Players have a right to "any spot on the floor". Players also have the right to occupy a spot another player may covet, that is, beat your man to "his" spot. There are places on the floor where contact can be made of a type by the defender. Post players forget they can't put a hand on front of a player at the top of the circle, guards and wing players forget that they can hold position below the freethrow line with a forearm, and more in the lower box. I see a lot of players asking referees why two plays look the same but a foul was called in only one instance. It isn't always the ref, or some superstar call, but a matter of where on the floor the contact was made, and the form the contact took.
Long story, longer, a good foul to me is not one foul, but 16 of them. A team could commit 16 fouls in a game and not send the other team to the freethrow line, and not turn the ball over to the other team. Another team could commit 16 fouls in a game and send the other team to the freethrow line all 16 times, and/or turn the ball over. (to oversimplify) Commit 4 fouls a quarter, not in the last two minutes of regulation, or overtime, not on the offensive end of the floor, not while the opponent is in the act of shooting, don't swing an elbow, and you too can see why veteran teams look like they get away with murder and yet don't get beat at the freethrow line. The foul "on the floor" is the mark of hard defensive pressure applied by a defender at the right time, on the catch, or on the dribble, driving through a screen with enough force to knock a bigman down (you floppers).
Every team employs some hacking at the end of games to attempt to stop the clock, force two freethrows and hope to score three points on the other end of the floor. This rarely works, but is the tactic of last resort. So, you will see every team give away some freethrows.
So, what teams commit the fewest fouls per game (n order), and how many free throw attempts do they give up?
Team PF, Opp FTA
Spurs 18.5, 20.2
Suns 18.6, 21.9
Hornets 19.4, 19.8
Wizards (they have other problems) 19.8, 23.6
Grizzlies 19.9, 22.4
Blazers 20.0, 20.9
Pistons 20.3, 25.0
Rockets 20.6, 25.8
These teams are not going to give the game away at the freethrow line. They may give it away in other ways. Once you get beyond 19 PF a lot of other things are going on. The Pistons are fouling and not giving you the easy hoop, you may get them at the line, but it is going to hurt. Spurs, Suns, Hornets, are contesting motion on the dribble and away fro the ball.
The difference between the fewest PF 18.5 and the most 24.8 is not as great as the difference between fewest FT attempts 21.3 and the most 29.6. There is a point where fouling works for you, and where it works against you, I contend that it is possible to foul 16 times a game and not give up a single attempt. Most teams are shooting around 72% to 75%, the easiest points to be had, limit fouls, limit attempts, and force the opponent to score in harder ways.
Stats as of 12/26/07
Tonight, 12/27/07, Sonics lost 96-104. The Sonics committed 23 fouls, the Celtics 15. The Sonics attempted 23 freethrows, the Celtics 36. Celtics were blazing hot from the 3 point line, but limit the freethrow attempts and it would have been anybody's game. Fouling Paul Pierce on his way to the basket s worse than fouling him on his way to receive the pass to begin the play.
Don't contest the shot, contest the play before the shot.
For the technical description see NBA.com
See Fouls and Penalties.
B. Personal Foul
Section I--Types
a. A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an oppo-nent by extending a hand, forearm, leg or knee or by bending the body into a posi-tion that is not normal. Contact that results in the re-routing of an opponent is a foul which must be called immediately.
b. Contact initiated by the defensive player guarding a player with the ball is not legal. This contact includes, but is not limited to, forearm, hands, or body check.
EXCEPTIONS:
(1) A defender may apply contact with a forearm to an offensive player with the ball who has his back to the basket below the free throw line extend-ed outside the Lower Defensive Box.
(2) A defender may apply contact with a forearm and/or one hand with a bent elbow to an offensive player in a post-up position with the ball in the Lower Defensive Box.
(3) A defender may apply contact with a forearm to an offensive player with the ball at any time in the Lower Defensive Box. The forearm in the above exceptions is solely for the purpose of main-taining a defensive position.
(4) A defender may position his leg between the legs of an offensive player in a post-up position in the Lower Defensive Box for the purpose of main-taining defensive position. If his foot leaves the floor in an attempt to dis-lodge his opponent, it is a foul immediately.
(5) Incidental contact with the hand against an offensive player shall be ignored if it does not affect the player's speed, quickness, balance and/or rhythm.
c. Any player whose actions against an opponent cause illegal contact with yet another opponent has committed the personal foul.
d. A personal foul committed by the offensive team during a throw-in shall be an offensive foul, regardless of whether the ball has been released.
e. Contact which occurs on the hand of the offensive player, while that hand is in contact with the ball, is legal.
EXCEPTION: Flagrant, elbow and punching fouls.
PENALTIES: The offender is charged with a personal foul. The offended team is charged with a team foul if the illegal contact was caused by the defender. There is no team foul if there are personal fouls on one member of each team or the per- sonal foul is against an offensive player. The offended team is awarded:
(1) the ball out-of-bounds on the sideline at the nearest spot where play was interrupted but no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extend-ed if an offensive foul is assessed.
(2) the ball out-of-bounds on the sideline where play was interrupted but no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extended if the personal foul is on the defender and if the penalty situation is not in effect.
(3) one free throw attempt if the personal foul is on the defender and there is a successful field goal or free throw on the play.
(4) two/three free throw attempts if the personal foul is on the defender and the offensive player is in the act of shooting an unsuccessful field goal.
(5) one free throw attempt plus a penalty free throw attempt if the personal foul is on the defender and the offensive player is not in the act of attempting a field goal if the penalty situation is in effect.
(6) one free throw attempt and possession of the ball on the sideline nearest the spot where play was interrupted if an offensive player, or a teammate, is fouled while having a clear-path-to-the-basket. The ball and an offen-sive player must be positioned between the tip-of-circle extended in the backcourt and the basket in the frontcourt, with no defender between the ball and the basket when the personal foul occurs. There must be team control and the new play must originate in the backcourt, including throw-ins, and the offended team must be deprived of an opportunity to score an uncontested basket.
(7) two free throw attempts if the personal foul is for illegal contact with an elbow. The elbow foul may be assessed whether the ball is dead or alive. Free throw attempts are awarded whether the ball is dead, alive, loose or away-from-the-play in the last two minutes of regulation or overtime(s). Contact must occur for an elbow foul to be assessed. It is an unsports-manlike act whether or not there is contact. (See Rule 12A--Section VII-- d(6) for non-contact.) If the deliberate elbow contact is above shoulder level, the player will be ejected. If the elbow contact is shoulder level or below, the player may be ejected at the discretion of the official. In all of these situations, the official has the discretion of assessing a fla-grant foul (1) or (2).
(8) two free throw attempts if a personal foul is committed by a defender prior to the ball being released on a throw-in.
EXCEPTION: Rule 12B--Section X.
(9) two free throw attempts if a personal foul is committed against an offen-sive player without the ball when his team has at least a one-man advan-tage on a fast break and the defensive player takes a foul to stop play.
Section II--By Dribbler
a. A dribbler shall not (1) charge into an opponent who has established a legal guarding position, or (2) attempt to dribble between two opponents, or (3) attempt to dribble between an opponent and a boundary, where sufficient space is not avail-able for illegal contact to be avoided.
b. If a defender is able to establish a legal position in the straight line path of the dribbler, the dribbler must avoid contact by changing direction or ending his dribble.
c. The dribbler must be in control of his body at all times. If illegal contact occurs, the responsibility is on the dribbler.
PENALTY: The offender is assessed an offensive foul. There is no team foul. The ball is awarded to the offended team on the sideline nearest the spot where play was interrupted but no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extended.
EXCEPTION: Rule 3--Section I--a.
d. If a dribbler has sufficient space to have his head and shoulders in advance of his defender, the responsibility for illegal contact is on the defender.
e. If a dribbler has established a straight line path, a defender may not crowd him out of that path.
PENALTY: The defender shall be assessed a personal foul and a team foul. If the penalty is not in effect, the offended team is awarded the ball on the sideline nearest the spot where play was interrupted but no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extended. If the penalty is in effect, one free throw attempt plus a penalty free throw attempt is awarded.
Section III--By Screening
A player who sets a screen shall not (1) assume a position nearer than a nor-mal step from an opponent, if that opponent is stationary and unaware of the screen-er's position, or (2) make illegal contact with an opponent when he assumes a posi-tion at the side or front of an opponent, or (3) assume a position so near to a moving opponent that illegal contact cannot be avoided by the opponent without changing direction or stopping, or (4) move laterally or toward an opponent being screened, after having assumed a legal position. The screener may move in the same direction and path of the opponent being screened. In (3) above, the speed of the opponent being screened will determine what the screener's stationary position may be. This position will vary and may be one to two normal steps or strides from his opponent.
See Rule: Guarding an Opponent, and remember that they call those little players "guards" for a reason that appears to be lost on many players, and the game itself.
2. Guarding an Opponent
In all guarding situations, a player is entitled to any spot on the court he desires, provided he legally gets to that spot first and without contact with an opponent. If a defensive or offensive player has established a position on the floor and his opponent initiates contact that results in the dislodging of the opponent, a foul should be called IMMEDIATELY.
During all throw-ins, the defensive player(s) must be allowed to take a position between his man and the basket.
A player may continue to move after gaining a guarding position in the path of an opponent provided he is not moving directly or obliquely toward his opponent when contact occurs. A player is never permitted to move into the path of an opponent after the opponent has jumped into the air.
A player who extends a hand, forearm, shoulder, hip or leg into the path of an opponent and thereby causes contact is not considered to have a legal position in the path of an opponent.
A player is entitled to a vertical position even to the extent of holding his arms above his shoulders, as in post play or when double-teaming in pressing tactics.
Any player who conforms to the above is absolved from responsibility for any contact by an opponent which may dislodge or tend to dislodge such player from the position which he has attained and is maintaining legally. If contact occurs, the official must decide whether the contact is incidental or a foul has been committed.
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