Screw your coach’s challenge (The league has other ideas)

TrueHoop ^ | Jan 15, 2026 | Henry Abbott

[equaviator]

Yesterday we dug deep into the data to discuss how best to use coach’s challenges in NBA games. Which kinds of calls, which parts of the game...what it takes to succeed with more than 80 percent of your challenges like the Knicks, instead of less than 30 percent of the time like the Spurs (who somehow have only had five successful challenges all season).

Today the mission is different: to explain why coach’s challenges were never the right solution.

Slow-motion replay can warp your brain into thinking NBA refereeing is easy. But stand on the baseline as Giannis crashes through the defense, with one real-time angle in lousy human eyes and...refereeing is hard as hell. Owing to the fact players get faster every year, it’s harder than ever. No human could ever call a game perfectly; that’s a job for a cyborg...(subscription required to read entire article).

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Miscellaneous; Sports
KEYWORDS: nba

[equaviator]

I still haven't seen a coach challenge a referee's failure to call a penalty for traveling or "walking with the ball", yet you see players taking like two and a half to 3 steps on their way in and you see them get away with it all the time! Unless it's changed, I thought the rule is that players are only allowed one and a half steps. It's never talked about at the announcer's table or by any of the teams. What gives?

[EQAndyBuzz]

I’m tired of the 3-point shot. Use it one quarter a game. Do a coin flip for who picks the quarter. Palming, double dribble and traveling need to be called. Calling fouls are pretty standard.

That’s it.

[ComputerGuy]

The shot clock and the three-point shot completely changed the college game.

[whitney69]

“What gives?”

The league is trying to increase certain parts of the game for fan enjoyment. The sport requires people to do things in an orderly and controlled atmosphere. That would be boring to the fans so they allow things (ignore) so they can generate both offense and defense. Rules get in the way. If they wanted to, even at the NBA level the players would be hamstrung if they had to follow the rules. Nobody wants to see players at the line, so they let the violence exist with body contact many times initiated by the offensive player. And as for rebounding, if it is side by side or a “superstar” initiates the contact, no call. It’s to put butts in the seats. And this is why the women’s game has failed and they are changing that with the ignoring of contact. But the players are using it as a weapon to harm the game so until the league changes the flow, it will get more violent. And it will fill the stands and sell pennants, jerseys, and food/drink. And the drink is to add to the enjoyment of the violence.

I can remember when simple hand checking was illegal. And after the first year, it was ignored. AT Christmas time in the early 80’s, the NCAA decided that every foul under two minutes was going to be an automatic two shot shooting foul, they opened up a can of worms. Since the foul was going to be a shooting foul, the defenders made sure the offensive player didn’t get a shot off and they just hammered the offensive player. That rule was withdrawn right after the Christmas break tournament.

wy69

[whitney69]

“The shot clock and the three-point shot completely changed the college game.”

The three point shot is a novelty. But the shot clock allowed the erasing of the closely guarded rule and should have erased he back court count, but didn’t. They have 30 seconds to inbound and draw iron on he rim. But they don’t get a fresh 30, it is dropped to 20 in the women’s game. The men get a fresh 30.

And under certain rules, the NCAA allows the advancing of the throw in to midcourt so that has an effect on play.

Don’t get started on advantageous false double fouls. They control that with a possession arrow.

wy69

[ComputerGuy]

I hear you, but three points is three points.

[bert]

By allowing purposeful fouls in the final minutes, Basketball tells America that the end justifies the means.

Murder thus becomes justified

[libertylover]

The shot clock and the three-point shot completely changed the college game.

I agree. The three-point shot should be a gamble instead of the normal shot. I've seen teams pass up a dunk to try a 3-point shot. Dumb, dumber, and dumbist!

But the shot clock was absolutely necessary. I'll never forgive Dean Smith for his "four-corners" play, which I dubbed "bas-keep-a-ball" but has never caught on.

[equaviator]

Thanks! That explains it perfectly.

[whitney69]

“...but three points is three points...”

If that’s the case, why not have a four point from the center court area? Or make a break away layup only one point. It was put in to change the offense of the game while keeping the sellable exhilaration in tact.

And how about the history of the restricted area zone. It started out if there was contact in that area it was going to be a defensive foul because the league said you couldn’t establish a guarding position there. Well, if you can’t guard, you can’t block a shot either. So everything in that zone is a layup and the defender cannot draw a player control foul. Any contact is by the defender. Oh, they block in there, but the contact in there if any is often ignored based upon who is shooting and who is defending in the NBA. Gotta put butts in the seats. If the hero fouls out, a couple of thousand spectators go past the food and collectable stores to the parking lot. The money says, “bye.”

wy69

[whitney69]

“...but three points is three points...”

If that’s the case, why not have a four point from the center court area? Or make a break away layup only one point. It was put in to change the offense of the game while keeping the sellable exhilaration in tact.

And how about the history of the restricted area zone. It started out if there was contact in that area it was going to be a defensive foul because the league said you couldn’t establish a guarding position there. Well, if you can’t guard, you can’t block a shot either. So everything in that zone is a layup and the defender cannot draw a player control foul. Any contact is by the defender. Oh, they block in there, but the contact in there if any is often ignored based upon who is shooting and who is defending in the NBA. Gotta put butts in the seats. If the hero fouls out, a couple of thousand spectators go past the food and collectable stores to the parking lot. The money says, “bye.”

wy69

[whitney69]

“Murder thus becomes justified”

If the defender was going for the ball, and just happened to make contact knocking the offensive player into the third row, it isn’t considered a flagrant because there is no penalty for that with all fouls going for the ball being considered a two shot penalty. Now a flagrant misconduct can get an ejection, two shots and the ball. But if they are going for the ball, it isn’t considered intentional. There is no manslaughter in basketball. It only took a two week time frame for them to rethink that one after the Christmas tournaments.

wy69