Crusty
Living Legend
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I agree with your "agree to disagree" mentality--that's what makes this board awesome. I respect you for your attitude on that.
That said, the explanation is not accurate. Much like block/charge calls, players can be moving in the Rule of Verticality and still establish defensive position. People often mistake the idea that a player has to be in a fixed position to draw an offensive foul, but that is not the case. The same is true here (though there would be no offensive foul here).
A player can establish position for blocking a basketball without having to be in a fixed standing position directly facing a player before going into the air. If not, 80%+ of blocks in basketball would end up a defensive foul. The question is really about who initiates contact within "the phone booth" of space.
If a referee cannot clearly establish this, he can't call a foul in this spot.
I respect if your eyes tell you it was Christmas that initiated that contact. My eyes tell me it was Hood's momentum carrying toward the basket that did.
Cheers to you for the discussion, though.
That's how I saw it. The ball was blocked and Hood's momentum created the contact. However, I don't believe that Christmas was entitled to any verticality. He never established position - not even close. What I do think is important is that the shot was altered by the block and the secondary contact was incidental. That is why I think it was a good no call if that makes sense.