An attempt to dispel one perceived grievance

[Biff]

All too often attempts like this backfire and go down a rabbit hole but I will try.

The hard block on Danger's breakaway attempted layup sure looked like a foul when I watched the game. Sure looked to me that Crystal's forehead got "thwapped" (I stole that term from Batman) by Thigpen's upper arm. Since we have well over a week until more game action there's plenty of time to look back so I did.

I've provided a reply of the two angles shown during the game. First the real time angle from upper court-side followed by the much closer replay slow motion shot from under the basket. I followed those views up with slow motion versions of both angles.

In real time watching the game, it was the under the basket angle that had me believing with some confidence that Crystal took a good blow to the head during the block. But, when you combine that angle with a slow motion view from the sideline, my opinion swung from being convinced she was fouled hard to now believing that the block was clean.

The key here is that from the baseline, it appears that as Thigpen's arm swipes by Crystal's head her head jerks back in reaction to the arm contact with her forehead. But, when you look at the slow motion of the side view, one can see that as a reaction to the force Thigpen places on the ball, Crystal's body twists away from Thigpen and the arm really doesn't come close to Crystal's head.

It may be possible that there was some contact in the mid body area but to me it seems that if there was it was only a brushing inconsequential action.

So, my opinion has been changed and I'm chalking up a good call to the refs on this one.

 

[VAMike23]

Was there a lot of discussion on that one ? The replay during the game definitely showed it was “all Spalding”

 

[MSGRET]

Was there a lot of discussion on that one ? The replay during the game definitely showed it was “all Spalding”

Both Amin and #50 stated it was a good block.

 

[VAMike23]

Both Amin and #50 stated it was a good block.

“She-whose-number-is-now-Exalted-above-all-others” did not lie .....

 

[MilfordHusky]

Watching it live, almost right in front of me, I thought Thigpen hit the arm and/or the body. From that one angle, it does look like contact with the head. From the best angle, it looks like no contact.

 

[Plebe]

Credit where it's due. That was a *spectacular* block and it doesn't get any cleaner than that.

Sometimes, when a player is blocked clean with the ball still in her hand, it causes her body to move in a way that in real time gives the illusion that she must have been fouled.

Thigpen might be UCF's most athletic player. Not a great scorer like Wright, but great athlete.

 

[vtcwbuff]

When it happened live I thought Dangerfield was fouled. They replayed the shot in the arena and it was obvious that it was a good block.

 

[terif831]

Yup, their best play of the game, for sure. I'm glad the refs got it right, even if I didn't (in real time). Thigpen deserves credit for that one!

 

[SVCBeercats]

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The slow motion video convinced me that Thigpen's upper arm in fact did impact Dangerfield's head after she made solid contact with the ball. Dangerfield's head move in the opposition direction from her body as Thigpen's upper arm drags across Dangerfield's head. If she were twisting to avoid the block it would have occurred earlier in the action. Thigpen fouled Dangerfield. Thank you for providing the confirming evidence.

 

[Bama fan]

The slow motion video convinced me that Thigpen's upper arm in fact did impact Dangerfield's head after she made solid contact with the ball. Dangerfield's head move in the opposition direction from her body as Thigpen's upper arm drags across Dangerfield's head. If she were twisting to avoid the block it would have occurred earlier in the action. Thigpen fouled Dangerfield. Thank you for providing the confirming evidence.

If the ref saw it the way you did, that the contact with Dangerfield occurred after solid contact with the ball, the decision could be that it was incidental contact. I am not agreeing or disagreeing with the call. I was not seeing it in real time. But the ref could legitimately call no harm , no foul by the rules. IMO, it would not have been a blatantly poor call under those assumptions.

 

[Plebe]

The slow motion video convinced me that Thigpen's upper arm in fact did impact Dangerfield's head after she made solid contact with the ball. Dangerfield's head move in the opposition direction from her body as Thigpen's upper arm drags across Dangerfield's head. If she were twisting to avoid the block it would have occurred earlier in the action. Thigpen fouled Dangerfield. Thank you for providing the confirming evidence.

From the sideline view it is clear her arm didn't touch Crystal's head. The evidence confirms no foul.

 

[stamfordhusky]

From the sideline view it is clear her arm didn't touch Crystal's head. The evidence confirms no foul.

Yes, clearly no foul.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I have a different question. If the opponent's arm did contact the player's noggin but AFTER the hand was already on the ball, i.e., blocking the shot, is it still a foul? Isn't a block sort of contested possession while both players are legitimately touching the ball at the same time? Isn't there all sorts of permitted contact when players are rasslin' for possession in (what used to be) a jump ball situation?

 

[Ralph]

I was inclined to agree with SVC beercats after viewing the video, her arm and shoulder hit Crystal's head. Then I went back and watched again and realized I had not watched all the way to the end. The second slow motion portion shows her arm and shoulder are about 8 inches behind Crystal's head, she could not have fouled, at least as to that part. But that brings us to the question raised above, once there is a clean block what contact is then allowed. Can the defender crash into the shooter and smash them to the floor? Can they only make "incidental contact", however that is defined? something else. Good lesson here also, sometimes when I am sure I am right, seeing it from another angle changes everything, not just in sports.