On Saturday night, the game between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons was also decided by a basket by Paul Banchero in the finale. The Italian-American’s 2 points brought the Magic to +3 and effectively handed the team the victory. However, there was controversy in the postgame over an alleged pass violation that seemed clear to so many fans.
In his Last 2 Minutes Report, however, the NBA has specified that Banchero’s move, apparently a double step-back if we want to call it anything, is perfectly legal.
“Banchero collects the ball by pointing his left foot and arrives in a shooting stance, which allows him to swipe his right foot, using his left as his pivot. The left remains his pivot foot until the shooting motion.” reads the Report.
A few hours earlier a user on X had explained with a video why Paul Banchero’s are not steps. The clip may be useful for better understanding.
SOUND ON!!! What really happened on the Paolo game winner! 👀🤔 #TheMDWWay #Attention2Detail🔎 pic.twitter.com/DVC3NTRdkI
– Milton Chavis (@mdwbasketball) February 25, 2024
Who knows if these explanations will be enough for the many fans who have cried referee error in the past few hours. In the game against Detroit, Banchero shot only 5/17 from the field, including, however, the game-winner: the Orlando star was not in good shape and was living with the flu while on the floor. Therefore, tonight against Atlanta, Banchero was not available to Coach Mosley.
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
