I saw this last night and was all "whiskey tango foxtrot just happened?" Stupid local broadcast didn't even bother to show a replay, let alone a slow-mo one.

how is this not obviously goaltending. I think this may be allowed in the international level where once the ball makes contact with the rim, you can interfere with it, but not in NBA or college, otherwise you would do this to every shot.

Wow this is crazy! I had to double check the rules but it looks like it should be a legit block:

Rule for when a shot should be scored:
a. A legal field goal or free throw attempt shall be scored when a live ball from the playing area enters the basket from above and remains in or passes through the net.

As you can see in the video the ball does not pass all the way through the net.

and

What is considered goaltending:
Section I-A Player Shall Not:
a. Touch the ball or the basket ring when the ball is using the basket ring as its lower base.
EXCEPTION: If a player near his own basket has his hand legally in contact with the ball, it is not a violation if his contact with the ball continues after the ball enters the cylinder, or if, in such action, he touches the basket.
b. Touch the ball when it is above the basket ring and within the imaginary cylinder.
c. For goaltending to occur, the ball, in the judgment of the official, must have a chance to score.
d. During a field goal attempt, touch a ball after it has touched any part of the backboard above ring level, whether the ball is considered on its upward or downward flight.
e. During a field goal attempt, touch a ball after it has touched the backboard below the ring level and while the ball is on its upward flight.
f. Trap the ball against the face of the backboard. (To be a trapped ball, three elements must exist simultaneously. The hand, the ball and the backboard must all occur at the same time. A batted ball against the backboard is not a trapped ball.)
g. Touch any live ball from within the playing area that is on its downward flight with an opportunity to touch the basket ring. This is considered to be a "field goal attempt" or trying for a goal.
h. Touch the ball at any time with a hand which is through the basket ring.
i. Vibrate the rim or backboard so as to cause the ball to make an unnatural bounce.

Because the ball is BELOW the ring (eliminating a&b&g) and the defender did not touch it with his hand (eliminating h) and the ball didn't touch the backboard at all (eliminating d-f & g & i) and c is irrelevant because the rest are already excluded.

NEW STRATEGY! tallest player on the team just stands under the basket and heads the ball out whenever it is going in!

Unfortunately, miami might be going all the way this year.....

Haha... HEADline... I get it!

Citation Needed:
g. Touch any live ball from within the playing area that is on its downward flight with an opportunity to touch the basket ring. This is considered to be a "field goal attempt" or trying for a goal.

Because the ball is BELOW the ring (eliminating a&b&g) and the defender did not touch it with his hand (eliminating h) and the ball didn't touch the backboard at all (eliminating d-f & g & i) and c is irrelevant because the rest are already excluded.

How is g eliminated? The ball was clearly on it's downward flight, and could have touched the basket ring. It was goaltending, clearly.

Because People in power are Stupid: Asinine. So why doesn't someone really tall just stand under the net and head butt every basket so that no-one can put a ball through it?

Because the refs would see that and rule it interference?

downstairs: Citation Needed: NEW STRATEGY! tallest player on the team just stands under the basket and heads the ball out whenever it is going in!

Well there's the three-second rule, so he couldn't just stand under the basket. And you'd have to time it perfectly. And you'd be removing that guy from any other sort of possible defense.

3 seconds is for offensive players only

For everyone attempting to prove I'm wrong: my post is just MY interpretation and this is clearly a weird edge case that might require a clarification of the stated rules.

/Doesn't ever watch basketball
//bunch of overpaid prima donnas if you ask me

Can someone confirm whether or not the officials scored it good or not?

Offensive 3 seconds - player in the paint for more than 3 seconds

Defensive 3 seconds - player not guarding another player for more than 3 seconds

cefm: Can someone confirm whether or not the officials scored it good or not?

It looks like it was scored as a "miss"
Link (new window)

(check out 4:33 in the 4th)

I'm guessing the official thought it hit the back of the rim, not the guy's head, which is why they didn't call interference.

Rule #1 of all calls being made in any sport, the ref has to actually see the violation for it to be a violation.

Now I'm not a basketball person so I don't know the specifics of the rules and if this is a replayable situation, but watching it at game speed I thought it went off the back of the rim. It was only at super slowmo(not even regular slowmo) where I saw the 3 frames of video where it was below the rim and 1 frame where it touched the defenders head.

/I'm actually kinda surprised that you aren't allowed to swat rolling balls off the rim, that does explain some of the videos I've seen, though.

cjmook21: downstairs: Citation Needed: NEW STRATEGY! tallest player on the team just stands under the basket and heads the ball out whenever it is going in!

Well there's the three-second rule, so he couldn't just stand under the basket. And you'd have to time it perfectly. And you'd be removing that guy from any other sort of possible defense.

3 seconds is for offensive players only

Not anymore it's not. Rules changed a few years back to allow for zone defense. Now there is a defensive 3 second rule.

I'm surprised it wasn't called as a foul against Henderson.

But for making any type of contact with Lebron, not for goal-tending.

This pic seems appropriate.

I think that goaltending wasn't the issue, but that the ref probably assumed that the ball was bouncing off the rim.

F*ck LeBron James. This cannot be overstated.

Just wanted to add that Lebron can eat a bag of dicks. Not one, not two, not three, not four, but an entire bag.