Smart/savvy or BS?

[Benevolent One]

I saw a play last night in overtime of the Rockets/Blazers playoff game that typified something that has been bugging me for a while now. LaMarcus Aldridge of the Portland Trailblazers was having a monster game at the time with something like 46 points and 18 rebounds less than a minute into overtime. He also had 5 fouls. Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets apparently decided that if they couldn't stop Aldridge by actually outplaying him, he would take matters into his own hands. After Houston scored a basket, while the Blazers were bringing the ball up the court, Beverley just ran up the back of Aldridge to try to draw the sixth foul on Aldridge. Sure enough, they called a "moving screen" foul on Aldridge and he was gone from the overtime of a playoff game. The only small saving grace to this was that karma was virtually instant as Beverley appeared to sprain his knee while flopping wildly to try to sell the foul call. Beverley and his 9 points and 6 assists would be out of the game a play or so later. Not exactly an even swap, but hey. The Blazers also still won the game, even without their best player.

I've seen too many of these chicken$hit type moves lately being pulled and the announcers invariably praise the "veteran", "savvy" or "headdy" type of play the guy supposedly made. I saw one a while ago at the end of a college basketball game where the team set a guy up like this. The guy taking the ball out of bounds at the baseline ran sideways to get the guy who was guarding the inbounds pass to run with him. A player from the inbounding team slid in where the guy was being led into and drew a foul. I'm sure the coach who drew up that play felt pretty good about himself for that one. Whatever happened to sportsmanship?

 

[breatheoflife]

It's become part of the game, which is why basketball sucks anymore.

 

[AndyMarquisLive]

It's become part of the game, which is why basketball sucks anymore.

This.

Not to mention, the ridiculous amount of scoring. I don't know, I guess I like when sports have offense and defense. I appreciate soccer and hockey and those sports being low scoring affairs because it doesn't "look easy" when I'm watching it.

 

[ztevans]

Easily my least favorite part of basketball today. The "best" form of defense now is beating the ball handler to an arbitrary spot on the floor and flopping when he touches you rather than playing the ball.