Hoops Habit
Fansided

The NBA Needs To Address Hack-A-Shaq Strategy

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free-throw against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) shoots a free-throw against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NBA
February 15, 2015; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks after the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. The West defeated the East 163-158. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

NBA Is An Entertainment Industry

First and foremost, basketball is an entertainment industry. Even as someone who has played basketball since the age of five, I have no problem acknowledging that without fans, and the fact that people find the game of basketball entertaining, the NBA would not exist. As much as the game is more than “just a game,” this fact is a no-brainer.

Bearing that in mind, why would anyone be opposed to fixing a loophole that ruins the flow of the game and makes it a boring event to watch? From the league’s perspective, any rule that turns off casual fans and frustrates loyal ones is a rule that needs to be reevaluated.

This current Clippers-Spurs series is probably the best first round matchup in the entire playoffs, but if Game 1 was any indication, we could be in for a long series of three or even four-hour games. If San Antonio is trailing and DeAndre Jordan is on the floor, Gregg Popovich is going to start fouling until the final two minutes. Even if San Antonio is leading late in a game, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him do it then too.

Don’t believe me? Pop started employing the Hack-A-DJ strategy in the second quarter last night. In Game 1. Of a seven-game series. In the first round. From a fans’ perspective and from a league perspective, this is simply unacceptable.

There’s nothing in the rule book against intentionally fouling poor free throw shooters. Pop has every right to do it and if anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt for utilizing such a loophole, it’s Gregg Popovich. But I struggle to understand what the incentive is for defending the strategy when it slows the game down and makes the game miserable for its viewers.

For one thing, let’s not act like this is anything other than bending the rules to win. There’s a reason you can’t pull that crap in the final two minutes of games. It just feels cheap in nature, much like flopping has been called “making a veteran play” simply because they can get away with it.

These guys are paid millions of dollars every year to play basketball, and for the players and coaches, this is more than just a game. It’s their occupation and winning is how they earn their version of promotions. But you know who pays them those millions of dollars? The fans, and the teams who rake in the money from those fans.

Winning is the ultimate goal for teams and their fan bases, but if the game wasn’t entertaining, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. First and foremost, the NBA is an entertainment industry.

Next: The Big Counter-Argument