Owner Real Deal Posted April 29, 2010 Owner Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 How do you feel about it? Should it be illegal, like it is in high school? Just how effective is it? Face guarding has been illegal in all levels of basketball since 1913. In the rule books, face guarding is found under "Unsportsmanlike Acts," and a technical foul is supposed to be assessed for it. Face guarding is explicitly mentioned in the high school rule book, the NCAA rule book, the FIBA rule book, but is somewhat of a grey area in the NBA rule book (eye guarding is not face guarding). Now for the details and discussion. In the Rockets vs. Lakers game on Sunday, March 16, 2008, with 8:13 left in the first quarter, Shane Battier made the first of what would turn out to be many efforts to face guard Kobe Bryant. With 3:35 left in the first quarter, ABC / ESPN showed its first slow motion replay of Battier's face guarding of Bryant. With 6:57 left in the second quarter, ABC/ESPN showed a slow motion replay of Chuck Hayes switching, then face guarding Kobe Bryant. Apparently, face guarding was a Rockets TEAM STRATEGY for defending Bryant. Just prior to the beginning of the 3rd quarter, analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson narrated as ESPN / ABC showed 4 separate incidents of face guarding. Each illustration used slow motion, stop motion, and big yellow trapezoids to highlight it. The face guarding of Kobe, and occasional slow motion replays of it, continued throughout the game until, with 6:47 left in the 4th quarter, Kobe took a page from the Rockets play book and face guarded Tracy McGrady. However, Kobe inadvertently poked Tracy in the eye while face guarding him. THIS is why face guarding is illegal at all levels of basketball. Face guarding is illegal at all levels of basketball because of the substantial risk for serious injury to the shooter.Read more... http://i39.tinypic.com/fwsuxc.jpg http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/25/fullj.377214c1b4bec89c0dbb311f33bb7114/377214c1b4bec89c0dbb311f33bb7114-getty-98244836mw070_oklahoma_city.jpg http://i40.tinypic.com/2cng46.jpg http://www.nba.com/media/kobe21_600_070330.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YugoRocketsFan Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 As long as you arent touching, it should be legal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 Depends on how you feel about it. Some call it bush league but IMO its not a huge deal. Guys do it all the time and it doesnt get called so I wouldn't change the rule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 If it works and isn't being called by the officials, it's fair game. The winners do whatever it takes to win a ball game, and as long as it isn't being called, players should be doing it until the rules are changed (although in a professional ball-game where a jumpshot can be released in 0.4 of a second, it is a very, very difficult rule to enforce). If the jumpshooter doesn't like it? Then next time down the floor take the ball to the damn rim. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdog17k Posted April 29, 2010 Report Share Posted April 29, 2010 It's good defense if you arn't touching the other player. Sometimes they miss, and sometimes they make it. Kobe seems to always make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNextBestThing Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 If the jumpshooter doesn't like it? Then next time down the floor take the ball to the damn rim. QFT. Or, he could go for option 2: Get into professional BINGO, where the competitors aren't so intimidating. I understand the argument about the risk of injury. But let me ask, which has the greater potential for injury: 1. Face-guarding. 2. A chase-down block on a fast break, a la LeBron James or Josh Smith. Obviously, nobody would want to outlaw those blocks. So let them play. If anything, a better idea is to require players to wear goggles or something. But I digress; face-guarding might be yellow, but I see no good reason to prohibit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moeroadkill Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 i do it in our league some times i hit them in the face.( never in the eye) and they crack the [expletive]s when they ref doesnt call anything i think its good it takes some skill to do it also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Isn't the first thing coaches teach is to have your hands up and in the defenders face? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Penny Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) no way should they get rid of this rule... if they do it's just [expletive]-fying the leage even further. in 20 years chances are players will have to wear riot gear before they step on the damn court. EDIT; and im allowed to do it in my HS league... i do it alot Edited April 30, 2010 by UnoCinco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted April 30, 2010 Author Owner Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Damn, I figured I'd get at least one person in here who thinks it should be banned. WHERE ARE YOU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Damn, I figured I'd get at least one person in here who thinks it should be banned. WHERE ARE YOU? I'm in favor for keeping it as is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 So to put it in terms like The Hangover, "It's frowned upon, kinda like masturbating on an airplane." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) As long as you arent touching, it should be legal. I agree. I hated the face guarding rule in highschool. Edited April 30, 2010 by ChosenOne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted May 1, 2010 Author Owner Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Debate fail. Just look at the cool pictures, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Tzu Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Is there a certain time limit you can keep your hand in someones face? A guy did it against a guy on my basketball team and he got a technical for keeping it there for longer than 5 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sħãlïq™ Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 (edited) Face-guarding should be illegal at all levels of basketball. But the NBA won't do anything untill someone gets a serious eye injury... I wanna see how everyone who replied here would if his favorite player get a nasty hit in the eye.. HOPE nothing like that ever happens, but still... playing with fire can get you... Damn! Edited May 1, 2010 by Shaliq Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Penny Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Face-guarding should be illegal at all levels of basketball. But the NBA won't do anything untill someone gets a serious eye injury... I wanna see how everyone who replied here would if his favorite player get a nasty hit in the eye.. HOPE nothing like that ever happens, but still... playing with fire can get you... Damn!i wouldn't ask for Face-Guarding to be made illegal... not ever. even if my fav. player got a nasty hit in the eye. if you think about it, theres injury in every part of basketball. Shaun Livingston destroyed his knee after an open layup, so should that be illegal too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poe Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Face-guarding should be illegal at all levels of basketball. But the NBA won't do anything untill someone gets a serious eye injury... I wanna see how everyone who replied here would if his favorite player get a nasty hit in the eye.. HOPE nothing like that ever happens, but still... playing with fire can get you... Damn!Then contesting a shot should be illegal because you might get too close and the shooter could step on your foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcstarheel Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Why'd you throw in a picture with SMUSH Parker in it lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreusito Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Use at own risk. You can't be called for a T, however, if you injure the player you can get suspended or fined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren2ThaG Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 I think I saw Artest do it on Durant yesterday hehe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alcstarheel Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 Like others said, you would have to rule out anything that could potentially injure a player. No block, no steals, etc. Blocks have the potential to knock someone's head off. Steals have the potential to knock someone in the balls. If player A is face-guarding and hits player B, then it's a foul. It's against the rules in most of the lower leagues because you have to limit the players from themselves a lot more than the NBA players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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