The NBA disallowed Bob Sura’striple double (see releaseat bottom of the page) because the rule book states that “A field goal attempt is a player’s attempt to shoot the ball into the basket for a field goal.”
The rule bookalso says “A player who attempts a field goal may not be the first to touch the ball if it fails to touch the backboard, basket ring or another player.”
Remember the game last week where Kobe, stopped by his defender with nowhere to go, threw the ball off the backboard to himself and dunked the ball. Is this a legal move or not?
If Sura’s shot wasn’t a field goal attempt, then Kobe’s certainly wasn’t either. We can’t have it both ways.
If Kobe’s pass to himself was just that, are we now allowingplayers to pass the ball to themselves by bouncing the ball off the backboard? Isn’t that a travel? Or can everyone pass the ball to themselves at anytime now? And just how was Kobe credited on that play? A shot? Arebound? An assist to himself?
What is the NBA trying to accomplish by taking away the Field Goal Attempt? If they are going to speak up about this, why not speak up about Kobe’s pass to himself. One thing will be for certain, since no one said aword about Kobe’s play, then every other guy in the league is going to look for an opportunity to do it.
Will it be a turnover or a bucket?
If the NBA cares about stats, then care about stats and be consistent. Bob Sura wasn’t the first player to pad his stats in some manner or another, and the scoring table is notorious for giving the benefit of the doubt to the local team and negatively impacting the stats of the visiting team’s players. Some places have a hard enough time keeping the score and time right. Why correct Sura’s stats and not any others?
If the NBA cares about enforcing the rules, then enforce the rules across the board. People wonder why there is a perception about a star system. Not a peep about Kobe, and a press release about Sura.
As an owner, I would love to knowwho in the NBA cared enough about this to take action? There had to be something personal going on somewhere. I can guess who did it, but this person dislikes me enough as is…
Hopefully someone in the NBA will do the right thing and say that passing to oneself off the backboard is not a legitimate field goal attempt, and hence traveling. Better yet, maybe someone will have the guts just to stand up and say, “Hey, we are going to let people pass off the backboard like Kobe and McGrady did (in the all star game) because even though it’s against the rules, it’s good for TV…
One or the other will replace what I see right now. Hypocrisy. I hate hypocrisy.
NBA disallows triple double by Hawks G Sura
Bob Sura called it a “reactionary thing” after intentionally missing a shot and grabbing his own rebound to record a triple double on Monday night. The NBA wasted little time reacting to it.
The league on Tuesday disallowed a missed field goal attempt and ensuing rebound which gave the Atlanta Hawks guard a triple double in the closing seconds of a 129-107 victory over the New Jersey Nets.
Sura grabbed a long outlet pass with five seconds to play, then purposely missed a lefthanded layup before collecting the rebound.
“The ball slipped out of my hands … no, it was just a reactionary thing,” Sura said after his intentional miss. “It doesn’t happen too often, the guys were screaming at me to do it, so it was a reactionary thing.”
The NBA rule book states that “A field goal attempt is a player’s attempt to shoot the ball into the basket for a field goal.”
The league ruled that Sura did not attempt a field goal, and therefore there was no rebound.
With the NBA ruling, Sura finished with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds instead of 10 and was denied the honor of becoming the first player to post three consecutive triple-doubles since Grant Hill from April 11-14, 1997.
“People wonder why there is a perception about a star system. Not a peep about Kobe, and a press release about Sura.”
I think the distinction is easy to see and its not about a star system. Kobe’s play was clearly a good faith attempt to score points and thus help his team win the game. Sura’s intent was clearly to pad stats.
This is not to say that the rules were properly applied. But I suspect if Sura had done the same thing as Kobe we would have seen the same lack of a press release.
Comment by Eric Stenberg -
I commonly support your issues with the NBA and the refs, but this is going a tad too far.
The NBA was only trying to send the message that selfish and cheap plays like this with the sole attempt at attaining false personal achievements are frowned upon and will be disallowed whenever possible.
You obviously do not have to dig through the rulebook taking the ruling so literally, and apply it across the board to how the entire game is ruled.
I think two points need to be made:
1) The NBA did the right thing by taking the rebound away. It was a good message for all the players and fans (kids especially) – that it’s about the team and not what you can accomplish with cheap unsportsmanlike tactics for your own personal gain.
2) Look at the big picture. Stop being so technical. A player throwing the ball off the backboard to himself to dunk the ball (just a creative alleyoop to himself in essence) hurts no one and definitely doesn’t hurt the game (arguably makes it more exciting). What Sura did, pulling a Ricky Davis, DOES hurt the game and the integrity of the game.
I love the Mavs and as am loyal to you as most other fans, but you’re way off base with this one.
Comment by Jon -
Thank you for the reader comments Mark Cuban. Good leadership. Please allow reader comments on every post that you make. They add so much to the blog it is unbelievable. Your blog has become 100 times better since you have started allowing reader comments. Keep up the good work.
Comment by Doug Kenline -
Mark,
I’m not sure if you spotted a rule violation so much as a rule inconsistency. A ball that hits the backboard alone and not the rim doesn’t reset the shot clock. Then why should a ball that hits only the backboard be considered any sort of shot attempt.
The simple solution is to line up the shot-clock rule with the “self pass” rule and call anything that hits the rim a shot and anything that doesn’t a pass. The last thing I want ref’s (at any level) trying to interpret is a players intent on a shot attempt.
Agreed?
PS: What happened on Dateline? Did they edit you out? I kept thinking, “Less Issac, More Cuban!”
Comment by Joe Schueller -
Sura’s ruling was needed. The problem is not this common sense ruling, but rather ignoring the rules at other times. Letting stars get away with traveling and other “offense improving” violations does not make the NBA more exciting. What it does do is encourage rough defense. How else can a defender stop a guard that is allowed to palm the ball or a post man that is allowed to shoulder his man out of the way?
Comment by Wayne Sulak -
I agree with you mark cuban on this issue. For the NBA to take away his triple doulbe was silly in my opinion. Sura missing on purpose was more of an ethical issue that a rulebook one. Of course it wasn’t the most sportsman-like thing to do but who cares. Unsportsman-like things happen all the time in any sport. Plus you have to look at the situation, first of all, this was a once in a career type chance that he had and he took it, does that make it right. No. But you don’t get to make history everyday. Not to mention the fact that the game was inconsequential and Atlanta, with their horrible record, were finally giving the fans something to cheer about. No it wasn’t the best thing to do, but it wasn’t against the rules. Moses Malone used to miss layups all the time to pad his rebounds. At least he didn’t call time out to do it like David Bowie did a few yrs back.
Comment by D Blizzy -
Jamal scored 24 points in the 4th, and the Bulls needed every one of them since the game went into OT.
Sure, the game was meaningless for the Bulls (they’re finishing next-to-last regardless), but the object is still to win the game.
As for the pass/not pass off the backboard, Crawford’s done that at least twice this year. I can’t find anything in the rulebook about it being an illegal pass, and it fits the definition of a missed field goal attempt, even though it won’t reset the shot clock.
I say if it doesn’t hit the rim, it’s a pass, since the shot clock doesn’t reset. If it hits the backboard, it’s a live ball recoverable by both teams.
Comment by Scott Rees -
Well, at least the toss off the backboard was followed up with a shot. If he did that vs. the Kings, he wouldn’t be answering questions about tanking a game to make a statement to his team.
And speaking of statements, this is just the league saying “don’t do that anymore.” They could look into a rule change, but it doesn’t seem to me to be the most important thing to focus on.
Comment by SportsRant -
Hypocrisy! Come on guys, Mark used it twice in his above post.
While, I don’t think this is the most perfect example of a double standard in the NBA, this very real practice in the NBA is one of its downfalls if you ask me. Star power buys a team too much in the NBA, from foul calls to a lack of violations like traveling, palming, etc. I would argue that it is worse in the NBA with only five guys on the court than in Major League Baseball with variations in the strike zone for hitters like Barry Bonds and pitchers like Pedro Martinez.
Comment by Craig -
This is an interesting debate. I don’t really think it’s about stats and rules as much as it’s about the N.B.A. “protecting” it’s product.
I remember last year when Employee #12 ( god, that sound’s terrible) made a similar move in Cleveland. Everyone in the media had a hissyfit…I thought, while rather childish and selfish, ces’t la vie.
We build these guys up so much, using their athletic ability as a means of personal validation. We all want them to believe the hype, because on any given night they will amaze us and make our jaws drop to the floor. That’s what sells tickets and puts butt in seats.
But the second they fall for it, and really start to believe that the stat line in tomorrow’s paper is their only legacy (before the media and the league say it’s ok), we turn around and tell them they don’t respect the game. Especially if they have a name like Sura or Davis.
I believe the hypocracy starts to creep in, when we(as fans) and those in the L it’s self, have a different set of standards for different players.
Take the Diesel for example. I do not understand how ANYONE doesn’t see that he commits more off. fouls then anyone in the history of the game. The guy cheats. Plain and simple. Don’t give me all that crap about the abuse he takes in the paint and his unmatched size….hooey. The guy plays football out there.
But, because he is “the don dada”, he gets (usually) cut alot of slack. Because he is one of the biggest names in the history of the N.B.A., he get’s to play by (usually) a different set of rules. And you don’t see one media personality (Tolbert doesn’t count….I wrote PERSONALITY) complain, you don’t see the N.B.A. going back and reviewing tapes to access another foul a day later. You don’t have the League changing his stats 24 hours later.
It always about the product. Protecting it. Developing it. Perfecting it.
The hardest thing to remember is, we all have a different opinion on HOW the product is protected and HOW it’s developed and what a perfect N.B.A would be. (see Danny Ainge)
I would have to agree with Mark on this issue of hypocracy. It is rampant, In my opinion. The thrilling thing about watching five on five is, it’s just ten guys of varied ability, playing by the same set of rules. Knowing that, only the will of the people on that court, will have an effect on the outcome of the game. To change the scorecard a day after the sixth Backstreet Boy fouls up and does something dumb is ludacris. (throw them ‘bows Shaq)
I remember the when my dad told me how in the fifties and early sixties, most people thought that dunking was disrespectful and “hotdogging”, and that it was “bad for the game”.
…imagine if Wilt only scored 70 points because the N.B.A. reviewed the game, and disallowed all the FGs that he dunked?
Comment by Christopher Churnick -
The real “apples and oranges” issue here is that the Sura argument is about “how do we score a basketball game?” and the Bryant argument is about “how do we referee a basketball game?”
I don’t think you could find anyone who would argue that Bryant should be charged with a missed field goal and a rebound when he throws the ball off the rim to himself, because he was clearly not attempting a field goal. At the same time, a pass to yourself is perfectly legal IF it hits something else before you touch it — throwing the ball of an opposing player after you lose your dribble would be a quintessential example of this. That’s precisely what the rule is stating.
Taking Cuban’s logic too far, you’d end up saying that if a guy accidentally tipped the ball off the backboard to himself, that would be traveling (unless, of course, it was deemed to be a field-goal attempt).
I’m still not sure I understand how what Sura did was any different than Jamal Crawford firing it up in the fourth quarter to get to 50 points. . . .
Comment by Kevin Pelton -
Although there are some favoritisms in the NBA, I am sure if Kobe tried to get a triple-double that way, he would receive even more criticism than what Sura is going through right now. And if Sura passed off the backboard to himself in a pivotal game, he would not be whistled.
I believe Kobe was credited with just his dunk; no assist or rebound or anything else.
Throwing off the backboard (as of now) is not detrimental to the NBA. Remember when gang-guarding on Wilt Chamberlain as a Globetrotter led him to move to the NBA where illegal defense existed? And holding the ball all game long led to drastically low scoring and eventually the shot clock? Kobe’s and T-Mac’s moves are still legal in the books. I enjoy watching the game evolve and seeing how players figure out new, strategic ways to play the game and enhance competition.
Besides, if it adds more scoring, creates more momentum, and makes the game more exciting, why not allow it?
HOWEVER, if people passed off the backboard or off a guy’s head to themselves every single game, it SHOULD become illegal, much like how jumping out of bounds while calling a time-out (popularized by Rodman?) became a norm and eventually illegal.
Comment by Alex -
Come on, Sura plays for the freakin’ Hawks, just let the dude be happy and have his triple-doubles because he’s not going to be able to have any pride in team accomplishments or anything.
Oh yeah, on the subject of ratings: I read today that TV ratings for ESPN and TNT coverage of the NBA are up about 15% each and that ratings for ABC’s coverage are down. Good – I dig Marv, the Czar, Kenny, EJ, and Sir Charles and the dudes ESPN have aren’t bad either… but ABC’s coverage is garbage. Seems the general public has figured that out as well. Nice to see the NBA returning to markets like Miami, Cleveland, and Denver too. Now if only someone could restore the Hawks… that would deserve a medal.
Comment by Steve-O -
I agree with you Mark
I also would like to bring up the unbelievable amount of travels and carries there are in the NBA
I heard the great coach John Wooden the other night and he said the exact same thing
Comment by Teddy Wright -
here’s what i think cuban meant by the kobe comparison…since sura intentionally missed the lay-up in order to get the rebound and the nba said that that wasn’t a field goal attempt and took away the rebound. in kobe situation, he intentionally missed a shot in order to get him a better shot (the dunk) and the nba didn’t say anything. if the nba was consistant, then kobe’s dunk shouldn’t count because he intentionally missed the shot and therefore it wasn’t a field goal attempt, so it must have been a pass. in both situations, the players intentionally missed a shot and if the nba says that one intentional miss doesn’t count as a field goal than neither should the other.
also, since sura’s missed lay-up doesn’t count as an attempt because it was intentional, than would an intentionally missed free throw not count as a free throw attempt?? everyone knows that that is considered by some people a play, but the nba says that a purposely missed shot isn’t an attempt, so a purposely missed free throw shouldn’t be considered an attempt either.
Comment by lissa -
I believe this issue is more about whether Sura truly intended for it to go in (which he didn’t, but it’s what you can PROVE)… if Sura put up a semi-decent attempt at a lay-up and then collected the rebound; it’s 100% legit. What if the attempt looked a lot better but still bounced out? How can you truly prove what the player’s intentions were? (Unless he’s drilling it high off the backboard, vs gently laying it in) <-- but still. I agree with Mark, and the NBA has only made itself look more foolish by taking it away. - Brian
Comment by Brian Dimm -
He laughed about it as he was doing it.
NBA front office just trying to save face.
Even Sura admits it was a possible mistake.
Comment by Dan -
Mark:
You are comparing two different things. Sura was *not* called for traveling and evidently Kobe was not credited with a rebound. The rule specifically says that a player *can* touch the ball if it hits backboard and there is no rule specifically prohibiting self-passing.
I very much admire your courage to speak out on things that other people won’t, but sometimes you are way off base! This is one of them.
Comment by Mick Ring -
Why is it that the NBA can review a game a day later and then reverse a stat that was both legal and within the confines of the rules but will now review BAD OFFICALS and BAD CALLS that cost teams wins. Last week the Trail Blazers were fighting for a playoff spot. In a game in NY City against the Knicks, Stephon Marbury got a bail out call at the end of the game and was awarded three free throws. The call was bad enough but what was worse was that fact that he was inside the three point line. That call cost the Blazers the game and a possible playoff spot and only helped the NEW YORK Knicks with receiving one. The double standards in the NBA have been going on for years. Star players get special treatment and it still continues as evidence by this decision to rewrite history to make the league look the way they want it to look. Bobby Sura should be awarded a triple double and the NBA looks twice as foolish taking it away and not enforcing rules that are clearly broken in a game. As an Indiana Pacer Fan, I am still upset about the terrible call in the playoffs against the Knicks in the 1999 playoffs. Larry Johnson’s “4 point” play was not only the wrong call (later admitted by the official) but it cost the Pacers a shot at the NBA finals. As Larry Bird said the next day, “when you play in NYC I told my guys that it is not a game of 5 on 5 but a game of 8 on 5, you have to beat the officals too”. Bobby Sura cannot beat the Head Official even though he played the game within the guildline of the rules. Maybe if he played for the Knicks or Lakers he would get a piece of the record books today and not a silly response illustating the Double Standard of the NBA toward it’s stars and Big City Teams.
JOHN
Comment by John Hughel -
First of all, forget the notion that a few off the backboard pass to oneself affects the ratings and the business of the NBA, the main thing is starpower and good games in a competitive sense.
Secondly the rules seem clear to me. There is a built in subjetive evalation of each shot. It has to be an attempt at scoring, otherwise its a pass to himself, blow the whistle, call a travel, tell him to start playing the game like a man and get on with it.
Sura’s stunt shouldnt count. I dont blame him, it was just a bad descision, I am sure he wouldnt do it again if he had the time to think about it. Ricky Davis was even worse shooting at his own basket. Anyone remember when Jason Richardson bounced the ball of Drew goodens forehead before draining a 3 in the rookiegame last year. That stunt dserves a good asswhupping in any rulebook!
Comment by Peter Broen -
In my opinion they should let Bobby Sura have his triple double. Doesn’t it make for good ratings? It sure makes me want to watch more NBA. As for Kobe’s pass off the backboard, that kind of stuff is just fun to watch. That is the stuff that sets the league apart from college and high school ball, because the athelets can do it. Good point Mark about the consistency part. The league needs to pull their heads out and decide one way to run things and leave it at that.
Comment by Dave -
I believe the problem, re: Kobe, is that if a field goal attempt must be bona fide, then Kobe’s bounce on the backboard wasn’t a field goal attempt (because he was clearly setting himself up, not trying to make the shot). If it wasn’t a field goal attempt, it presumably was a self-pass, which is a no-no.
Comment by Craig -
Kobe wasn’t credited with BOTH a rebound and a field goal for his pass to himself. Sura shouldn’t get a triple double for missing on purpose and collecting his own rebound. There is not hypocracy nor is there any reason for a rule change.
Comment by Aaron Kahn -
“A player who attempts a field goal may not be the first to touch the ball if it fails to touch the backboard, basket ring or another player.”
but then, if kobe’s action was a shot off the backboard, isnt that legal? the rule says he cant touch it if it doesnt touch the backboard or basket ring. but it did touch the backboard. so whats the problem? i dont see it mark.
Comment by MG -
Mark, I gotta say I disagree with you on this one, worry about your team and not what Kobe is doing. I agree with most things you say especially when it comes to the business aspects of the NBA and the lack of continuity among refs, but throwing it off the backboard to oneself has never been disallowed before, I admire your defense of Sura but don’t drag Kobe in to this. On a side note, I am currently a Sport Management major in college, and wondered if one you had any advice and two what you thought of the MLS and Freddy Adu. It seems to me that this is the MLS’s big chance to gain a foothold in this country and so far have been unable to fully capitalize on this opportunity, while many full fledged soccer fans can appreciate the finer points of Freddy’s play in his opening game, on a whole, the general public I feel were not impressed. I believe this to be a lack of foresight on the part of the MLS and DC United, as this was one of only 3 games on ABC, I would have thought they would play him more and make certain to get him more involved. I know it is a sport and you want to do the best thing possible for your team, but this was the first opportunity to make a real impact in the market with quite possibly America’s most marketable soccer player. I found that many people were not even aware of his first game, I contrast this with the overwhelming effort of the Cavaliers to make Lebron the center of attention, by even trading away Ricky Davis to clear the way for Lebron’s stardom. Freddy has all the characteristics and talent to be the next big American sport star but until he is able to get a big event that garners national attention and intrigue, I am afraid he will simple go unnoticed by the general public. How do you think MLS has done?
Thank you for your time
Comment by Sam -
I totally agree with you Mark on this and I am happy to know that you voice the opinions that can be heard. THank you!!! It was very petty of the NBA to take Sura’s 3-2 away. Interesting how they decided to pick on Sura, and don’t chose someone that makes millions for them.
If the NBA wants to be fair, they need to go back to for example some Pistons’ games this year, when James Capers made 3 or 4 game losing WRONG calls for Pistons. Why don’t they review that and change the teams Win-Losses, if they want to preserve the intergrity. I am sure there were other games like that for other teams.
and again, thank you Mark for trying to do something about all this mess.
Comment by Anastasia Bakhareva -
Take the Diesel for example. I do not understand how ANYONE doesn’t see that he commits more off. fouls then anyone in the history of the game. The guy cheats. Plain and simple. Don’t give me all that crap about the abuse he takes in the paint and his unmatched size….hooey. The guy plays football out there.
Comment by wow powerleveling -
Did any of you realize that he was thrown the ball right after the Nets just scored? Do any of you also realize that half of the Nets team was already at the bench while the other half were making their way toward the bench? There was 4 seconds left, it was obviously not premeditated because Sura was shocked to recieve a full-court pass from Michael Bradley.
Comment by runescape money -
I’m a little late to the party, but…
<<Remember the game last week where Kobe, stopped by his defender with nowhere to go, threw the ball off the backboard to himself and dunked the ball. Is this a legal move or not?>>
Yes, it is a legal move.
<<If Sura’s shot wasn’t a field goal attempt, then Kobe’s certainly wasn’t either. We can’t have it both ways.>>
It wasn’t a field goal attempt.
<<If Kobe’s pass to himself was just that, are we now allowing players to pass the ball to themselves by bouncing the ball off the backboard?>>
Yes. That has always been allowed.
<<Isn’t that a travel?>>
No.
<<Or can everyone pass the ball to themselves at anytime now?>>
There are some ways in which a player can legally “pass” to himself. One is if the ball hits the backboard or rim, as was the case here. Another is if the ball hits another player; a common example of this is a player inbounding the ball on the baseline inbounding it to himself off the back of an inattentive defender. (You don’t see that now as often as you used to. Defenses have become more alert about it.)
<<And just how was Kobe credited on that play? A shot? A rebound? An assist to himself?>>
Kobe was credited with one FGM on one FGA. There was no missed shot, no rebound, and no assist.
<<If the NBA cares about enforcing the rules, then enforce the rules across the board. People wonder why there is a perception about a star system. Not a peep about Kobe, and a press release about Sura.>>
This has nothing to do with a star system. It has to do with the rules. A number of years ago, the NBA deprived Hakeem Olajuwon of a quadruple-double under similar circumstances. (March 3, 1990, Rockets@Warriors. Olajuwon did end up getting a quadruple-double in another gave a few weeks later.)
<<There had to be something personal going on somewhere.>>
Oh, please. Some people always see conspiracies wherever they don’t like something.
What was apparently an historically-significant accomplishment — back-to-back-to-back triple-doubles — actually resulted from a statistician’s error, and the NBA corrected it. That’s all. Nothing more.
<<Hopefully someone in the NBA will do the right thing and say that passing to oneself off the backboard is not a legitimate field goal attempt, and hence traveling.>>
It’s neither a field goal attempt nor traveling.
<<One or the other will replace what I see right now. Hypocrisy. I hate hypocrisy.>>
I hate ignorance. Mark Cuban evidently revels in it.
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Comment by cntexcel -
Passing to yourself is not a violation if….the player receives the pass while they are in the air. No part of the player can not be on touching the court. So if a player throws the ball off the back board (no rim) jumps in the air, catches and shoots, it does not violate NBA rules, as long as he does not land with the ball. So the key is the way the one man pass, catch and shot is executed.
Comment by All World -
Kobe wasn’t the first to do that move although he may have been the first to do it in a regular season game. T-Mac’s done it twice (atleast) in All-Star games. When he did it the first time I made the same complaint that it’s passing to himself.
Now I find playing pickup games, guys doing the same thing all the time, citing T-Mac getting away with it.
Just because Pippen pushed off every time he took a shot, Stockton snuck an elbow into every screen, players take 4 steps on break away dunks, Francis and Marbury palm the ball repeatedly, etc doesn’t make it a legal move.
Hey if the refs let players get away with it and it gives a player an advantage they might as well exploit it.
Comment by Vikas Kewalramani -
Regarding the comment that Sura was just doing ‘what everyone else would do’. B.S. Remember the kid in the highschool football game that gave up his *record* because his coach had calluded with the opposing coach to allow the record to be reached. He contacted the governing body and asked for the record to be striken. I would argue that many people would rather ‘earn’ two consecutive (non-record) triple doubles than get into the books on a ‘fake’ one. Sura was doing it for fun on the spur of the moment and I don’t condemn him for it, but I do agree with the N.B.A. for taking it away: precisely because people shouldn’t be encouraged that it’s the right way to play the game. Players are too stat happy as it is. We may not be able to stop all of the ‘padding’ that goes on (and here you and your owner bretheren..along with agents) have some culpability Mark because salaries are structured based in large part on STATS) but if the league doesn’t take a stand somewhere the game will become meaningless in the face of the ‘entertainment’.
Comment by Mike -
I totally agree with Mark Cuban about that Kobe-Webber pass to themselves…
What really worries me is that if even Stu Jackson said it was a traveling violation not called during the games (Lakers & Dallas
respectively) how come Kobe’s play is now showing on the NBA.com Sprite Courtside countdown of the week???? and it really calls my attention that the title for that video is: “Kobe Bryant uses the glass to give himself and assist”.
So it means Kobe got 2 points and 1 assist at the same time???!!!! It’s really confusing me!!
I would like you people to check on that and help me out on this …!!!
Thank a Lot!!!
Comment by Mark -
Hasn’t T-Mac passed it to himself numerous times off the backboard for dunks? If controversy didn’t arise in those situations I dont’ see why Kobe is gettings o much heat.
Comment by sam -
OK, you recieve the inbounds pass right under the basket with 4 seconds left. NONE of your opponents are making any semblance of and attempt to guard you in anyway. You are one rebound shy of your 3rd consecutive triple double. And morals stop you and you simply run the clock out and hand the ball to the officials. Let’s not be naive, there isn’t a one of you that wouldn’t do the same thing.
I was at the game, everyone else here witnessed this clip on Sportscenter where you only saw Sura throw the ball towards the backboard as he grabs the rebound. Did any of you realize that he was thrown the ball right after the Nets just scored? Do any of you also realize that half of the Nets team was already at the bench while the other half were making their way toward the bench? There was 4 seconds left, it was obviously not premeditated because Sura was shocked to recieve a full-court pass from Michael Bradley. Stop blasting Sura for “padding his stats”, look at the game film if you want and you will see that Mamadu N’Diaye actually stole at least 2 rebounds from Bob, he wasn’t credited for these near rebounds. The NBA should be ashamed of making Bob look like public enemy #1, if ANY of you had enough motive to look at the whole game before commenting (the NBA included) then this would have been a non-issue, besides the fact that Bob Sura truely shows that hard-work pays off, but I guess the NBA doesn’t want to reward those players that DO play hard every game, no matter what the situation. Bob Sura, I salute you for playing hard every game this season for the Hawks and hope to see you back at Philips Arena for the Hawks next year.
Comment by Bob Dinterman -
The powers-that-be were correct regarding both Sura and Bryant.
They were correct about Sura because you don’t want to encourage people to throw off the backboard to themselves just to pad their stats. Imagine if a player undefended takes the ball to their goal on a fast break. No defender follows because there’s no way to reach the shooter in time. So the shooter simply throws the ball off the backboard to himself over and over again until finally someone gets over there to defend. In the meantime, the shooter already has 10 rebounds. These rebounds require no skill or effort. Is that behavior what we want to encourage?
In contrast, Kobe wasn’t trying to pad his statistics….he did it to elude a doubleteam and score a point. What he did required a lot of skill and effort to do. Is that behavior we want to encourage? Yes! We see it happen legally all the time (and it is even encouraged) in slamdunk contests and All-Star games.
What Kobe did was good for the game. What Sura did was not.
Comment by Eric Tsuchida -