>>Truth is, players and coaches could make things easier on the refs with a
little good faith. Over the years, a number of teams have tried to use the
limitations of referees to their advantage. The refs decide what's a foul
and what's not, but obviously cannot and will not call everything. No one,
least of all the NBA and its television partners, wants a game drug out by
an endless parade to the free throw line. The Pat Riley-coached Knicks and
Heat and the Detroit Pistons of Chuck Daly were aware of this. They played
extremely physical styles, knowing that while they would be called for more
fouls than other teams, they would not be called for all the fouls they
committed. They would benefit enormously from these no-calls. After all,
fouls are called because a player has gained an unfair advantage. So every
time Bill Laimbeer elbowed an opponent in the back, every time John Starks
put a hand in the chest of a driving player, an advantage was gained. Fouls
called when Dennis Rodman or Charles Oakley threw someone into the stands
were a price these teams were willing to pay in exchange.
These teams forgot that fouls are supposed to be mistakes, not an integral
part of strategy. They took advantage of the inherent problem of
officiating - that no game can ever be called perfectly and absolutely
fairly. They were, ironically, among the first to complain about
officiating, often suggesting that they were called for more fouls than
their opponents as a result of an undeserved stigma. The refs, they
charged, were targeting them based on their reputation as physical teams.
Other players have found new, innovative ways of taking advantage of the
officiating problem. They have learned how to feign fouls. Among the all
time greats in this department are Derek Fisher, Reggie Miller, Vlade Divac
and several members of the Utah Jazz. Many other NBAers are less
proficient. Many would never be caught dead flopping, knowing that such
things are done in bad faith. When Reggie Miller hoists a three and, as a
defender runs toward him, kicks out a leg to draw contact, or when he allows
a tap on the finger to send him to the ground, he puts the referee in a
difficult position. Derek Fisher does the same when, chasing his man around
screens, he makes contact with an opponent and falls to the floor. What is
the official to do? He is left with the responsibility of not only calling
the action, but of determining the intent of the players involved. There is
no mention of such trickery in the official rulebook.
Thus with every intentional foul and every flop does basketball slide
further toward rhythmic gymnastics, as the onus is ever more on the
officials to decide the game. With such acts of bad faith, players are
letting the game fall out of their hands.
insidehoops.com
"Everybody does it" doesn't make it right. As a self-professed conservative, you might want to give some thought to what it is you want to conserve. Playing by the rules benefits everybody. If one person breaks the rules for his personal advantage, then many others will, too. Not all, just the ones without honor. But that's the way that cultures are lost. |
