Fouling On The Breakaway

[Turtleboy]

I hate it. Maybe it makes sense. If I'm wrong, please educate me.


I was watching the women play today, and Bales fouled a VA player on a breakaway when she had no chance of successfully defending the goal. It was her third foul. A couple of minutes later she was called for a phantom fourth and had to sit.

Duke is a different team without her. Not necessarily worse, but different. Today it didn't matter, but I can see it making a huge difference when facing someone like Maryland, UNC Chapel Hill, Tennessee, etc.

I don't get the logic. A player only gets five fouls, and is pretty much hamstrung defensively after the fourth. Is it worth it to stop a basket? Especially when two free throws are coming? Even the worst free throw shooter averages ~ 50%. Is fouling at a net point gain of plus one a good move?

Obviously, certain end game situations dictate fouling. I'm not talking about these.

[imagepro]

Sometimes yo should just let the player go. As you say, certain situations will change the strategy. IF it's late as you say, or if a tight game and the player breaking away is poor FT shooter, then you foul. But as you accurately point out, that foul can come back to haunt you, and big time!

[gep]

I also noticed, recently, that on a steal and breakaway by the opposing team, Jon will race with him, try to stay next to or in front of him, but will leave his hands to his side when the other player gets to the basket... apparently trying to aviod the foul. As you say, if you foul, it's either a 3 point play, or odds are that it's at least 1 point, if not the 2 points anyway... and Jon avoids the foul.

[MattyB.]

I also noticed, recently, that on a steal and breakaway by the opposing team, Jon will race with him, try to stay next to or in front of him, but will leave his hands to his side when the other player gets to the basket... apparently trying to aviod the foul. As you say, if you foul, it's either a 3 point play, or odds are that it's at least 1 point, if not the 2 points anyway... and Jon avoids the foul.

...a smart player, making a smart play. the best defense i've seen on a 1-on-1 breakaway, is to simply try and stay with/in front of the offensive player, and hope (a) s/he misses, (b) you can poke the ball away on a clean strip (c) they simply get a 2-point lay-in and you don't foul, or (d) you slow them down enough that Shane Battier catches up from behind and SWATS IT AWAY!

[Indoor66]

...a smart player, making a smart play. the best defense i've seen on a 1-on-1 breakaway, is to simply try and stay with/in front of the offensive player, and hope (a) s/he misses, (b) you can poke the ball away on a clean strip (c) they simply get a 2-point lay-in and you don't foul, or (d) you slow them down enough that Shane Battier catches up from behind and SWATS IT AWAY!

Showing your age

[Richard Berg]

Henderson has been 0.1sec away from getting a clean swat from behind several times this season. And Marty of all people had an amazing block in this situation in fall 2005, IIRC.

[rsvman]

I'm with you. I think most of the time it doesn't make sense.

Yet you can still hear announcers that say things like, "That was a smart foul."

[Turtleboy]

Henderson has been 0.1sec away from getting a clean swat from behind several times this season. And Marty of all people had an amazing block in this situation in fall 2005, IIRC.

I'm all for it if you have a chance of making a defensive play. That's not what I'm talking about. Did you see the women's game? Bales had no chance. None. It was fairly close to an intentional foul.

If Bales is on the bench, now Cheeks is on Larkins, or Langhorne. Not my first choice in a one and done tourney.

[MattyB.]

Showing your age

actually, more a reference to a certain avatar of a regular poster on this board. :-)

while Ferry is probably my all-time favorite Dukie, Shane is my fave of recent memory. i'm older than you probably think (see my avatar for a bit of a hint)...