[vladic]

Hi .. I'm Vlad's cousin. .. Vlad posted the other Please Answer thread but I'm afraid, looking at, that it may not be understandable because his written English isn't very good. ... (He's from Russia and is staying with me in New York while he goes to grad school.) ... He knows everything there is to know about basketball in Russia but had never seen an NBA game before we took him to see the Knicks recently. ... Here's his question (I can't answer it because I don't know anything about basketball): He tells me that he wants to know why, at MSG and elsewhere in the NBA, there are TWO parallel lines along each edge of the lane, running from the foul line to the baseline. ... On each side of the lane, there's one line on the outside edge of the paint, and another, parallel line just inside it. ... He says they don't have this in Russia. ... There's probably a simple explanation. ...

[EmpireWF]

Could you point it out better through this pic?

[vladic]

Yes, thank you ... Look at the two long rectangles running from the free throw line to the baseline. ... The OUTSIDE edges of the rectangles are the outside edges of the lane. ... He wants to know about the INSIDE edge of each rectangle. ... The two lines he is referring two are the INSIDE lines of the two rectangles, running from the free throw line to the baseline. ... Why are those lines there? .. you see?

[EmpireWF]

If I understand what you're pointing out, that's the paint.

[azrael492]

Originally Posted by vladic

Yes, thank you ... Look at the two long rectangles running from the free throw line to the baseline. ... The OUTSIDE edges of the rectangles are the outside edges of the lane. ... He wants to know about the INSIDE edge of each rectangle. ... The two lines he is referring two are the INSIDE lines of the two rectangles, running from the free throw line to the baseline. ... Why are those lines there? .. you see?

Are you referring to the inside lines that are 14" apart. If you are, that is where the players are standing when they shoot free throws. They have to stay behind the line until the ball is released by the shooter.

[ThePundit]

Azrael is right. The reason for the "inside" line is where the players stand when free throws are being shot. The entire "paint" is the entire orange shading. Players cannot stand in there for more than 3 seconds.

[EmpireWF]

Why does it have to be Kobe in MSG's paint? huh?

damn do they suck.