GOALTENDING
If a defensive player touches a ball that is in the basket,
partially in the area above the basket (the cylinder),
or on its way down in its trajectory toward the basket (See Figure 20) a 2-point
field goal
is automatically awarded to the offense.
Touching the ball by putting a hand up through the basket ring or trapping the
ball against the backboard
are also goaltending. Generally, officials
only call this if there was a chance for the ball to go into the basket without
interference. Only one point is awarded if the interference occurs during a free-throw
attempt; 3 points if it occurs during a 3-point try.
ILLEGAL DEFENSE
One team violation punished by a technical
foul is illegal defense. This is a defensive team's attempt to use a zone
defense, illegal in the NBA.
It can only be called when the offense
is in its frontcourt
with the ball. The rules defining acceptable defensive coverage are quite
complicated, establishing limits on how far away a defender can stand from an
offensive player, and dividing the frontcourt into lower, middle and upper
defensive areas. The easiest illegal defense for an untrained spectator to
recognize is a defensive player standing alone in an area without guarding
an opponent. This is often a player who gets caught in "no man's
land," moving from assisting one teammate with a double
team to assisting another teammate with a double team when the ball is
passed. (See circled defensive player in Figure 22)
The first occurrence of this violation is a warning and provides the offense with a new 24-second clock and a throw-in from the free-throw line extended. After that, every subsequent occurrence is a technical foul against the defense. Any such violation during the last 24 seconds of any period (including overtime) is a technical foul, even if it is the first such occurrence of the game.
ZONE DEFENSE
In a zone defense, each defender is responsible for an area of the court,
and he must guard
any player who ventures into that area. Usually, as soon as the ball enters a
zone, the defender of that area will get some assistance from one or more of his
teammates. The zone defense is used extensively at the college level, but is not
permitted in the NBA
because the league tries to promote one-on-one match-ups which are more
exciting.
There are 3 general types of zone defenses: the 3-2, the 1-3-1 and the 2-3. (See Figure 26) The numbers describe the position of the defenders as seen by the offense from midcourt. Which defense a team employs will depend on the relative strengths and weaknesses of their players and those of their opponents:
 | 3-2 zone -- 3 defenders are positioned across the court in the front of the foul circle with 2 on the outer sides of the foul lane. Considered an offensive zone, it prepares a team to make a quick transition to a fast break with more players close to their basket. |
| 2-3 zone -- This is more of a defensive zone that sets up 3 players near the basket to prevent the offense from getting a close shot or a layup. This is the defense preferred by teams with taller, slower players who are less likely to fast break. |
| 1-3-1 zone -- Also a defensive zone which sets up one player outside each foul lane and 3 players in a line from the foul line to below the basket who will fall back to form a tight triangle below the basket as the offense advances. This is the defense sometimes used when the offensive team has at least one player who is good at shooting or passing from the top of the key because it places a defender there while the 3-2 and 2-3 defenses do not |
