The NBA made some rule changes for the next season, and it will help to get the best out of the games.
The NBA made two significant modifications on Tuesday in the hopes that they will quicken the tempo of play and draw in more spectators.
Take fouls, which occur when an opponent player grabs an offensive player during a fastbreak, will now result in a harsher punishment than a simple personal foul. The team will receive both possession and a free throw if a referee determines that a player committed a foul while the ball was not in play.
More than 1,700 take-foul plays were displayed, according to league officials, in meetings with the players association to persuade players that adjustments were required. Finally, the NBPA concurred.
Boston Celtics player Grant Williams talked about how this rule change will affect the game. He said, “I always said it’s a strategy behind it but if you take that strategy out, you get a more open-floor, fast-paced game.”
He added, “It’s going to [lead] to guys to playing defense more. I think that helps us, because in transition guys can’t take fouls when we get on the break. Similar to that, it’s going to help superstars like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and those guys where teams don’t have a chance to necessarily stop them in transition. It sucks because I utilized [them] a lot but we just have to figure out other ways to do it.”
The play-in tournament was introduced in the bubble season. It provided a lot of teams to make it to the playoffs, but on the other hand, it spoiled some team’s chances as well.
The NBA has planned to continue the play-in tournament as it received a good response from the public and the players. The teams from the 7th to 10th seed will have a chance every year to qualify for the playoffs, and the play-in tournament makes it very exciting.
Last year the Atlanta Hawks benefited from it, and also the New Orleans Pelicans. They were able to qualify for the playoffs despite not being in the top 8 of the standings in their conferences after the end of the regular season.
The NBA is also planning to conduct a midseason tournament every year starting from the 2023/2024 season. All teams will be part of it, and it will be a knock-out competition. The best four teams out of that will then play at neutral venues to determine the winner of that mid-season tournament every year.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic: The NBA Board of Governors today discussed In-Season Tournament concept of all 30 teams competing and then eight teams entering single-elimination round to determine the winner, with the Final Four at a neutral site, per sources. 2023-24 season at earliest.
The league is trying its best to attract people to watch the game. These unique innovations and ideas can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. However, so far, all the ideas by Adam Silver are looking pretty good as the NBA is doing well economically.
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