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Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 13, 2001
NEW YORK -- Calling it the most significant rules change since the advent of the 24-second shot clock in 1954, the NBA has abolished its 54-year-old illegal defense rule, allowing teams to play a modified version of a zone.
A package of four rules changes aimed at speeding up games was adopted Thursday. The rules will be implemented during summer leagues and in full force for the 2001-02 season.
"We're going to allow something to take place that we spent many years hiding from: zone defenses," said Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, who chaired the committee on the changes.
To prevent teams from playing true zones, the package includes a three-second defensive rule, which prohibits any defender from staying in the lane without closely guarding an offensive player. Other changes: reducing the time to advance the ball past half court to 8 seconds from 10 and eliminating touch fouls.
"The game has evolved," Colangelo said. "We lost a lot of fluidity when we evolved into this isolation game with defensive guidelines. We weren't satisfied with what the game looked like."
The Dallas Morning News reported 22 of 29 team owners voted yes to the zone change.
"Nobody can tell you exactly what will happen here," NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. "But, much as the no-zone (rule) is identified with the NBA, in this day and age you can't adopt a position that we're never going to change something."
The rule's many high-profile detractors worry zones will stifle the individual flair of the most marketable stars and reduce the game to a procession of jump shots. Michael Jordan has been among the most vocal protesters, saying he could never have achieved as much had zones been allowed.