Rules Say Nate Robinson's Shot at Wrong Basket Wouldn't Have Counted

During Sunday's game against the Nets, the Knicks' Nate Robinson fired a shot at the wrong basket, just after the first quarter buzzer had sounded. This infuriated his coach, Mike D'Antoni, because ... well, you never know, right? What if the shot had been released a split second before the buzzer, or the referees saw it that way, and decided to count the basket?

As it turns out, D'Antoni had nothing to worry about. Because according to the NBA rulebook, a player can't intentionally score a basket for the opposing team.

According to Rule 5, Section 1E, a player can't score for the other team if it is an intentional shot. It counts as only a turnover.

"It is a violation for a player to attempt a field goal at an opponent's basket," the rule states. "The opposing team would be awarded the ball."

D'Antoni did not know the rule and it's unclear if it has ever happened in an NBA game, spokesman Tim Frank said.

For what it's worth, D'Antoni said at the time he didn't care that the basket didn't count, and told Robinson not to "mess with the game." And a day later, when told about the rule, he wasn't backing off of that stance. But at least now the coach can take a little comfort in the fact that if one of his players does decide to do something like this in the future, all that will happen is a change of possession.