NBA All-Kobe game 2020 (all-star game discussion)

Eddie Jurak

canderson-lite
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2002
44,478
Melrose, MA
But if it's a target score and the other team is down by like 6 points, what does that do?
Good point - I only had close games in mind. I’d say you don’t worry about game ending on FT if the score isn’t close. There isn’t really going to be drama over ending a 10 point game no matter how it ends.

Alternative suggestion: if, when the designated score is reached, the game is within 3 points, the trailing team gets one final possession to tie or take the lead.

This would end the “game always ends with a basket” thing, but it would allow Not close games to end sooner while letting the close fought ones possibly go on for a bit.
 

Just a bit outside

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 6, 2011
7,940
Monument, CO
Sometimes the game is going to end on a foul shot. That is how it goes and changing the rules makes it more likely that the losing team will commit a foul and stop the flow of the game. It is just like a football game ending on a field goal or a baseball game on a walkoff walk. It is not ideal but will happen at times.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
12,001
The Elam ending was an interesting move and the NBA/players deserve credit for trying it out. Maybe use it in Vegas Summer League?

As far as FTs, the G-league has been experimenting with players only taking 1 FT but counting for 2pts. Not sure if it was mentioned above (I'm not an All-Star game fan in general so didn't peruse thread), but maybe that's an option for those looking to tweak the Elam format a bit more.
As I stated in the 2nd post of this thread, I was indifferent to the All-Star game too...until I watched the Elam Ending. Go ahead, do yourself a favor, and watch the replay if you haven't. It was really fun shit, and I'd be shocked if we don't see it in Summer League and the G-League soon. I'd also be very, very surprised if the in-season tournament happens and doesn't have Elam Endings.

This is a league that's desperately looking for relevance and ratings. Trial balloons don't fly much better than this one did.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
ESPN reporting that the NBA is likely going to use target scoring (Elam) in next season's ASG with a potential tweak so it cannot end on a free throw. A team that commits a shooting foul would have points taken away.

Other items:
--Mid-season tourney still being discussed, potentially 40 minute game and/or Elam Endings
--Reseeding final 4 of playoffs, although that apparently doesn't have a lot of momentum

View: https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/1230298398017949696
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
12,001
Aside from the fact that Elam Endings are in consideration for the mid-season tourney, this part REALLY caught my eye:

The most recent version of the in-season tournament included pool play, with designated tournament games built into each team's regular schedule. The top-eight teams based on the results of pool play would then meet in a single-elimination tournament.
If there’s a decent, non-monetary award for the mid-season tourney, that idea of giving regular-season games meaning beyond playoff seeding is really good. Now if they could just make that go along with a 70-76 game schedule and reduced B2Bs...
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
ESPN reporting that the NBA is likely going to use target scoring (Elam) in next season's ASG with a potential tweak so it cannot end on a free throw. A team that commits a shooting foul would have points taken away.
I don't get this obsession with the game ending on a free throw. This would be like the NFL legislating out the possibility that a game cannot end on a field goal.

All this NBA policy will accomplish is cause the game to end like they do now, which is foul-laplooza. It's so dumb.
 

lovegtm

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 30, 2013
12,001
I don't get this obsession with the game ending on a free throw. This would be like the NFL legislating out the possibility that a game cannot end on a field goal.

All this NBA policy will accomplish is cause the game to end like they do now, which is foul-laplooza. It's so dumb.
I agree with you totally, but I’m also fine if they take an ASG to experiment with the non-FT option and get a better feel for the dynamics.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
I can’t see how that could work. You create a situation where the game could last forever. Foul, -2 points, the other team scores 2, foul -2 points, the other team scores (or doesn’t score)... you can foul every time and the other team could never win.

You’d need a rule that the 2nd or 3rd instance would actually result in free throws that add points to your team instead of subtract from the other.
 

DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
SoSH Member
Dec 16, 2010
53,850
Let's embrace the gimmick--How about the fouling team shoots the FT, but if they MISS you get the point. And you get to pick who shoots them.

Oh, you wanna foul, fine--Steven Adams is shooting the FT, and if he misses, you lose.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
I don't get this obsession with the game ending on a free throw. This would be like the NFL legislating out the possibility that a game cannot end on a field goal.

All this NBA policy will accomplish is cause the game to end like they do now, which is foul-laplooza. It's so dumb.
A game ending on a FT feels like it came down to the referees deciding the outcome of the game even more so than usual. If it's just an exhibition game it doesn't matter much. Think of the Celtics playing the Lakers and the first one to 135 wins and the score is 134-134. Lakers ball. You feeling confident about the refs?
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
One tweak I could get behind is that it has to be a shooting foul in order to go to the line once you get to the point where free throws can win the game, in order to avoid ticky tack off ball fouls ending a game.

That said, I could see that resulting in teams becoming extremely aggressive defensively in those situations in going for a steal, because they would have no fear of fouling so long as it isn't a shooting foul. Perhaps a way to avoid that would be that once the score gets to where free throws could end the game, a first foul on a defensive possession would result in a side out / shot clock reset to 14, but a second foul no matter what the foul would result in free throws?

There's no PERFECT solution here. But it feels like we are getting close to an optimal solution.
 

johnmd20

mad dog
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 30, 2003
61,996
New York City
A game ending on a FT feels like it came down to the referees deciding the outcome of the game even more so than usual. If it's just an exhibition game it doesn't matter much. Think of the Celtics playing the Lakers and the first one to 135 wins and the score is 134-134. Lakers ball. You feeling confident about the refs?
No more or less confident in the refs if the score was tied 134-134 and it wasn't en Elam ending. Are you suggesting the refs don't have an impact in games where they don't employ the Elam Ending?
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
No more or less confident in the refs if the score was tied 134-134 and it wasn't en Elam ending. Are you suggesting the refs don't have an impact in games where they don't employ the Elam Ending?
In that situation, the Lakers get fouled, hit 2 FT and there's time on the clock to hope for a Celtics miracle. In the Elam ending, there is 0 chance.
 

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
What if there is only .3 seconds left on the clock?
Games have literally ended on FTs anyway but it's so rare it's usually not an issue. Seems like the situation would come up more in the Elam ending but I could be wrong.

I think the best solution is to just let the game end on a FT, btw. I don't like it, but it's better than any other scenario I've heard.
 

TripleOT

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 4, 2007
7,758
I thought my suggestion was a decent compromise. In a final possession, the first non shooting foul is side out. The next one is FTs. All shooting fouls are FTs.

It does allow a scrambling defense to take a foul, but to me that's less of a big deal than the buzzkill of a non shooting foul leading to a winning FT.
 

tims4wins

PN23's replacement
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
37,069
Hingham, MA
I thought my suggestion was a decent compromise. In a final possession, the first non shooting foul is side out. The next one is FTs. All shooting fouls are FTs.

It does allow a scrambling defense to take a foul, but to me that's less of a big deal than the buzzkill of a non shooting foul leading to a winning FT.
Yeah I said pretty much the same thing. I think it's the right solution
 

InstaFace

The Ultimate One
SoSH Member
Sep 27, 2016
21,770
Pittsburgh, PA
Let's embrace the gimmick--How about the fouling team shoots the FT, but if they MISS you get the point. And you get to pick who shoots them.

Oh, you wanna foul, fine--Steven Adams is shooting the FT, and if he misses, you lose.
Now this is a guy who knows how to messageboard. That's some quality creative thinking there.

Fouled teams during a target-scoring ending can opt to have the FTs taken from behind the 3-point line, but if made they count for 2.

There are designated spots on the floor where, if a player is fouled from there...