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Can you take a shot in 0.3 seconds? What is the Trent Tucker Rule and is it fair?

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In sport, timing can be everything, and that is especially true in basketball, when a Game can come down to just fractions of a second. But how low can that clock run at the end of a tight contest and can you actually catch and shoot a basketball in just one tenth of a second, for example? No, is the simple answer.

Trent Tucker, a former New York Knicks guard, would argue that it can be done, and that is where the rule originates. During a 1990 game against the Chicago Bulls, Tucker scored a miraculous three-pointer with just 0.1 seconds left, handing the Knicks a surprising victory over the Bulls. The Chicago team, led by Coach Phil Jackson, wasn’t thrilled, and the controversy that followed led to what’s now known as the “Trent Tucker Rule.”

On Wednesday night, Paolo Banchero – who was recently setting new standards – hit a split-second three to equalise, but it wasn’t to be, as the Bulls won 102-99.

What does the Trent Tucker rule actually say?

The rule essentially states that with less than 0.3 seconds on the clock, a player can’t perform a catch-and-shoot; only a tip-in or high lob counts as a valid shot.

According to the NBA, the rule was implemented to ensure fairness and accuracy, given the limits of human reaction time and the clock’s precision. So, if there are only 0.1 or 0.2 seconds left, players hoping to score must rely on a quick deflection rather than an actual shot attempt.

Here’s the official text:

NO LESS THAN :00.3 must expire on the game clock and shot clock when a ball is thrown inbounds and then hit instantly out-of-bounds. If under :00.3 expires in such a situation, the timer will be instructed to deduct AT LEAST :00.3 from the game clock and shot clock. If, in the judgment of the official, the play took longer than :00.3, he will instruct the timer to deduct more time. If under :00.3 remain on the game clock when this situation occurs, the period is over. If under 0.3 remain on the shot clock when this situation occurs, a shot clock violation is called.

Is the Trent Tucker Rule fair?

To most players, coaches, and fans, the rule feels like common sense: anything less than 0.3 seconds is simply too short to pull off a full shot.

But like many rules in Sports, it has its critics who argue that it limits last-second drama and takes away a skillful player’s chance to pull off a buzzer-beating miracle. Still, it’s fair to say the Trent Tucker Rule keeps basketball’s final seconds more predictable, even if it may have dulled the edge on those rare, Game-winning shots.

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