https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/04...icking-if-thats-a-foul-the-nba-is-in-trouble/ The man doesn’t want to get fined says enough that he backs up our guys even though he thinks that jumping forward should even be an offensive foul if it’s anything. Question is: is Harden jumping like that because he expects the foul and thus securing his fall or just get the call?
Many say this ex-NBA Player had perfect form. Watch him in the 3pt Shooting Contest ... jumping forward.
Like any smart offensive player who is shooting a contested shot, he is shooting it in a manner that will minimize the chances of his shot being blocked. If a player tries to block it he runs the risk of fouling him. That’s just playing smart. The rules allow a player to float forward on their shot. There’s no way to set a line on how far a player is allowed to float forward. As long as his legs are not kicking forward in a manner that would be an unnatural landing (like his last shot in game 1), then it’s fine. The NBA should review players who fall on their jump shots and fine them or T them up if it’s a flop. You clean it up that way. Don’t just stop whistling legit fouls.
yes, that's why he shoots a step back. If you are saying he uses Sweep and Sway mechanics to avoid being blocked, well, that's just weird to me. It's proper mechanics for many players. Harden simply is one of the rare players who can do a step-back fast enough (and long enough) to avoid being blocked and with the smooth balance to jump into proper Sweep and Sway mechanics for long-range, such that he can hit them at a higher percentage than anyone else in the history of the game. Search the internet for "Sweep and Sway". Players shoot like that in order to help them make long-range shots. They don't do that to prevent getting blocked.
The only problem I have with wanting to institute a flopping fine is that the league doesn't follow through on it, plus the fines are insignificant. how many times in the Jazz series did we see flopping, yet no fines were ever assessed even though the league has a rule against flopping.
There is a video showing that Harden’s forward movement is more when the shot is contested versus not contested. What he is doing is just smart. By the extra swaying forward he is making it very difficult for the defender to closely contest his shot without making illegal contact. Van Pelt wants to spin this as he is intentionally trying to fool the refs, but it’s really no different from any other time an offensive player adjusts how he shouts the ball to make it more difficult for the defender to contest without fouling.
Harden only had like one unnatural jump forward that game that I can recall, and it was the shot on Green at the end, so of course that's the one everyone keeps showing. To be sure, it was a bad play... After not getting whistles all game, down three on the last possession, that is not the time to play for a call. Either take a legit shot, or pass the ball. Not hating, even the greatest make mistakes, but we all have to admit that was a mistake (even if the refs may have still cost us the game).
the organization teaches the players to jump further forward when they shoot. i'm not saying whether that's good or bad, fair or unfair. i'm just saying as a fact; they recognized that it increases the space for shooting and the likelihood of a foul call so they adjusted.
Which jump forward are you talking about? When Harden kicks his feet underneath Dreymong or something else?
This, x1000. It's bad journalism to just show that one over and over to represent the story the Rockets are telling. Almost everyone on both sides agree that one was a 50/50 tough call. Anyone who didn't watch the game is going to be left to assume that that was the only play the Rockets were upset about. (Such as some friends of mine who are stupid enough to read Reddit r/Warriors)
Maybe. I have mixed feelings about whether that’s a foul or not. Kenny Smith, former Rocket and well known jump shooter, and from distance, thought it was a foul. It was one of the surprising things he said that was immediately talked over by Shaq and Charles, and Kenny typically didn’t insist on being allowed to give his opinion without the interruptions. I wish he would be more assertive. I would have far more respect for his career on TV if he would give more of his own opinions, instead of agreeing with everyone else, and stand up for those opinions. Find some backbone, Kenny. I was a big fan when you played such an important role on the Rockets during our 2 championships, and during the seasons surrounding them. What happened to that guy?
As someone who is obviously a diehard Rockets/Harden fan, a lot of those shots frustrate me, and I'll freely admit it's not a good look. But as someone who also watches almost all Rockets games, I can say that those are some of the worse examples of Harden doing that. They're not terribly uncommon (and he should make them even less common), but still. He rarely gets the call when he does that kind of move, anyway. 95 3-pt fouls is just 1.2 per game... For a guy with a devastating step back (41% on step backs, IIRC) who takes over 13 threes per game, that number should not be very surprising to anyone...Like you don't think James Harden could legitimately be getting fouled on one out of every 11-12 threes he attempts? When 94% of his threes are contested? If anything, that number could be higher. Plus, what happened against Klay in the first half was not the same as what happened in most of that clip... But what happened against Dray at the end was. That wasn't a smart play on Harden's part.
Harden isn't trying to draw a foul, and he isn't jumping irregularly forward. Legs being forward is actually a pretty natural reaction to stepback and fadeaway shots anyways ie Jordan, Kobe, Dirk, etc. Harden understands this draws the defender into a situation where they are overcompensating and jumping far forward on his step back. It's to protect his ankles. A controlled fall allows for safer energy transfer, and he doesn't land his feet on an idiot defender.
He does, after they miss some calls, he starts jutting his legs out forward to accentuate the contact. CP can be even worse, sometimes he twerks his butt into the defender looking for the call. I'm here to say, don't do that, or react after a non call no matter how unfair and egregious it is. Just plod on, don't get out of focus, don't get distracted, just keep jacking them up. I think the more you try to sell it the more you jacknife your legs forward, the more the refs will deny you the call. I think they think they don't want to get scammed. Just play, take the calls you get, blow off the ones you don't... it's your only chance.
Curry does it a lot, too. He specifically got into the habit of falling down while shooting 3's to protect his brittle ankles.
