Basketball’s Unwritten Rules and the NBA

in #basketball7 years ago (edited)
This article is about Basketball’s “Unwritten Rules” and why some of these unwritten rules shouldn’t even be entertained in professional basketball. All sports have their own versions of “unwritten rules.” It’s a form of etiquette or sportsmanship between players and/or teams. However, there are some rules that should not even be allowed in the professional courts of basketball.

One particular rule that baffles me and found it to be childish is:

If your team is winning at the end of a game, don't take a shot at the buzzer. It makes you look cocky and is a sign of disrespect to the other team. This is just considered unsportsmanlike. Usually at the end of a lopsided game if the winning team has the ball for the last possession, the losing team won’t even bother to guard the offensive players. This is a sign that the losing team has conceded the game. At this time, the player with the ball should just dribble the ball and run out the clock. Source

Yeah, that rule. I always have a problem with the rule. Just the last couple of months, we have seen Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers and Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers getting triggered by opposing players who attempt to score points in the last few seconds of the game and in turn attempt to start a scuffle because their feelings got hurt.

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My problem here is that these are professional players paid to play basketball for 48 minutes. The game is about scoring more points and stopping the opposing team from scoring. If you do not want to lose a game, if you do not want the other team to trash your team, if you do not want the other team to keep scoring on you at the end of the game – then play DEFENSE! You are professional players. You are being paid to play basketball for 48 minutes and that means you play defense not for 40 minutes, not for 45 minutes, not for 47 minutes but for 48 MINUTES! Any other job would have gotten you in trouble if you slack around and not being productive or contributing to your workplace. The owner of your professional team did not pay you to be a Cinderella or a cry-baby in the last few seconds of the game, he did not pay you to stop playing defense when you are losing.

Although, I should not be surprised with this rule, after all, this is the softest generation of NBA players in history playing under the officiating of the worst generation of referees in the NBA history.

Photo Credit: Lillard / Clarkson

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