Useful loophole or distasteful deceit of game?
Stars like Harden have forced questionable foul calls, and the NBA has taken notice
OAKLAND — As Houston’s James Harden crossed midcourt during the third quarter of Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, he sensed an opportunity. Patty Mills, in trying to defend Harden, stepped toward Harden as he moved around a screen.
So Harden did what so many other skilled perimeter players around the NBA have trained themselves to do: He drew contact with Mills about 35 feet from the basket, whipping his head back and flinging the ball at the rim. The shot clanged off the iron and bounced harmlessly away.
But making the shot was not the point.
Instead, Harden was trying to force referee Tony Brothers to call a foul. And that’s exactly what Brothers did, sending Harden to the line for 3 shots while Mills stood stunned, arms raised over his head, and Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich expressed his unhappiness so loudly that his complaints were picked up on TNT’s broadcast.
Welcome to the murky and uncertain world of 3-shot fouls, a topic that has divided NBA players, executives and fans into two camps: those who believe these plays are legitimate, and those who don’t.
Over the past 15 years, the NBA has undergone a 3-point shooting revolution. As teams have embraced analytics and big data, they have tried to maximize offense by focusing on the two most efficient spots on the court: at the rim and beyond the 3-point arc.
As a result, the number of 3-pointers attempted by NBA teams leapt from 34,913 during the 2002-03 regular season to 66,421 this year — a 90.2 percent increase. But while the number of 3-pointers has risen each season, the spike in 3-shot fouls has been extraordinary. Over that same span, 3-shot fouls have surged from 174 in 2002-03 to 1,045 this season — a 500.6 percent increase. This includes a jump of
6:30 p.m. on TNT — Game 1, Cleveland at Boston