Anonymous
Years ago

Soft fouls

I have no doubt this is a directive from the top.

The main goal is for the league to be perceived as a high scoring league.

By calling soft fouls, this drives teams into the bonus early which has 2 effects.

1. Sends teams to the foul line which boosts scoring.
2. Makes teams apprehensive when defending giving an advantage to the scoring team.

This is what the league desires, high scoring, which to them means it is more attractive which they believe means higher attendances and higher ratings.

This is why there are so many fouls called in the game.

There is a school of thought that more offense leads to more excitement and therefore more interest.

IMO, this is a fallacy

Football (soccer) blows this theory out of the water.

Football (soccer) is easily the most popular most watched and generates the most interest on the whole planet. Yet the very nature of the sport is that there is next to no scoring. Yet it has gripped the whole world.

Many sports around the world have altered rules to allow for more scoring.

Cricket - increasing size of bats (which have now been reduced), flat pitches, reducing the boundary sizes.

Baseball - juiced baseballs.

NFL - rules around the quarter back and giving them every ounce of protection.

NBA - no more hand checking

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Anonymous
Years ago

They're not looking for higher scoring, they are looking for a more free flowing and exciting offense. The idea being that if the refs call fouls for "minor" contact then the defenders dont hold and bump all game.

You have completely shot your own argument down with the soccer comparison.

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Anonymous
Years ago

How have i shot down my whole argument with the soccer argument?

There is next to zero no scoring in soccer, yet it is easily the most watched sport on the whole planet.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Because it being a non-contact sport (ie soft "fouls" are called) the offense is free-flowing and exciting.

Basketball is currently evolving with the new interpretations but when teams and players adjust, the game improves. Its got nothing to do with free throws and the final score.

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Anonymous
Years ago

Soccer is a non contact sport?

It has nothing to do with final score?

David Stern removed hand checking specifically to get more scoring in the game

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Anonymous
Years ago

You've just completely ignored the point.

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Anonymous
Years ago

We need to be more like soccer. Allow very little contact but allow players to fake contact and throw themselves spectacularly to the ground. Have as many games decided by penalties as by regular scoring in play. Sounds like an awesome thing to aspire to.

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Anonymous
Years ago

They should go back to 48mins.

It became bump and grind when 40mins was introduced.

Reply #658314 | Report this post

PeterJohn
Years ago

FWIW, some stats on NBL fouls, points per game, free throw attempts per game, free throws made per gam over the last few seasons

Season/FPG/PPG/FTA/FTM
2012-13 37.8 152 37.4 26.9
2013-14 41.0 170 41.0 30.8
2014-15 38.4 165 41.7 30.1
2015-16 40.1 171 43.7 32.0
2016-17 42.6 169 43.4 32.4
2017-18 40.5 175 44.1 32.3 (40 games)

So, not a direct relationship between FPG and PPG. e.g., 2012-13 vs 2014-15 shows a 0.6 increase in fouls per game with a 13 pts per game increase in scoring while 2016-17 vs 2015-16 shows a 2.5 increase in fouls per game with a 2 points per game decrease in points per game.

Over this period, 3pt shooting rates have increased by about 5 shots per game and 3pt shooting percentages have increased by about 2.5%. These 3pt stats are to the 2016-17 and I haven't checked them for 2017-18. However, the Spatial Jam NBL stats page suggests they're similar this season to last.

On a personal front, I'm happier with the 170-175 PPG NBL we're seeing these days, even if it comes at a cost of an additional 5 fouls per game. It beats the games we used to see 5 years ago, when the league was failing.

For me, Perth vs Townsville 25-Jan-2013 was the case study of why the NBL was losing crowds and mainstream interest. 121 points from 127 shots in the whole game. Between them, the two teams missed 82 shots - nearly twice as many as they hit. The game was a wrestling match yet only 28 fouls were called. For those marvelling at Illawarra's 8 fouls in Cairns the other night, Perth had only 11 fouls called on them that night. As a spectacle and an advertisement to the casual NBL watcher it was terrible.

Yes, I'm happier with the product NBL is selling today.

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Anonymous
Years ago

I don't mind it. It's the way they call the NBA games as well. No hand checking and bumping drivers. Makes it hard to stop talented on-ball players, but they are the best to watch.

It's just that the Aussie players have been slow to learn, because they love playing physical.

Reply #658480 | Report this post

skull
Years ago

Or maybe 6 fouls...

Reply #658522 | Report this post

LV
Years ago

It's not so much how many fouls are called its which ones. When looking at scoring

Reply #658547 | Report this post

Hoops

Soft fouls

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