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Originally Posted by octothorp
Elam ending solves this (with a certain amount of time into the fourth quarter (10 minutes, probably), the game clock is turned off and a target score of leading team + 8 points is introduced). I normally hate the idea of different rules in a certain part of the game, but this so nicely fixes something that is extremely broken in the current NBA game. Fouling (except when fouling a bad freethrow shooter) is never the right strategy under the elam ending, and no matter what the deficit is, there's always a chance a trailing team goes on an insane run to come from behind and win the game.
I doubt think the NBA ever actually adopts it because they don't deeply care that the end of a close game slows down to a crawl, because the stoppages are better for advertising. However, they have tested it in the g-league for two straight years (as well as the all-star game, which sucks as a test environment because the elam ending assumes that teams are highly motivated to win). So there's at least *some* chance it gets implemented.
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But then why even play the first three quarters if the goal is essentially to try and manufacture endings? It works in the All-Star game cause no one cares until the fourth, when the games always tended to get more competitive. Every system is going to be flawed, helping the losing team seems very backwards. And as best I can tell this isn't even really an issue? I don't see a media outcry or anything, or the fans demanding it. Ironically, the only media outcry related to this recently was the Knicks
not fouling Maxey and making that strategic error. Honestly seems like much ado about nothing.