Phoenix Suns Use Rule Few Know to Slam Memphis As Time Expires
A little-known rule that accompanied a play set up by an interim head coach helped lift the Phoenix Suns to victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday night.
Phoenix defeated Memphis 99-97 thanks to Suns big men Tyson Chandler and Dragan Bender connecting on an alley-oop from an out-of-bounds pass that gave the Suns the winning margin of 2-points in the game’s last second of play.
Bender stood out-of-bounds halfway between the baseline and half court line and delivered a perfect pass to the leaping Chandler, who threw down a dunk that rattled the rim over Memphis’ Brandan Wright with only 0.4 second remaining.
Following the game, Chandler told reporters that his only job was to punch the ball through the rim. Chandler game-winning basket gave him seven points on the night to go along with six rebounds. Chandler added that he caught the ball over the imaginary cylinder because he was aware by rule, no goaltending would be called.
However, officials reviewed the play, as for some in the crowd and on the court Chandler committed goaltending to slam the ball through the basket. However, the rule in that situation is that goaltending does not exist.
Jay Triano the interim coach of the Suns said that he has been creating a play in which you can score with only three-tenths of a second, and thought Tuesday’s game was a good opportunity to try it.
Triano said he knew about the little-known rule that there is no goaltending a ball that is not going to count, so he told is guys to aim the ball at the hoop and Chandler will just have to touch it on its way down.
The Suns coach askes officials when they give clinics to coaches about different rules and he asked them 15 years ago about this rule while he was coaching in Toronto and the officials told him there is no goaltending in that situation. Since then, he has attempted to keep that secret, but now the secret is out of the hat.
Phoenix guard Devin Booker said that he was not aware that rule existed and the team went over the play in practice one day and he though his coach was crazy. Booker led the Suns with 32 points on the night in the first game he has played since sitting out three weeks with an injury.
Booker thought the rule was an international one, but his coach looked the rule up and said if you shoot the ball while out of bounds and if it is going in, your teammate is allowed to touch it.
The win on Tuesday gave the Suns interim coach his 100th career win as an NBA head coach. He won 87 games while coaching the Raptors between 2008 and 2011 and has won 13 since he took the reins from Earl Watson, who the Suns fired after only three games had been played this season.
