Hello r/nba,
I want to discuss something I saw in today’s Nuggets vs. Rockets game, specifically around the 6:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter. Aaron Gordon of the Nuggets got past Aaron Holiday of the Rockets. As Gordon went for the basket, Dillon Brooks from the Rockets stepped into the driving lane. But then, Holiday seemed to foul on purpose just as Gordon and Brooks went up for the shot.
It looked like Brooks would have been called for the foul, but Holiday's last-second foul seemed intentional, as if to take the foul himself. This made me wonder:
- Have you seen other cases where a player fouls on purpose to prevent a teammate from getting called?
- Is this a known tactic in the NBA, or just a rare move?
- Are there other examples of this happening in games?
I'm curious about your observations and examples!
[Play description: At about 6:00 in the fourth quarter, Aaron Gordon (DEN) gets past Aaron Holiday (HOU), and as Dillon Brooks (HOU) steps in, Holiday fouls intentionally to possibly prevent Brooks from being called for the foul.]
I dont think players are going to be able to recognize their teammate fouling and then foul fast enough for this to ever really happen. The closest thing you will get is bench guys calling that they fouled the guy and raise their hands to try and keep fouls off of the stars or high foul guys..