Teams and players do know how to defend modern basketball

[Lockdown504090]

Officials are not calling the games dramatically different than usual. What I’m seeing are specific strategies from coaches and second efforts and attention to detail from the players to keep the offensive ratings meaningfully lower than the regular season. Guys are much better able to tag a roll man and get out to the point line, where it was an either/or thing before. Calling up weak defenders isn’t as easy, teams are not conceding the switch as much. The Knicks are attacking the offensive glass instead of the conventional wisdom that it’s better to be back in transition.

I truly marvel at how removed the playoffs have become from the regular season since I’d say around 2018

[dirkdiggler4177]

I agree that players are more focused, and rotate better, but there is a lot more contact allowed. For example, these plays would be a foul during the regular season.
https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2024/04/23/0042300172/496/c983cd1e-0df7-afcc-2d3c-1f787ebdc783_1280x720.mp4
https://videos.nba.com/nba/pbp/media/2024/04/23/0042300172/549/c9aef6a5-757e-f0fa-ebec-89282738fc0c_1280x720.mp4

I think they are soft fouls and should never be called, but I also think they would have been called.

[LaLover11]

Marginal Contact new rule is cool lol

[Lunartic]

So far we have had bad reffing + good defense

I'm not a Lakers guy by any means but that "marginal contact" stuff is nonsense and game breaking relative to how it's always been called historically.

Last night's Clipper/Mavs game had another ridiculous no-call on Kawhi's late clutch drive that should have been 3 points, they somehow reviewed it and decided getting hit on the arm and nearly losing the ball while in the air was actually not a foul.

[BrianInPhilly]

Teams also seem to be preferring versatile defenders in their role guys over 1 dimensional shooters … this is a little trend I’m noticing.

[LaLover11]

So far we have had bad reffing + good defense

I'm not a Lakers guy by any means but that "marginal contact" stuff is nonsense and game breaking relative to how it's always been called historically.

Last night's Clipper/Mavs game had another ridiculous no-call on Kawhi's late clutch drive that should have been 3 points, they somehow reviewed it and decided getting hit on the arm and nearly losing the ball while in the air was actually not a foul.

Couldn't agree more lol

[og15]

Incidental contact has always been in the rules. Marginal contact is not a new thing, all that can change is what is deemed marginal or incidental vs what isn't, so the thresholds that determine fouls.

Just like ball handling, the rules haven't changed, yet what is allowed has changed inside the same rules. The only thing that was explicitly added was the gather step and that we after it had already been allowed for a while to clarify exactly what is allowed.

[NyKnicks1714]

Both the Porter and Kyrie foul overturns makes sense to me, but the NBA needs to make clear statements clarifying the rule this offseason, for the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else.

The one thing I don't quite get is why these are non-calls while slapping a shooter's arm after he releases a shot but before he lands is always going to be a foul (I'm not talking about landing zone fouls). Makes sense that should be a no-call too since it had no impact on the shot.

[Zeno]

Incidental contact has always been in the rules. Marginal contact is not a new thing, all that can change is what is deemed marginal or incidental vs what isn't, so the thresholds that determine fouls.

Just like ball handling, the rules haven't changed, yet what is allowed has changed inside the same rules. The only thing that was explicitly added was the gather step and that we after it had already been allowed for a while to clarify exactly what is allowed.

People complaining about the term ‘marginal contact are being very silly because it is pretty universally accepted that people don’t want all contact called a foul. Therefore every bit of contact is being evaluated on whether it is marginal or not in real time. Do people really want refs to swallow their whistle in real time but also deem all contact significant in reviews?

I do think they got that call in the Lakers game wrong though.

[phanman]

Last night's Clipper/Mavs game had another ridiculous no-call on Kawhi's late clutch drive that should have been 3 points, they somehow reviewed it and decided getting hit on the arm and nearly losing the ball while in the air was actually not a foul.

I always thought hand was part of ball on layups/dunks. Just because he switched hands, doesn't mean he didn't initially go up with his left when Kyrie swiped down. Grant actually mentioned this right before the officials made the call.

"Irving contacted ball, therefore no illegal contact"

Everybody can clearly see that he hit his hands, so you can easily see that they also interpreted that the hand is part of the ball.

In regards to the OP, there is big difference between playing 3-4 different teams in a week + all the travel in a 82 game marathon vs getting ~a weeks rest to fully prepare for an opponent and actually have days off in between games. When you know your going to be playing at least 4 games against this next opponent with your season on the line, guys tend to care. Plus, rotations get tightened and those outside the top 7-8 don't play.

[F Saunders]

As someone who's watched the Wolves all season (a team that exerted a lot of effort and focus defensively all season), I'd say there's been decent shift in officiating in the postseason. I'm not complaining, because Jaden McDaniels may be the biggest beneficiary of it. He'd get 2 or 3 touch fouls/game in the regular season, but those are no longer being called thus far in the playoffs, allowing to defend as aggressively as he would like.

It also seems like refs aren't rewarding "falling to the ground" type foul-baiting as much as in the regular season, which I have appreciated.

[advent11]

Refs are letting too much go. This isn't basketball.

[MrGoat]

It's amazing how easily the refs could take us back to the 00s on a whim

[Slimjimzv]

I don't mind marginal contact, but I do think the playoffs and regular season should be called with consistency. Fundamentally changing the rules of the game once the playoffs start is nonsensical.

[Onus]

Both the Porter and Kyrie foul overturns makes sense to me, but the NBA needs to make clear statements clarifying the rule this offseason, for the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else.

The one thing I don't quite get is why these are non-calls while slapping a shooter's arm after he releases a shot but before he lands is always going to be a foul (I'm not talking about landing zone fouls). Makes sense that should be a no-call too since it had no impact on the shot.

You can actually hit the shooting player's hand after he releases the shot and that's not been called a foul all year.

[Onus]

Incidental contact has always been in the rules. Marginal contact is not a new thing, all that can change is what is deemed marginal or incidental vs what isn't, so the thresholds that determine fouls.

Just like ball handling, the rules haven't changed, yet what is allowed has changed inside the same rules. The only thing that was explicitly added was the gather step and that we after it had already been allowed for a while to clarify exactly what is allowed.

People complaining about the term ‘marginal contact are being very silly because it is pretty universally accepted that people don’t want all contact called a foul. Therefore every bit of contact is being evaluated on whether it is marginal or not in real time. Do people really want refs to swallow their whistle in real time but also deem all contact significant in reviews?

I do think they got that call in the Lakers game wrong though.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-says-domas-hitting-steph-235132200.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Seems consistent to me.

[NyKnicks1714]

Both the Porter and Kyrie foul overturns makes sense to me, but the NBA needs to make clear statements clarifying the rule this offseason, for the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else.

The one thing I don't quite get is why these are non-calls while slapping a shooter's arm after he releases a shot but before he lands is always going to be a foul (I'm not talking about landing zone fouls). Makes sense that should be a no-call too since it had no impact on the shot.

You can actually hit the shooting player's hand after he releases the shot and that's not been called a foul all year.

No I'm not talking about the high five play. I'm talking about contact to a player's arm or body on a jump shot. It's a foul even after the shot has been released.

[Onus]

Both the Porter and Kyrie foul overturns makes sense to me, but the NBA needs to make clear statements clarifying the rule this offseason, for the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else.

The one thing I don't quite get is why these are non-calls while slapping a shooter's arm after he releases a shot but before he lands is always going to be a foul (I'm not talking about landing zone fouls). Makes sense that should be a no-call too since it had no impact on the shot.

You can actually hit the shooting player's hand after he releases the shot and that's not been called a foul all year.

No I'm not talking about the high five play. I'm talking about contact to a player's arm or body on a jump shot. It's a foul even after the shot has been released.

You can hit a players arm after they shoot, the body though is a foul.

[shi-woo]

Can we address the fact that players still carry, travel, palm, and push off on every single play before we even begin to acknowledge these pillow princess touch fouls?

It's ridiculous to have this argument every year when the players themselves play the game in a way that makes it impossible to not let something go on every play. IDK about you guys, but I don't want to hear a whistle every play. I don't like seeing games decided by a third party, and I don't want to see the game of basketball lose it's fluidity and turn turn into baseball/football.

The reffing has not been all that bad from the games i've watched.

We should want the game to be more fluid, and not have all these breaks in the action. There are going to be missed calls, it's part of the game, and i'm of the mind that the less calls the better.

We already allow 3-5 steps, can't contest jumpshots anymore, players to essentially pick up their dribble as long as they don't do it with 2 hands, and taking charges is now something your center is actively doing instead of contesting at the rim.

Every game we still see a league where guys will stop on a dime in hopes a defenders momentum fouls them, playing imploring the rip through, and guys getting called for a foul when the offensive player jumps literally into their chest. Not getting out of the way quick enough is a foul in todays NBA still

But yet, lets start calling more fouls, and give the offensive players more space.

[NyKnicks1714]

You can actually hit the shooting player's hand after he releases the shot and that's not been called a foul all year.

No I'm not talking about the high five play. I'm talking about contact to a player's arm or body on a jump shot. It's a foul even after the shot has been released.

You can hit a players arm after they shoot, the body though is a foul.

Do you have an example of a hit on the arm that was reviewed and deemed a non-foul? Hand/wrist is well documented but I don't recall seeing a hit on the forearm after release deliberately not called a foul.