Sadly I've been thinking about this quite a lot lately and one thing I will say for an own-goal in NBA is that, they do tend to have this tantalising quality; I guess due to the fact that they are pretty much always the result of some kind of mis-timed short pass and as a result they tend to involve the ball moving very slowly and inexorably towards the target and more often than not they kinda bobble around the rim, often for what seems like ages, especially for the guilty party no doubt - he's rooted to the floor but in his mind he's going "Surely I can just make it to... oh no it's just too far away." Basically yer standard basketball own-goal comes with a special extra built in slice of agonising cruelty, which I think we can all agree really ought to be part of the own-goal experience.
Then again, in basketball the teams normally average, what, a thousand points each per game I think, so one own goal like that is not really that significant for the result. They should change it so that an own goal gives the other side 10 points or something, to make it more like the devastating psychological blow to the guilty party which we all know it should be.
Or, has anyone ever made own goals significant to the final score by knocking in four or five in one game? I think there was a game in women's football in which someone had amongst the most incredible performances I've ever heard of, I forget the precise details but I think she scored three own goals and was booked or even sent off. Magnificent. And a real blow who insist that women's football is way behind men's.
But in basketball, correct me if I'm wrong, you will never get the equivalent of this cos there is almost no reason for someone to chuck the ball at their own basket when they are so far down the field. Or maybe you can find me one like it, in which case I would love to see it.
Edit; the Lee Dixon own-goal earlier in the thread is still a classic to me cos I think that that was before the backpass rule was introduced. Nowadays if a defender passes back to the keeper he cannot use his arms, he has to use his feet and the rest of his body like an outfield player - which obviously means that the chance of a great own goal has increased. But when Dixon chipped Seaman (an international goalkeeper as well) he was able to use his arms and save it (or not as it happened) like any other shot.
