Pop did it when it was most advantageous to do so (rather than doing it in the last two minutes, when the Spurs would be penalized for doing it).
It was a gamble that paid off. You may not like it, but what's so hard to understand about it?
Nobody is arguing that it wasn't effective. It was bloody effective.
It makes the game painful to watch and more of a spectacle. Especially if used the way Pop used it. Most coaches will do it as a desperation move in the final minutes of a game when things are slowed down anyways with timeouts and such. And you guys wonder why nobody enjoys watching the Spurs play and the fact that your team has registered some of the lowest ever Final ratings in history?
Phil Jackson. We're gonna whoop his ass, too, after we dispose of the Hornets.
The Suns are like a well-oiled machine on offense and any team's strategy against them should be to find a way to slow Nash and disrupt what they are trying to do. Regardless of the acquisition of Shaq, everyone knows that the Suns can't play defense. Popovich knew what the Suns weak spot was and exploited it. I know the Suns' bench isn't particularly deep, especially without Hill and with Skinner as much a candidate as Shaq for hacking, but an adjustment needed to be made on his part. D'Antoni should have pulled Shaq the second he was fouled away from the ball.
It sucks the flow out of the game and slows the game down.
It's boring.
It made the 1st half last as long as that of an NFL game, almost as long as some baseball games.
Nobody is arguing that D'Antoni isn't an idiot or that it didn't work. It's just that it made golf seem exciting in comparison.
Uh the Wizards did hack-a-Wallace in last night's game ass
But the Spurs are boring, right? Since nobody's watching anyway, who gives a ?
a superstar can be a soft pussy ass that choked in the playoffs. see Dirk Nowitki 2007
well it makes the game painful to watch the lakers with gasol who was aquired in a fishy ass deal. in cheaters
I've never been one to accuse/label the Spurs as being boring.
I do hate the strategy, though. I liken it to ARod shouting "Got it!" or Sean Avery's antics in front of Brodeur(surprised if more than 10% know what this is), neither of which is against the rules.
I don't really blame the Spurs. It's the NBA which needs to change the rules. When Avery did his schtick last week, the NHL changed the rule the next day. Why can't the NBA do this?
I thought only Suns fans trotted out that lame-ass argument about "ratings" and "excitement." To hear it from a Lakers fan isn't surprising, but from a Pistons fan?
Edit: OK, I think I see where you are coming from now.
Last edited by ThomasGranger; 05-01-2008 at 03:48 PM. Reason: why not?
Fouling a a poor shooter when he has the ball in his hands is one thing.
Fouling the same guy, who is nowhere near the ball, once he hits the timeline is another. In the first half, no less.
The NBA should change the rule. Allow anyone on the court to shoot the FTs or give them the ball out of bounds. How hard is it?
On a side note, if Avery had done that to Ed Belfour or Patrick Roy, his spleen would have been ruptured a week early.
If the NBA wanted to make intentional fouling unsportsmanlike conduct, they could probably do it immediately, and waiting until the Spurs started doing it would have been the perfect time. Howevuh, they won't even suspend Kevin Garnett for shoving an official right now, so they clearly have a credibility issue to deal with first.
The Spurs have had it done to them in the past, and they handled it without complaint. While I'm really glad they did it to the Suns, I have my own reasons for feeling that way about it, and I hope they don't do it ever again.
Another poster (a Pistons fan, I think), came up with the possibility of allowing the team who is fouled the option of declining the free throws.
Considering that the Hack-a-Shaq worked for the Spurs at the expense of a potential match-up the NBA was undoubtedly salivating about (Lakers/Suns), I'm pretty sure they will change the rule one way or another to discourage teams from using it in the future.
Hextall or Smith would have made him a soprano and then pummeled him into the ice for good measure.
The thing is, why wasn't the rule used before the Spurs used it? Nobody said anything about changing the rule when Don Nelson used it, or Phil Jackson used it, so why change it when Popovich used it?
And no, making a bad FT shooter shoot FTs is the same as forcing a bad shooter to shoot. Nobody said anything when Phil Jackson collapsed the lane and forced Tony Parker to shoot in 04. He clanged the shots, wasn't that as ugly as seeing Shaq missing his FTs?
The difference is that Parker worked on his shot to the point where he is at least respectable instead of whining about it. Learn from that, Shaq.
I hated it when the Magic did it to Wallace a few years back. If you hit 50% of FTs, the other team doesn't really benefit. Over the course of a few trips down the floor, it's akin to shooting 50% from the field. It just slows the game down.
And no, it isn't the same as letting TP shoot jumpers. The game doesn't stop in that scenario.
Because the Spurs won.The thing is, why wasn't the rule used before the Spurs used it?
I'm not saying this as a "NBA/Media Hates the Spurs" argument, but in the past the strategy has typically been used by teams who ended up losing the series anyway because they were that much inferior. I guess an exception would be when the Mavs employed Hack-a-Bowen in 2006, but that wasn't used with as much frequency as this year's Hack-a-Shaq.
Another thing: This was a very highly-touted series that a lot of basketball fans were excited about. So it's understandable that fans of the game who tuned in for good basketball were turned off when a free throw compe ion broke out.
I'm glad the Spurs used it and I'm glad we beat the Suns. If the rulebook provides a loophole, you go for it. But I would definitely welcome a rule change in the offseason if the NBA decides that's what's best for the game. I don't think you can try to eliminate all intentional fouls, but you can at least address off-the-ball intentional fouls.
@ at all these stupid spurs fans getting their panties in a bunch.
Moron, PJ used the same strategy on Bowen. Hence, the "hypocrite" label attached to the Zan Master.
That should be easy to understand, even for a LakerFan . . .
Therefore, get off Pop's back regarding the Hack-a-Fat, already.
any coach would do that if he thinks a player is in a violation. if you want to talk about someone sending too many videos to the League office....see mark cuban.
HIT YOUR IN' FREE THROWS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
END of Story.
There should not be a single aspect of any professional basketball player's game that I peform better than them. If your too much of a disgrace to your craft and lacking in professionalism to improve your weak points then deal with the consequences.
if you love your precious fakers so much then why are you watching us? if its so painful, dont watch it.
Yeah, the Spurs are the only team in history to use the "Hack A Snaq" strategy.... Maybe the mother er should learn to shoot freethrows.
I love that strategy...it made me laugh. It exploits a weakness in Shaq and throws off the Phx offense. Screw Phil Jackson!!!
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