Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Why Carmelo Anthony Wasn't Called for a Clear Path Foul Against Trevor Ariza


I know this is a bit late, but there has been a lot of buzz about Game 3 of the Lakers-Nuggets series. The call in question was when Trevor Ariza was fouled by Carmelo Anthony and there wasn't a clear path foul called. Lakers fans were angry and confused about the rule as it would have give the Lakers two free throws and the ball.

It was the right call.

First off, Trevor Ariza never stole the ball. Yeah, he was about to steal it but it never was officially a steal. He tapped the ball ahead and was probably the only one who was going to gain possession ... but he hadn't when the foul was called.

Secondly, because of that it was deemed a loose ball foul. Loose ball fouls are pretty self explainatory since they happen when the ball is loose.

Third of all, if you really believe that Ariza stole the ball and all that ... he didn't gain possession in the backcourt. They don't call clear path fouls when the possession changes in the frontcourt.

While there have been plenty of bad calls during these playoffs, this wasn't one of them.

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