I’m not sure if this has a name, so I don’t know what terms to use in a search. Basically, when at the foul line, the player would purposefully miss and attempt to bounce the ball in such a way (either off the rim or the backboard) so a team mate could catch it and either regain posession for another team effort or make a quick put back.
I’ve seen that happen off normal missed free throws but I’m talking about doing it on purpose. In my opinion such a tactic would be pretty cheesy, but is it legal? I’ve never seen it so I’m guessing not, but I want to be sure.
Yes, it’s legal. Occasionally you see it at the very end of a game when the shooting team is down by two or three points and the single free-throw wouldn’t help them. You don’t see it that much because it’s hard to get right.
Yes, intentionally bricking a free throw to secure a rebound is legal. Very risky and not common. The only real use for it would be on the back end of a 1 and 1 or double bonus when trailing by 2 or 3, as it would allow you to tie the game on a basket.
It’s a lot harder to intentionally miss a free throw in order to get a long rebound than it looks. That’s because you have to hit the rim. You just can’t fire the ball off the backboard. That’s a violation.
The shooter is not allowed to cross the line until the ball hits the rim, so if he fires the ball off the backboard, he could easily commit a violation. Even if he doesn’t, he might be depriving his team of a rebounder.
How do the rules apply to players when they “air ball” the free throw? I have seen it happen a few times. I believe that in the cases that I have observed, the opposing team’s player got the ball and the play continued without any violation being called. I wonder if the ref would call a violation if the foul shooting team got the ball?
Since the penalty assessed on that violation is that the opposing team gets the ball out of bounds, they don’t bother if the free throw is an airball. It’s the same affect. If the shooting team recovered it, then it would be called.
If a free throw that would be a live ball doesn’t hit the rim, the refs blow the whistle and give the ball out of bounds to the defense. The defense doesn’t get to run a fast break out of that situation.
Lane violations by the defense are ignored only if the free throw is made.
