Late fouling in NBA

Doug · Jan 17, 2005

You are an NBA team, down say 8 points with a minute to go. Do you ever win the game by fouling ? I'm uncertain if I've EVER seen it work. I can't recall a recent example. I'd rather see steal attempts, than grabby fouls. I say don't just foul, only foul attemting a steal.

If you're down 5 with 18 seconds left, don't foul, STEAL ! So what if clock runs out, you weren't going to win the game anyway.

sherman · Jan 17, 2005

i'm with ya there doug

IDENTITY · Jan 17, 2005

you havent watched enough basketball game if you havent seen the foul/3 pointer strategy prevail.

Doug · Jan 17, 2005

It's like being down 3-1 in Hockey, 1 minute left. Let's pull the goalie so we lose 4-1, screwing the under 5 bettors. Has that ever worked ?

t3a · Jan 17, 2005

Did you have Cleveland and the under vs Seattle tonite?

You are right that strategy makes no sense, it is especially bad when they keep fouling and the other teams is making the free throws, but they keep doing it and then suddenly stop as if being down 8 with 10 seconds is insurmountable but being down 8 with 15 seconds isn't

Doug · Jan 17, 2005

IDENTITY said:
you havent watched enough basketball game if you havent seen the foul/3 pointer strategy prevail.

You're right ! I don't watch much. I only watch if it happens to be a TNT game or something, sometimes not even then. Too hard too watch. I haven't punched out the TV set, yet !

I don't like to watch sports, better that way ! I'll watch baseball, other sports are tough. I'll watch end of halves, games, but I don't cap by viewing.

I learn to shy away from H2 under in NBA most times. Never take action points and under ! Look to quarter bets.

Doug · Jan 17, 2005

t3fa said:
Did you have Cleveland and the under vs Seattle tonite?

You are right that strategy makes no sense, it is especially bad when they keep fouling and the other teams is making the free throws, but they keep doing it and then suddenly stop as if being down 8 with 10 seconds is insurmountable but being down 8 with 15 seconds isn't

Not really ! I bet Sea -6 with real money. I picked in BCN contest Sea -6.5, and took under 197, but that was only betting into a stale contest line, not a real bet, just a line play for contest.

I took H2 over 96.5 for real. I rather pass than play under in NBA. I don't bet many unders, still bite on one occasionally, but not my best sub-set.

picasso · Jan 17, 2005

For one of the more miraculous comebacks this season, take a look at:

http://scores.nba.com/games/20041209/SASHOU/PlayByPlayPrint.html

quantumleap · Jan 17, 2005

DougJ said:
You are an NBA team, down say 8 points with a minute to go. Do you ever win the game by fouling ? I'm uncertain if I've EVER seen it work. I can't recall a recent example. I'd rather see steal attempts, than grabby fouls. I say don't just foul, only foul attemting a steal.

If you're down 5 with 18 seconds left, don't foul, STEAL ! So what if clock runs out, you weren't going to win the game anyway.

The alternative would be to let the other team run the 24-second clock down. Not much of a chance with steal attempts. No chance letting the other team run the clock down. The best chance is to have the other team miss free throws and to have your team hit 3-pointers.

Doug · Jan 17, 2005

QL : I'm sure that's correct, but sure is boring. That's why I hate unders in NBA. They go too far though. Down 12 with 28 secs, still foul !

DarrylParsons · Jan 17, 2005

I think the rules of any sport should be that a team cannot possibly get any sort of advantage by committing a foul or penalty intentionally.

NBA rules IMO should be changed so that the fouled team could decline a foul call just like in the NFL. In this case the play would just resume as if the foul had not been called. Or alternatively if the ref decides that the foul was deliberately caused in order to gain a possible advantage he could call an additional delay of game team foul and give 4 free throws instead of 2. Either way the late fouling would stop. The purpose a foul rule is to deter players from fouling. When the disincentive becomes an incentive, the whole purpose is defeated IMO.

jjgold · Jan 17, 2005

some let clock run out and some don't

depends on coach and player

WorldNumberOne · Jan 17, 2005

it outta be once a team gets to 10 fouls the other team get free throws and the ball out of bounds.

that would be the end of the last minute of the game lasting 20 minutes.

i do think though that fouls 5,6,7,8,9 if they are not shooting fouls should only be with the other team shooting the one and one.

and another thing i hate is all the timeouts so a team can advance the ball to half court. get rid of that stupid rule.

D2bets · Jan 17, 2005

Ask Tracy McGrady if fouling (and stealing) can work. They started fouling down 8 with like 40 seconds left and traded 3 for 1 until they stole the ball and hit a 3 for the win. It's fine to go for the steal initially and agressively and then foul. But you might as well be attempting a steal on a foul like that.

DarrylParsons · Jan 17, 2005

The steal idea sounds good in theory but what's to stop them from just passing the ball around to run down the shot clock!? There could always be someone open and he could pass well before a successful steal could be made. After all, he's no dummy and knows what the other team wants to do. The way they actually do it looks like the best strategy to me (given the current rules which should be changed IMO)

mj23 · Jan 17, 2005

I guess it depends on who they bet!!

jjgold · Jan 17, 2005

McGrady is a mental retard in real life, I think he actually might be disabled and not making fun but he has to be the dumbest guy I have ever heard talk and it reflects with stupid fouls

D2bets · Jan 17, 2005

jjgold said:
McGrady is a mental retard in real life, I think he actually might be disabled and not making fun but he has to be the dumbest guy I have ever heard talk and it reflects with stupid fouls

I'm really not sure about that one way or the other but he sure went on a 'stupid' run when he scored 15 points in the final 40 seconds to beat SA earlier this year.

TheGeneral+ · Jan 17, 2005

Depends on the need of the scam ref involved. Often they let blatent stuff go so to help out The ATS result. a whistle here and a whistle there, or the lack of is a powerful thing in hoops.

D2bets · Jan 17, 2005

Can't remember the teams involved (probably because I tried to block out the memory), but I had a +7.5 this year...the dog was down 6 with 2.3 seconds left after making a free throw. The leading team CALLED A TIMEOUT after the FT, inbounded the ball and was immediately fouled by the team down 6, naturally hit both FT's and lost by 8.

Now that was some, shall I say "interesting", late fouling.