basket.
The difference with the play Triano ran, though, is that he had Tyson Chandler stationed underneath the basket and instructed the inbounder, Dragan Bender, to throw the ball directly at the basket.
Jump. Dunk. Game.
“I told our guy (Bender) to shoot the ball in the basket and all Tyson has to do is touch it on the way down or grab the rim and have it hit your knuckle and go in,” Triano told the media after the game.
Offensive goaltending can be called when a player catches or touches a ball when it is judged to be within the cylindrical frame of the basket. However, the rule doesn’t apply when a ball is being inbounded.
Game Ball goes to Jay Triano!!!!! He drew up that play weeks ago in practice for a time just like this!!! He told us the rules on it and how know one even knows about it!!! Coach won us this game!!!
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) December 27, 2017
Brandan Wright was defending Chandler on the play, and admitted that the goaltending rule impacted his decision making.
“I went up and my hand went under and through the rim, so it kind of messed my timing up a little bit,” Wright said. “I had to pull it back out because I didn’t want to get a goaltend. They just made a play, a perfect pass.”
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