Win by Six

[virtual9mm]

It's no different from winning by two in half-court pickup games with makers. It's different...but I like it.

[Cap]

It's no different from winning by two in half-court pickup games with makers. It's different...but I like it.

Very similar, except for the winning margin starting at six and slowly shrinking instead of always being two.

Of course, six points in the NBA could be just two shots.

The shrinking margin also opens up the possibility that the game can be won by a defensive stop, whereas those pickup games can only be ended with a score.

[Mori Chu]

I hadn't yet weighed in on this idea. As I ponder it more, I generally love it! It would remove the urgency of getting every call right at the end of regulation. And for any relatively close game, it basically requires EVERY NBA game to end on a game-winner. How cool is that? Suns up 4, BOOKER, FOR THE WIN! PUTS IT IN!! SUNS TAKE IT!!!

I do have some concerns, though these are minor: I worry about extending the end of NBA games even further; they are already long as it is. I think the broadcast partners wouldn't like the idea of games stretching on and on. And I also worry that it'd just move the pressure of getting the ref call right from the last play of the game to the last scoring play to get over the margin of 6 points. That's a quibble though. I also might choose a different number than 6 points to win, maybe 5.

Also, I worry about players fouling out with the extended game time. I would couple this idea with a new rule that NBA players can never foul out. From now on, once you hit your 6th foul, every subsequent foul is essentially the same as a flagrant in the sense that the opponent will get 2 shots and the ball. (Or you could do 1-and-1 for non-shooting fouls, or something.) This way it punishes you for leaving in a guy who's foul prone but doesn't take stars off the floor.

[Cap]

I do have some concerns, though these are minor: I worry about extending the end of NBA games even further; they are already long as it is. I think the broadcast partners wouldn't like the idea of games stretching on and on.

In general I believe the game would not be much longer. While the majority of games may go to OT, the majority will not make it to the end of that first OT period. The only way the game stretches on and on is if they play a long time without any team being able to gain any separation. If that happens it’s not a drag; it’s a constant battle that either team can take at any time. Indeed, the only time a game is in hand and you’re just waiting for it to be over is during regulation in a blow out.

And I also worry that it'd just move the pressure of getting the ref call right from the last play of the game to the last scoring play to get over the margin of 6 points.

The idea is that a reffing mistake can keep your opponent alive but not give them the game, unless you’re deep in OTs. If the refs deny you your six-point win, you still have a four-point advantage.

(Admittedly, WB6 doesn't address the possibility that a reffing error can affect more than one play if it fouls out a key player. If a reffing error denies you your regulation win and fouls out your best player and then you're outscored by nine and lose, you can still claim you were the better team that day and were outscored by nine only after the refs took your best team off the floor. That's still not quite giving the opponent the game. The reffing error only gives them the opportunity; they have to overcome a lot to take advantage of it.)

Also, I worry about players fouling out with the extended game time. I would couple this idea with a new rule that NBA players can never foul out. From now on, once you hit your 6th foul, every subsequent foul is essentially the same as a flagrant in the sense that the opponent will get 2 shots and the ball. (Or you could do 1-and-1 for non-shooting fouls, or something.) This way it punishes you for leaving in a guy who's foul prone but doesn't take stars off the floor.

I don’t believe the extended time would be a lot in most cases. If a constantly tight game goes long, the stars foul out, and the game is finally decided by depth, is that bad? Won’t happen often. (It’s a bad thing if it’s the refs fouling players out of games. If the players are legitimately fouling themselves out, so be it.)