NBA toughens take-foul penalty

The NBA has completed the process of changing the take-foul rule, ending years of discussion about what to do with the long-maligned tactic.

And, also as expected, the play-in tournament is going to be around for the foreseeable future.

The league's board of governors finalized those two matters Tuesday, approving a plan to award one free throw when teams are disadvantaged by the take foul－as well as removing the "experimental "designation from the play-in element to the postseason.

It wasn't a surprise that the league changed the penalty on take fouls. Commissioner Adam Silver told The Associated Press in early June that it would change, though cautioned that the new rule might still be tweaked in future years.

The take foul－in which the defender does not make a play on the ball－is what the league classifies as one that occurs either "during a transition scoring opportunity or immediately following a change of possession and before the offensive team has the opportunity to advance the ball". The exception is in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

The new penalty for such a foul is one free throw, which may be attempted by any player on the offended team in the game at the time the foul was committed, and continued possession.

The play-in tournament has generally been considered a success, so it was no surprise that the league is keeping it around.

The play-in tournament－in its current form－has been used in each of the last two seasons, where the teams that finish seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th in the East and West meet to determine the final two playoff spots in each conference.

The No 7 team plays the No 8 team, with the winner clinching the No 7 seed in the playoffs. The No 9 team plays the No 10 team, with the loser eliminated and the winner moving on to face the team that lost the 7-8 game. The winner of that matchup is the No 8 seed.

It's been a hit, primarily because it tends to give a March Madness feel－four elimination games before the playoffs even begin－and gives more teams incentive to not tank for better odds in the draft lottery.

Meanwhile, Silver said that the issue of load management will continue to be discussed with the National Basketball Players Association as the sides get more into negotiations for the next collective bargaining agreement.

Agencies via Xinhua