South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
NBA enhances play by eradicating embellishment
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thank you NBA. Thank you Monty McCutcheon. Thank you referees.
It’s beginning to again look a lot like basketball, everywhere you go.
All because, as McCutcheon, the NBA’s officiating supervisor, explained to us on the eve of the season, “We want basketball to be played, not manipulated.”
And then came Wednesday night’s game at Barclays Center, when the Miami Heat pushed past the Brooklyn Nets 106-93 in the teams’ first meeting of the season.
No, the outcome hardly was stunning, as the Nets continue to struggle in the absence of Kyrie Irving.
But here’s what was: James Harden continued to flail, flop, gesticulate, embellish and . . . nothing. Crickets. Hardly a whistle, save for those that got him to the foul line for three free throws in his 35 minutes, 36 seconds.
The NBA really meant it, this, in the league’s words, “interpretive change in officiating overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves by offensive players with the ball.”
In the NHL, embellishment gets you to the penalty box. In soccer, “simulation” results in a yellow card. But in the NBA, it had led, for too many years, to a parade to the foul line.
One often led by Harden, who at times appears to be throwing more appendages in the air than Spider Man’s Doc Ock.
While discussing the league’s revised interpretations, McCutcheon said, “NBA referees are no longer in the business of what would have happened.”
Saying it is one thing. Meaning it is another.
The NBA meant it. The numbers seemingly telling as much. In the wake of Heat-Nets, according to Basketball Reference, the NBA was averaging the fewest personnel fouls per team ever, at 19.3 per game, and the fewest foul shots per team, at 20 per game.
For all the NBA has to offer from its ongoing 3-point-a-thon to its high-wire acts at the rim, no one comes to watch free throws.
Soon enough, players such as Harden will come to appreciate that flailing only will leave them failing.
And perhaps then actually try to score on plays when the lone previous goal was getting to the foul line.
“We want there to be equal opportunities to compete with passion and skill,” McCutchen said during his media briefing. “And we want flow in the game, and we want the game of basketball to be played as the game of basketball.”
Persistence, in making actual basketball plays, still was rewarded in that Heat victory in Brooklyn, including Heat center Bam Adebayo going 8 of 9 from the line.
“We don’t want to disincentivize free throws,” McCutchen said. “We want to disincentivize abnormal moves whose sole purpose is to get free throws.”
So perhaps once Harden overcomes his conditioning and hamstring issues, he will adjust, just as defenders adjusted when the NBA eliminated hand checking and cracked down on restriction of movement.
The respect still will be there for Harden, as he showed by shooting 16 of 19 from the line on Friday night against the Pacers.
“I just think that would be really dangerous to go in there trying to change how you’re defending a player like Harden, who’s so savvy,” Heat coach Spoelstra said. “His skill level is incredible.”
It is a lesson hitting home well beyond Harden-ville. “There’s a lot of things they took out that was necessary, veering back and jumping into guys, that’s different,” Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young said after a frustrating outing in Thursday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards, when he attempted only three free throws. “There’s certain things that I agree with the rule change. But then there’s things that are still fouls.”
As in actual fouls, not the type of stat stuffers that Harden and then Young had feasted on.
“I love what I’m seeing,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I think the officials are doing a great job. The game has more of an authentic feel.”
Or, as Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma posted on Twitter, “The new rules changes to the sport are the best thing the league has done in recent history. Watching the game Is muuuuuch different.”
IN THE LANE
FIGHTING WORDS: As part of his recent interview with GQ, Heat captain Udonis Haslem was asked about fighting words. He offered a pair of particularly vivid moments, including those involving Gary Payton, Pat Riley and Shaquille O’Neal. “Worst fight?” he said. “Me and Gary Payton got into it at practice once. I don’t know what we were talking about, but [circumstances] went left. We started arguing and Gary went and got a broomstick! Pat kicked us outta practice. We had a game that night and me and Gary didn’t speak the whole game.”And then there was the moment Haslem said he tried to come to the rescue. “Best fight?” he said. “Probably the one when Shaq and Pat got into it. It wasn’t even a fight, they were just going at it. The fight was me trying to hold Shaq back and he threw me like a sack of potato chips.” But if it turned into Shaq vs. Haslem? “I would’ve had to tase him!” Haslem said.
LESSONS LEARNED: Could it be that 10 seasons in former Heat center Hassan Whiteside is finally getting it? It appears that way amid this first season with the Utah Jazz, who visit FTX Arena next weekend. “I want to be with the winners,” Whiteside told The Athletic. “I have to prove that. I think I can contribute to a winning situation, but it’s up to me to show that. I led the league in multiple categories, but now I have to show that I can make an impact on winning and I want to be on that caliber of team. That’s why I signed with the Jazz.” Whiteside has appeared in 20 playoff games, 15 with the Heat and five with the Portland Trail Blazers, getting out of the first round only once. The early impressions have been favorable. “He’s been great for us so far,” starting center Rudy Gobert said. “He’s really providing a presence. He’s been effective on both ends.”
NO REUNION: Saturday could have been a Heat reunion with Justise Winslow in the meeting with the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Instead, the Grizzlies passed on Winslow’s team option, with the Heat 2015 first-round pick then signing in free agency with the Los Angeles Clippers. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said this past week that he hardly views the Winslow experience as a failure.“Obviously there were some challenging
moments for him,”Jenkins said.“He got traded coming off an injury, finally got healthy, and then we’re in the [2020 pandemic] restart and he gets hurt again. Beyond that, he just had a positive attitude throughout all of that, and that’s what I loved about Justise, he brought a great spirit. And then when he played, just trying to find that rhythm, never probably got to where he wanted to go.”The Heat’s first game against Winslow in Clippers colors is Nov. 11 at Staples Center.
WHAT IF: Justas Chris Bosh did in his interview with the Sun Sentinel ahead of his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame last month, former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said ahead of being honored Thursday by the Bulls that he thought what turned into the Heat Big Three might have been Chicago’s Big Three. “When Chris came on his visit,” Noah said to ESPN of 2010 free agency, “I thought it was a done deal. I thought he’d take Dwyane [Wade], and if those two come, we’ll get LeBron [James].” LeBron did not show the same interest.
“He didn’t pick up,” Noah said of that attempt to reach out. “I was like, either way we’re gonna be good. Come with us or don’t, whatever.”
NUMBER 12
Times in the Heat’s 34 seasons a player has scored at least 36 points and recorded at least five steals in
the same game, with Jimmy Butler doing it this past week against the Orlando Magic (36, 5). Also having done it for the Heat were Dwyane Wade (four times), Glen Rice (three), LeBron James (twice) and once each by Eddie Jones and Kevin Gamble.