James Harden, Houston Rockets.
Editor’s Note: We gave Teresa the week off from NBA takes. Chris Phillips steps in with his impressions of the league’s changing rules.
The NBA is arguably the second most popular sport in the world. Futbol holds the top honors. Additionally, the NBA is quickly becoming the second most culturally diverse American sport behind MLB. Basketball is a game that doesn’t take much equipment at all to play. A ball and some sort of basket are all that’s needed.
Since the ’80s, the NBA has changed drastically and not just the length of shorts. Back in those days, the men played hard, and refs didn’t call soft fouls. If you don’t believe me, go back and watch the game films.
Most of today’s players wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of physicality. What did the Showtime Lakers, Detroit Bad Boys, and Chicago Bulls dynasty have in common? Enforcers. Arguably, the NBA’s peak was in the ’90s. That was a blend of the physicality from the ’80s with some more modernization of today’s game.
But there is a storm coming. A storm that the NBA may not like. A storm that will turn off more fans from watching this beautiful game. This isn’t a reference to players forming super teams or getting involved in the fight for social injustice.
I’m referring to rule changes that have taken place recently that are killing the league. Most of the rule changes aid the offense. The league believes these rule changes make the game more enjoyable to watch. But that is a debate for a later date. Some more egregious rule changes are the rip through, brake check, and pump and jump. And to think it started innocently enough with Manu Ginobli bringing over the Euro-Step.
This rule change isn’t the worst. It involves the offensive player giving a pump fake to the defender and getting his man to bite on the fake by leaving the ground. Once the defender is in the air, the offensive player jumps into the defender. The key being the offensive player must jump vertically into the defender. Meaning the offensive player can’t seek out the air-born defender for contact and the chance for a possible three-point play.
If the defender bites on a great pump fake, the offensive player should be rewarded. Dwayne Wade was really good at utilizing this rule to his advantage. This rule change has reigned since its inclusion in the game.
This rule can be highly debatable. On the rip-through, an offensive player intentionally swings his arms into an aggressive defender and heaves the ball toward the basket in hopes of drawing a foul. The player has no intention of taking a legit shot. It’s all about the offensive player getting another foul on the defender.
Whenever a defender extends his arm, he’s gambling the offensive player doesn’t use this move. Defenders are taught they should be no further than an arm’s length away. Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, and James Harden are frequent users of this rule. (There can be a whole article on my thoughts on those two).
A “Brake Check” is when the offensive player cuts off the defender. He then pauses with his dribble enough for the now trailing defender to bump into the offensive player. Once the offensive player feels the contact, he pulls up for a shot. Again, drawing a cheap foul from the defense with either a trip to the line or a possible three-point play.
This play teaches defenders that once they’re beaten, they should give up. Don’t follow for a possible rebound off a shot or follow if there’s a pass. Now when a defender gets beat, the best thing he can do is help the next man guarding the player who just beat him. A help the helper situation. Trae Young is a habitual user of this rule.
Another thing about this modern era of basketball is the lack of rule enforcement. More often, players are getting away with traveling. The most basic rule gets a blind eye. Just recently, Donovan Mitchell committed a travel that resulted in him making a three-ball. LeBron James is another who takes advantage of fewer travel calls as well. He can stop his dribble at half-court and finish up with a slam dunk. Those must be two LONG steps (or Euro-steps).
The good news is that the non-star players still must dribble. Welcome to the NBA’s double standard. The biggest stars play in the biggest markets. So, this just one more thing that small-market teams must combat. The small market teams and non-star players must play by the rules. Meanwhile, star players on big market teams can play by their own rules. It’s not hard to wonder why the small market teams haven’t won many championships lately.
Star treatment isn’t something new. It’s been around for years. Michael Jordan once famously, or infamously, flew off the handle choking Reggie Miller and scratching Miller’s face. Miller received the ejection, not MJ. Read that again if necessary. The player violently assaulted on the court is thrown out. This double standard is terrible for the game. Also, it adds fuel to the idea that the game’s outcome is already decided.
Dating back to 2000, the big market teams have won half the titles (13 if you count Golden State as a big market team). The Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks won the remaining. Only the 2004 Pistons won without a major-star player. So, what’s the point of watching NBA games if you’re the fan of a small market team? The rules are against you.
Truly elite players don’t need this extra help. They are so talented and gifted it feels cheap and dirty when they pull this kind of stuff routinely. Watching the Trae Youngs, Kevin Durants, LeBron James, and Donovan Mitchells get away with these kinds of things ruin the game. Part of what made the NBA of the ’80s and ’90s great was refs called games evenly. Well, for the most part. It still baffles me how Robert Parish pull’s down and punches Bill Laimbeer. Yet Laimbeer gets foul on him.
Sure, this article rings all the bells of the “Get off my lawn” grumpy old man. But the fact of the matter is this is happening yearly. It will be no surprise when L.A. LeBron’s face either the Golden State Currys or L.A. Kawhis in the Western Conference Finals, followed up with the LA LeBrons in the NBA Finals and repeating as NBA Champions. The biggest stars get all of the breaks.
The NBA needs to start enforcing the rules evenly across the league. A part of the reason the NFL is so successful is due to parity. Parity does not exist in the NBA. Unless your team has a major star player, the rules are against them. If the NBA doesn’t clean up these issues, the league will lose popularity. Dark days are ahead.
What do you think about the enforcement of NBA rules? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.