The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27.
Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.
Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.
Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Brian Windhorst) reports: As LeBron James has matured, part out of necessity and part out of pride, he’s serious about preparing and maintaining his body for the rigors of an NBA season. That includes a wide range of measures from diet and recovery techniques to the Vajrasana, Virasana and the particularly stunning Salamba Sarvangasana. They are yoga poses, and they are also an essential part of James’ routine every week. “Yoga isn’t just about the body, it’s also about the mind, and it’s a technique that has really helped me,” James said. “You do have to focus because there’s some positions that can really hurt you at times if you aren’t focused and breathing right.” From the “thunderbolt pose” to the “hero pose” to even “downward facing dog,” James has become a devout believer in the benefits of yoga. He and Cavs assistant athletic trainer Mike Mancias have been developing a regimen over the past two years.
The Akron Beacon Journal (Marla Ridenour) reports: With his fifth point of the game, the first of two made free throws this afternoon in a 102-96 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, Zydrunas Ilgauskas became the fourth player in Cavs history to score 10,000 points. A 10-year veteran from Lithuania whose career almost ended before it began because of fractures in both feet, Ilgauskas joined LeBron James, Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty in that exclusive club. During the next timeout, the Cavs saluted Ilgauskas and the sellout crowd of 20,562, which included Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, rose to its feet. Ilgauskas stepped onto the court at Quicken Loans Arena and raised his index finger, perhaps to salute back.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Wally Szczerbiak experienced a left knee sprain (MCL) during the third quarter of the Cavaliers game last night at The Q in Cleveland vs. Orlando.