[Epoch Times October 30, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Wang Yezhi comprehensive report) In the new season, NBA fans have discovered that some actions that were sure to be penalized last season are now ignored by the referee. This is because the league has formulated new rules for shooting fouls and penalties, hoping to eliminate the phenomenon of “making” fouls through non-shooting actions, such as rear-end collisions, standing long jumps, and stretching of legs to expand the cylinder, which are now ignored. . Under the new rules, some stars’ data dropped sharply, with the Nets James Harden the most obvious.
“Porcelain” lethality is daunting
The so-called “fouling” refers to the use of rules in the game to artificially make some non-essential shooting actions to “create” the opponent’s foul, thereby winning the referee’s penalty. If Harden claims to be second, no one would dare to call first. The league revised its regulations on “fouling” twice, mainly because of Harden. In the past eight seasons, Harden’s lethality at the free throw line has made opponents daunting.
In the eight seasons from 2012 to 2019, Harden averaged fewer than 10 free throws in a year, which also reached 9.1. He has averaged more than 10 free throws per game for 7 consecutive years. You know, Michael Jordan only scored more than 10 free throws in the two seasons when he averaged 37 and 35 points per game: 11.9 and 10.5 respectively.
In the history of the league, the player who has made the most free throws is O’Neal. Since the “Big Shark” made only 52.7% of free throws, which is equivalent to one of two free throws, the opponent developed a “shark slashing tactic” that deliberately sent him to the free throw line. This allowed him to average more than 10 free throws per game in 10 seasons of his career. Second-rate. But Harden’s career free throw percentage is as high as 85%, and no opponent should be willing to send him to the free throw line.
Harden’s previous jump shot foul action was mainly to make full use of his cylinder, he will deliberately let the defender violate his cylinder. During the layup, he deliberately creates physical contact with the opponent to win the referee’s whistle. This has caused many players to dare not defend him close, and some even want to defend him from behind. In Harden’s career total points, free throws accounted for 35%. It can be seen that its “touch porcelain” lethality.
The effect of the new rules has significantly reduced fouls
Under the new rules, offensive players take the initiative to make physical contact with defensive players through “unnatural actions”. The referee will not only call the defensive player a foul, but will instead call the offensive player a foul. This way, the offensive player will not only not get a free throw, but will also fall into it. Foul trouble.
The new rules have been implemented for two weeks and have had a significant impact on the game. The average of 19.5 fouls per game has created a new low in NBA history. The 16.2 fouls per 100 rounds of sports are also the lowest in the league. Last season, these two figures exceeded 22 times. And 20 times. The reduction in the number of fouls also made the game more coherent.
The new rules have a great impact on some stars. Among the top ten players in the scoring list last season, only Curry and Tatum remain in the top ten list this season. The top four players in the number of free throws this season are: Antetokounmpo, Davis, Randall and Rudy Gobert. They are all inside players and have been fouled frequently at the basket. It seems reasonable.
Harden “harmed” the most by the new rules
Harden is the star most “harmed” by the new rules, averaging 10 points less per game. This season, the Nets record is not satisfactory, not only because Irving refused to play the vaccine was suspended, “scoring leader” Harden’s sharp drop is also a major reason. In the first three games of the new season, Harden only scored 9 free throws, which is not as good as the number in the past game.
Earlier, if Harden made 6 of 16 shots from the field, he could still make a foul to make himself break through 30 points; now, it is difficult for him to score 20 points. In order to adapt to the new rules, Harden had to adjust his shooting movements; and the opponents were also bolder to get closer to his body and increase the defensive strength, which caused his shooting percentage to drop.
In addition, last season, the lone ranger point guard Luka Doncic, who was famous for fouling the “stand-and-long jump”, also saw a drop in points and free throws this season; and the fouls committed last season also caused the opponent’s complaint against the Eagles. Trae Young (Trae Young) has also shrunk his scoring drastically. All of his previous “foul-making” signature moves have failed. It is surprising that the 76ers center Embiid has been affected. He averaged 6 points less per game. Around, the number of free throws has also declined significantly.
Of course, the new season has just begun, and the data sample is still too small. As players gradually adapt to the new rules, the feel will improve. It remains to be seen how the new rules affect future matches. From the current point of view, the reaction of fans to the new rules is generally positive, and the game has become more fluid than before.
Editor in charge: Zheng Huang
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