Bad Bounce

An irregular rebound of the ball off the playing surface. The complaint about getting a bad bounce might well have simply been listed in the section on alibis, but it is true that bad bounces often abound on any soft surface type of court, and even occasionally on hard surface ones. A shot that hits a line, particularly if the line is tape, is prone to skid, and any surface irregularity is likely to occasion a bad bounce. The consolation is that bad bounces pretty well even out over the long haul, but that's scant consolation over the short haul if a bad bounce loses you a critical game.