It's 100% legal and just good Defense. What you can't do is wave your hand in a distracting manner though. The reason it's legal is because a good offensive player can exploit it. If someone is always putting a hand in your face - you know they aren't going to go for the shot block so you can shot with a lot less space. And if you get that close normally you should be able to drive past them. Anyway, Kobe should be good enough that a hand in the face shouldn't bother him.
That's just stupid. How often do you hear that you're suppose put a hand in the shooter's face. Battier has been doing that for years, and all this time it's illegal? I don't know what Rosen was thinking writing that, but it certainly hurts his credibility as an expert on the NBA game. He's probably just repeating something his idol Phil Jackson said.
http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_12.html?nav=ArticleList "Eye guarding (placing a hand in front of the opponent's eyes when guard-ing from the rear) a player who does not have possession of the ball is illegal and an unsportsmanlike technical shall be assessed."
I thought it was illegal because of the college rule myself. I can see it being against the rules one day, like how they took away the arm barring as a defensive tactic. If a star player like Kobe gets fingers lodged in his eye while doing it they'll especially look at it closer...] ...but today oooooooh well
You know what...I don't have the sarcasm this late in the day to come up with a witty response so this is it: Rosen you suck, shut up. Face guarding? Are you serious? This isn't a little league girl's basketball summer camp you cupcake this is the NB freaking A. Face guarding illegal...bunch of pansies.
Some one needs to call him out, Im interested to see how a basketball writer could get a basic defensive tool everyone has been taught since grade school and call it illegal.
Negative. Here's what the rule says: Eye guarding (placing a hand in front of the opponent’s eyes when guarding from the rear) a player who does not have possession of the ball is illegal and an unsportsmanlike technical shall be assessed.
still don't see how that can be considered taunting... "If a player blatantly taunts an opponent, a technical foul shall be assessed. The opponent WILL NOT, automatically, be assessed a technical foul. His behavior will be the determining factor." http://http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_p.html?nav=ArticleList
I just think that's smart play by Battier. I mean, what would the NBA rather have? A defender putting a hand in the face of a shooter or <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QOTnU2VaS_s&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QOTnU2VaS_s&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> I don't think that's a tough call at all to make
