Jason Richardson Entered A Game In The Middle Of A Play Last Night And Got Away With It

The Magic scored just 56 points and made only 16 field goals in their blowout loss to the Celtics, who were without Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. But that might not have been the worst of it for Orlando: At one point here in the third quarter, they had just four players on the court during a defensive possession, at least until Jason Richardson figured it out, ran onto the floor during play, and knocked the ball out of Greg Stiemsma's hands. The officials never stopped the action with a whistle, however, because Richardson was technically still in the game.

NBA rules require that five players be eligible to play at all times. But those on the bench must report to the scorer's table to check in, after which they can enter the game during the next stoppage of play. Just before the clip you see above, there had been another stoppage during which Richardson took a seat because he thought J.J. Redick checked in for him. Problem was, Redick had not gone to the scorer's table, so he was forced to wait until the next whistle. Which meant Richardson was still considered to be in the game, even as he took a seat on the bench. Somehow, no one on the Magic noticed until the next play began.

[ Huffington Post]