The season-long “Hack-A-Shaq” conversation has ramped up during the playoffs, with the Spurs using it repeatedly against Clippers center DeAndre Jordan in the first round and Los Angeles turning around to use it against Rockets center Dwight Howard in Round 2.
Nets general manager Billy King became the latest to advocate some kind of change of the rules after Mason Plumlee was subject to intentional fouls in the Nets’ first-round playoff exit to the Hawks.
“I think it’s really something we’ve really got to change as a league,” King said Wednesday. “I think the coaches, give them credit, they’re taking advantage of the rules. But I think as a league, we’ve got to look to change it.”
The strategy slows the game down when teams send a player to the foul line over and over again, taking it away from the free-flowing entertainment a basketball game usually provides. But legislating the tactic out of the game would do more harm than good, and the reason why came in the second half of King’s answer.
“I wasn’t a great free-throw shooter,” King said, “so I’m not going to echo the words of the great shooters who’ve said, ‘just work at it,’ like Reggie Miller and all those guys who shoot the ball [well].
“Some guys are just naturally are going to be good free-throw shooters, so I think it’s not good for the league where you’re stopping the game and taking guys out that way. I think it’s great that the coaches take advantage of it now, but I think it’s something we need to address.”
The league and commissioner Adam Silver plan on examining the rule this offseason, and could consider a change.
But by eliminating the ability for coaches to take advantage of a poor free-throw shooter such as Jordan or Howard removes a significant strategic element. For instance, in the last several minutes of the Clippers’ Game 7 triumph over the Spurs, Doc Rivers left Jordan — one of his three best players — on the bench and went with Matt Barnes.
Rivers chose to sit Jordan to avoid him being fouled repeatedly (Jordan was a 39.7 percent free throw shooter this season), which could lead to multiple empty trips to the line and take his team out of its rhythm offensively.
Rockets coach Kevin McHale did the same thing with Howard in Game 2, benching him for a significant part of the fourth quarter after the Clippers employed the tactic to get back into the game (for the record, Howard knocked down three of four free throws before he was pulled).
It should matter that Jordan and Howard can’t shoot free throws. If a team’s best scorer can’t play defense, and the opposition chooses to isolate him time and again, that leaves the coach with a choice: Do I keep playing this guy or do I sit him? It’s a real question, with real consequences on both sides.
This situation isn’t any different. Coaches face a similar quandary: Do they choose to leave their long, athletic big men in the game, allowing them to control the boards and contest shots at the rim, or do they sit them?
This really only pertains to a few key players around the league. There are only so many players both bad enough at free throws and good enough to be playing late in close games. Is there really a need to change the rules in order to benefit a handful of players?
No, it’s not fun to watch a free-throw contest, and yes, the NBA is in the entertainment business (they didn’t just sign a gigantic television contract for charitable purposes). But making a rule change like this would have a fundamental impact on the sport, which matters just as much.
Hitting the Wall
John Wall became the latest significant player likely lost to injury this season, after it was announced Thursday he has five non-displaced fractures in his left hand and wrist.
While the Wizards star is right-handed, it seems highly improbable he will be able to return during the second-round series against the top-seeded Hawks, dealing a massive blow to their chances of winning a series that is even at 1-1.
It’s such a shame, too, as Wall was arguably playing better than anyone in these playoffs through his first five games (creating an astronomical 30 points per game with his assists through those five games, all Wizards wins). He had the Wizards looking like they had an even-money chance to knock out the Hawks after stealing home court in Game 1.
Instead, he just became another huge name on a long list to miss crucial time, including Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka for the Thunder, Paul George for the Pacers, Chris Bosh for the Heat, Kevin Love for the Cavaliers and Wes Matthews for the Trail Blazers.
That doesn’t even include Grizzlies guard Mike Conley missing three games with a facial fracture before returning in Game 2 against the Warriors, or Chris Paul sitting out at least the first two games of the Clippers’ series with the Rockets, or Tony Parker and Tiago Splitter playing at less than 100 percent in the Spurs’ agonizingly close first-round loss.
It’s further proof that in order to win a title, you not only need to be great, but you need to have luck on your side.
Of all the teams still in the playoffs, which one is the healthiest? That would be the Warriors, who just so happen to also be this season’s best team. It’s just one of many reasons why the Dubs are now massive favorites to claim their first NBA championship in 40 years.