2021-22 NBA Rule Changes

Senator Donut

post-Domer
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Apr 21, 2010
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View: https://twitter.com/nbaofficial/status/1443591531953332224


In the off-season, the NBA changed how it’s rules would be interpreted. The competition committee came out with new guidance on three types of plays:

  • When a shooter launches or leans into a defender at an abnormal angle.
  • When a shooter kicks his leg (up or to the side) at an abnormal angle.
  • When an offensive player abruptly veers off his path (sideways or backward) into a defender.

These scenarios should now result in a no call or an offensive foul if egregious.

The early results have been… spectacular! Check out this thread of James Harden with some bonus Chris Paul at the end.

View: https://twitter.com/nateduncannba/status/1453509185593774082
 

Lazy vs Crazy

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Loving that, and the no out of bounds replays in the final two minutes. Games are moving along much more smoothly due to both changes.

I'm wondering how the ball change is going. Haven't heard any complaints about the new ball yet. Has anyone seen anything on that?
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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This seems really bad for Harden
It's SSS but he has been really bad so far to start the season. Averaging 16 ppg and shooting only 36% from the field. He is only averaging 3 FTA per game, when his career average is 8.7 and in Houston he was typically around 11 FTA per game.
 

TripleOT

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Great idea if you want players engaging in sideline scrums every time a ball goes out of bounds in the back court.

when the ball goes through the basket, everyone on the court knows it went through the basket. There is no dispute when the other team inbound the ball without the referee touching it. When the ball goes out on the sideline or over the baseline when one of the teams touched it last, It often is disputed as to what team touched it last. Are we going to have players grab onto the ball and fight each other for it?
 

Jimbodandy

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Great idea if you want players engaging in sideline scrums every time a ball goes out of bounds in the back court.

when the ball goes through the basket, everyone on the court knows it went through the basket. There is no dispute when the other team inbound the ball without the referee touching it. When the ball goes out on the sideline or over the baseline when one of the teams touched it last, It often is disputed as to what team touched it last. Are we going to have players grab onto the ball and fight each other for it?
Or they could just look at the ref. 20K people in the arena saw which way he/she pointed.
 

TripleOT

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Or they could just look at the ref. 20K people in the arena saw which way he/she pointed.
It seems like four or five times a game the referees have to have a Yalta conference in order to figure out which team is going to possess the ball.
 

Jimbodandy

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It seems like four or five times a game the referees have to have a Yalta conference in order to figure out which team is going to possess the ball.
Agreed. And in those cases, they blow the play dead immediately. What's the harm?

This would speed the game up and result in more windmills. Sign me up.
 

Jimbodandy

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agreed, get it going in the G-League and work out the kinks there
When the NFL brought back the end zone celebrations, I was so psyched. Not because I love goofy, coordinated celebrations (they're pointless), but because it's good entertainment. A lot of folks love that shit.

Adding stuff like this in and eliminating the take fouls--it's all stuff that helps the product. Sure, we residents of MBPC will watch late 80s rockfights between the Pistons and Knicks, but I'd rather watch basketball like this past year's finals. And basketball doesn't have to spend two years negotiating over basic rules changes like they do in the MLB, so why not.
 

OurF'ingCity

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It seems like four or five times a game the referees have to have a Yalta conference in order to figure out which team is going to possess the ball.
But isn’t that usually in the last minutes of the game, when this rule wouldn’t apply anyway?

For “normal” OOB situations it should just be that the ref makes an immediate call and everyone respects that decision. This is what happens in soccer and everyone lives with it.
 

trs

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I like it too -- similar to soccer. The issue might be that similar to soccer you will have some delay "tactics" that come of this like batting the ball further away if it goes out of bounds near you and you know it's going to the other team. There will just need to be very clear guidelines as to what happens in those cases (probably just implement the same rules as already exist after made baskets).

It will keep the game moving and certainly make for a more up and down game, which for me would be a welcome change.

However, the real change that won't happen because TV is the timeout situation. Those who haven't should watch the ACB if only for the last 5 minutes of a game. It will blow your mind how quickly it goes, as well as how much of the actual time is spent playing basketball and not preparing to play basketball, and how much the players dictate the outcome based on their own decisions rather than micromanaged NFL-style one play and whistle, followed by another designed play with another whistle. Just imagine, the end of the game and people are talking about plays being made and not timeouts needing to be called.

I would also argue that fouls that result in an inbounds play should only require the referees hand to be up to inbound, no reason to wait for the ref to come over and hand them the ball. I realize the foul needs to get registered at the scorer's table, but that's all that needs to happen. Get the game on the move again and less wandering around.
 

BaseballJones

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One issue is substitutions. It is a dead ball situation and teams will want to get subs in, but you can't if the other team inbounds it quickly like that.
 

HomeRunBaker

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agreed, get it going in the G-League and work out the kinks there
This was an old FIBA rule for many years. I’m actually old enough to say I’ve played in tournaments in Canada and overseas with this rule and it opens the game up tremendously.


One issue is substitutions. It is a dead ball situation and teams will want to get subs in, but you can't if the other team inbounds it quickly like that.
It was a long time ago but my recollection was that you had to already have had a player kneeling at the scorers table to check in for play to stop for the substitution.
 
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joe dokes

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What if you were only allowed to make a substitution if you had the ball (or after a timeout)?
The team with the ball will never have the sub problem unless the inbounder screws up/isn't paying attention.
It's an interesting spot for the coach. Speed vs. getting your own sub in vs. giving the other team a chance to sub.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
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Creative for sure. Would change the dynamic of the game considerably. Which may not be a bad thing. But it definitely would be different.
 

BaseballJones

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It was a long time ago but my recollection was that you had to already have had a player kneeling at the scorers table to check in for play to stop for the substitution.
That may be true but I swear I've seen coaches wave players in as soon as the ball goes out of bounds and the refs let them in. But maybe that's like the neighborhood play in baseball - eh....sure, whatever, nobody's gonna complain, so sure, check in.
 
Creative for sure. Would change the dynamic of the game considerably. Which may not be a bad thing. But it definitely would be different.
Actually, I'd add another exception: if the other team stops to bring one or more subs into the game, you can do so as well. Otherwise, the only way you can bring subs when your opponent can inbound the ball is to call a timeout.
The team with the ball will never have the sub problem unless the inbounder screws up/isn't paying attention.
It's an interesting spot for the coach. Speed vs. getting your own sub in vs. giving the other team a chance to sub.
Yeah, this would add another tactical dimension to the sport - while at the same time speeding the game up and potentially eliminating some of those late-game offense/defense substitutions which can really bog things down.
 

HomeRunBaker

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That may be true but I swear I've seen coaches wave players in as soon as the ball goes out of bounds and the refs let them in. But maybe that's like the neighborhood play in baseball - eh....sure, whatever, nobody's gonna complain, so sure, check in.
It could be as this was over 3 decades ago! (WTF!!)
 

HowBoutDemSox

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I swear the inbounding rule came up in an episode of the White Shadow from like 1980, they’re playing some school from the USSR and they use the applicable rules from each country for one half each, and the US players get caught off guard by the fact the refs don’t have to touch the ball on the inbound and so they get caught on a break when the European rules are in play.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I swear the inbounding rule came up in an episode of the White Shadow from like 1980, they’re playing some school from the USSR and they use the applicable rules from each country for one half each, and the US players get caught off guard by the fact the refs don’t have to touch the ball on the inbound and so they get caught on a break when the European rules are in play.
I can see the look on Salami’s face right now.