Teams now can play any defense they choose. Defenders standing in the foul lane, however, must be within arm's reach of the player they are guarding.

A special committee appointed by NBA commissioner David Stern also voted in two other changes. The time allowed to advance the ball beyond midcourt was reduced from 10 seconds to 8, and the hand-checking rules were relaxed. Defenders now can touch ballhandlers as long as they don't impede their progress.