Oscar Robertson and Jerry West

I have been an advocate for returning the way basketball is played back to the days when it was played with finesse and skill. If the fans want to watch grabbing, holding, arm bars, and hacking they can tune into hockey. The game, at all levels, has gotten progressively more “physical”. The NBA style of play has led the way. I understand that the players are bigger and stronger today than ever before but that CAN NOT be an excuse for letting or, even worse, encouraging the style of basketball that has evolved over the past several years. The great athletes that play in the NBA or college do not need to hold, grab, push, and literally “mug” the offensive player to defend. In my opinion, the most difficult fundamental in basketball is the ability to shoot the ball. So, why are we making it harder to score and giving an advantage to the defense? From a player, coach, and fan prospect offense is MORE entertaining and fun. Defense may win championships (debatable) but offense sells tickets. These basketball players that are playing at the college and certainly at the  professional level are capable of playing any style that is dictated. They are also talented and skilled enough to adjust their game to meet the demands of the game.  Basketball, in it’s “pure state”,  is a game of finesse, speed, quickness, jumping ability, skill, AND strength. The way the game is being played, coached, and refereed in  today’s game, strength and power are overwhelmingly the most important skill. And it is having an adverse affect on the game.

Basketball is the BEST team sport on the planet. But it is NOT perfect and there are a few changes that I would like to see made. Most of the changes, that I think would improve the game, are directly related to the physicality on defense and  the way the game is being played AND called. In the NBA, it appears to me, that the teams that foul the most win the most. I think that there are a few teams in the NBA that challenge the referees to call all the fouls that are occurring. An impossible task. One of the negative by products of this style of play is that more of the outstanding “offensive” players in the NBA are getting hurt, beat up, and missing games. Several of the best players like Jokic, Giannis, Wemby, Curry, and Tatum have missed games due to injuries and are not going to play enough games to qualify for All-NBA or MVP. The “wear and tear” on the body over the course of the year has a very real, negative affect on these great offensive players. If these great players are not playing, whose watching? From a team standpoint, excessive fouling disrupts the offensive flow and definitely gives an edge to the defense.

I recently watched the Alabama vs Texas college game that lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes with no overtime. One of the contributing factors was the amount of fouls that were called BUT the main reason for the length of the game were the coaches’ appeals and challenges. There were 6 appeals, mostly by Coach Oates and Bama, that required the officials to go to the tv monitor and do a review. The last couple minutes of the game took 30 minutes. Why so many appeals? Everyone of the appeals were related to “hook and hold” calls or other DEFENSIVE calls as a result of excessive physical contact on defense. The TV announcers kept criticizing the appeals and offering their suggestions on limiting the number of appeals to shorten the game and not lose the audience, which I agree with. But the real problem IS NOT the appeals but the physicality of the defense. Cut down on the fouls, play defense the right way, and there won’t be so many challenges. Let me be clear here, I’m not saying call fewer fouls, I’m saying STOP fouling. In the past basketball players were taught to play defense with their feet, not their hands. Players were taught to “box out” on rebounds not grab or hook and hold. Too much physical play neutralizes the skills of offensive players. The game of basketball has no “rhythm”,  it has become boring.

Finally, I have spent this entire post as an advocate for offense in the game of basketball.  I would be less than candor if I did not mention one of my “pet peeves” with the referees. I see offensive players initiate contact with the defensive player but get the call from the official and get to go to the free throw line. Often the offensive player is simply trying to “fend off” the aggressive foul that they know is coming. But the results is a stop in the game and more free throws.  Back to my main point, there is way too much fouling in basketball and it has to be stopped or the game is going to lose its appeal. Get back to finesse basketball with speed and skill or it might not be the best team sport on the planet in a few years. thebasketballgoat.com