NBA speeds up play with new rules
Changes designed to increase scoring, decrease stoppages, Tim Bontemps says.
With the NBA’s surge in popularity, a couple of things have been working in the league’s favour.
An influx of young, dynamic stars who captivate the game’s audience through their actions on the court and their personalities off it has been fortunate.
Its progress in heightening the appeal of the product by upping the pace of play and shortening the length of games, though, has been by design. The league instituted several changes last summer, including reducing the number of timeouts, shortening the time between free throws and enforcing 15-minute halftimes.
The NBA took another step last week when its competition committee recommended more changes.
The first proposed change — resetting the shot clock to 14 seconds rather than 24 after an offensive rebound — will lead to more shot attempts and, crucially, more shots in end-of-game situations. Under the old rules, a team could get the ball with under 50 seconds left and, with one offensive rebound, essentially run out the clock. That will no longer be the case.
With the explosion of offence and the proliferation of threepoint shooting in recent seasons, the league has come to understand that more offence equals better basketball and better ratings. The new rules should allow for more possessions and more variability in outcomes.
The same can be said for the other significant rule change: a revision to the definition of the clear path foul, easily the most confusing rule.
By getting rid of language stating that a clear path foul can only happen in the backcourt, and adding “a personal foul is committed on any offensive player during his team’s transition scoring opportunity,” the NBA again is prioritizing scoring above all.
Specifically, the rule change appears to eliminate the euro foul, as it has come to be known. These fouls occur when, as a team is racing up the court on a fast break, a defensive player reaches out and grabs their opponent to stop play. While it has been a smart practice from a tactical standpoint, particularly in a close game when a team is not yet in the penalty, it leads to more stoppages
Clamping down on these fouls will allow for more free-flowing action, which should shorten games by decreasing the amount that are called.
That might not happen immediately, as there could be an adjustment period while players and coaches grow accustomed to the rule changes. But as things play out, a positive impact on play feels inevitable.
Given that clear path foul reviews often seem to be the most difficult to decipher and lead to lengthier stretches spent at the monitors by officials, anything to simplify the rule and make it easier for all to understand can only be seen as an improvement.