'Hacking' is one of the most talked about topics currently in the NBA. For those of you who are unaware of what hacking is, let me break it down for you. Hacking is a basketball term used for a team who deliberately fouls the opposition's worst free throw shooters on many possessions.
The current rules are that when a player is fouled off the ball, they are sent to the free throw line. So, a player can simply 'wrap up' the opposing player for it to be called a foul. The player who got fouled then goes and shoots two free throws, as per normal.
Many of you will be think 'what is the problem with this?' And to be honest, it doesn't sound as bad as it is. Although, when a poor free throw shooter is being fouled every possession, the team has no chance to score and the game itself is ruined. For example, late last year the Los Angeles Clippers were locked in an intense battle with the San Antonio Spurs. It was a magnificent game between two extremely talented teams. It was then that the hacking started on the Los Angeles Cippers' centre, DeAndre Jordan. As well as being known as one of the best rebounders in the league, DeAndre also has a poor reputation for shooting free throws. Jordan shot a total of twenty free throws that game, hitting just eight of them. This just completely ruined the game.
Coincidentally, the next day saw the Clippers play the Houston Rockets. Houston have one of the worst free throw shooters in the league as well, Dwight Howard. That game, Jordan hit four of twelve free throws and Howard hit six of sixteen, again ruining what should have been a great basketball game. Let me remind you again that players were fouling these two men while they didn't even have the ball. In fact, there was one incident, not in this game, but in another one more recently where a player was passing the ball in from the sideline and a defender fouled him! Now that crossed the line.
In my opinion, hacking is cheating. It is not how basketball should be played and it is something that must stop! The only way it will stop is if the NBA come up with a rule to punish teams who use hacking. There are various ways of doing so.
Firstly, the most common option is instead of calling this type of foul as a shooting foul, they should call it as a technical foul. Now a technical foul would result in the player who has been fouled shooting free throws then the same team retaining possession. This would make hacking pointless, as the team would get the ball back anyway. So basically they are giving free points away.
The easiest option would be to treat a hacking foul as a regular blocking foul, where the side retains possession on the sidelines.
Now the next option is a little bit more unique and still leaves teams with the option to hack. Everything stays the same except a hacking foul counts as two fouls. This would prevent less people from hacking, because as you probably know, when an NBA player commits six fouls in one game, they get sent off.
If they wanted to take hacking even more seriously, and this is what I believe should happen, the hacking foul should straight away be called a flagrant two foul. This is similar to a technical foul, except the player who commits the foul gets sent off for the rest of the game and possibly even fined. Now this is what must happen to prove that hacking is not only not allowed, but also a form of cheating.
So, this is what hacking is and how they can stop it. The NBA has to do something soon before every single team begins to hack and the NBA becomes a free throw contest.
Wednesday 24 February 2016
Friday 19 February 2016
NBL Semis
Earlier this week on the 18th of February, the NBL semi finals commenced. Hisense Arena hosted the first blockbuster which saw the in form Melbourne United host the reigning NBL champions, the New Zealand Breakers. This was never going to be easy for either side, and the first quarter played a major part in the final result.
New Zealand were hot to start the game, jumping out to a seventeen point lead, just six and a half minutes in. Although, you can never count out Melbourne. They stormed back in the second period and took the lead after a commanding run led by their veteran power forward, Hakim Warrick. New Zealand lead going in to the major break and managed to keep control of the game for much of the third quarter.
The final period saw Melbourne playing catch up. It was a tight hustle to end the game, and with just minutes remaining, New Zealand were up by over ten! The fouling game started, and had the Breakers been able to hit their free throws, the game could have been over earlier. However, the crowd got right behind Melbourne and they were able to lift. The lead was cut to six points with under a minute left, but Melbourne just couldn't sink a shot!
New Zealand were ale to hold on to a nine point victory going in to Saturday's game two match, where New Zealand will be looking to book back to back final births.
Let's take a quick look at why New Zealand were able to upset the tournament favourites. First of all, they were able to lock down Melbourne's guards. They gave them no room and denied the pass when possible. This lead to many Melbourne turnovers, resulting in easy transition points for the Breakers. Rebounds were the major stat that let Melbourne down. They weren't contesting hard enough under the glass, but credit to New Zealand who crashed the glass with authority time and time again.
If Melbourne are to win on Saturday, they have to get off to a better start and be prepared to battle for the rebounds. As we learnt in game one, they will not be able to rely on their star point guard in Goulding or even Holt. New Zealand on the other hand will need to keep everything the same except shut down Hakim Warrick. If they can do that, then they will have a major chance at clinching the series in just two games.
My opinion? The games is open for either side to win. Melbourne will bounce back but New Zealand will be very hungry. I'm going to say New Zealand will win, only because of the home ground advantage. That is the only way I can split these two talented teams.
If anyone has any sport match that they would like me to write about, please comment below. Feedback is always welcome!
New Zealand were hot to start the game, jumping out to a seventeen point lead, just six and a half minutes in. Although, you can never count out Melbourne. They stormed back in the second period and took the lead after a commanding run led by their veteran power forward, Hakim Warrick. New Zealand lead going in to the major break and managed to keep control of the game for much of the third quarter.
The final period saw Melbourne playing catch up. It was a tight hustle to end the game, and with just minutes remaining, New Zealand were up by over ten! The fouling game started, and had the Breakers been able to hit their free throws, the game could have been over earlier. However, the crowd got right behind Melbourne and they were able to lift. The lead was cut to six points with under a minute left, but Melbourne just couldn't sink a shot!
New Zealand were ale to hold on to a nine point victory going in to Saturday's game two match, where New Zealand will be looking to book back to back final births.
Let's take a quick look at why New Zealand were able to upset the tournament favourites. First of all, they were able to lock down Melbourne's guards. They gave them no room and denied the pass when possible. This lead to many Melbourne turnovers, resulting in easy transition points for the Breakers. Rebounds were the major stat that let Melbourne down. They weren't contesting hard enough under the glass, but credit to New Zealand who crashed the glass with authority time and time again.
If Melbourne are to win on Saturday, they have to get off to a better start and be prepared to battle for the rebounds. As we learnt in game one, they will not be able to rely on their star point guard in Goulding or even Holt. New Zealand on the other hand will need to keep everything the same except shut down Hakim Warrick. If they can do that, then they will have a major chance at clinching the series in just two games.
My opinion? The games is open for either side to win. Melbourne will bounce back but New Zealand will be very hungry. I'm going to say New Zealand will win, only because of the home ground advantage. That is the only way I can split these two talented teams.
If anyone has any sport match that they would like me to write about, please comment below. Feedback is always welcome!
Saturday 13 February 2016
NBA
It's that time of year again, except this weekend we will be without love or even a rose. That's right, its NBA all star weekend! Oh yeah, and I think someone mentioned something about Valentines day?
In the lead up to the main event, the All Star Match, let's take a look at a couple of matches from the past ten days.
Firstly, the second of February saw the Las Angeles Lakers play off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Let's take a look how it played out.
Any La Lakers win is sentimental for their small forward Kobe Bryant, and this match was no different. Their 119-115 win over Minnesota in the timberwolves second of three game road trip, was the all-star veteran's fifth and final game against a young Andrew Wiggins.
Today's game was all about Kobe, and it was only appropriate that he played his best game for the season, racking up a season high thirty eight points, five boards and five dimes. Andrew Wiggins tried to control the Black Mamba by knocking down thirty points, but with little other contribution from his teammates, the lakers were able to pick up just their tenth win of the season.
Secondly, the third of February saw a scoring marathon between two of the best point guards in the NBA, Stephen Curry and John Wall. Here is the game wrap of the Washington Wizards against the Golden State Warriors.
This game was the end of a long road trip for a tired Warriors squad. Again without centre Festus Ezili, Stephen Curry had a personal best 11 three pointers in his sides' 13 point win over a resilient Wizards team. This win meant that the warriors would go four games clear of the San Antonio Spurs.
It's hard enough to beat the best NBA team this century, but when the reigning MVP Stephen Curry
scores 51 points including 11 of 16 three pointers, they are nearly impossible to contest with. Although, Washington didn't go down without a fight. Their number one point guard drilled 41 points to go with 100% shooting from downtown.
They had quick hands on defence, racking up 16 steals and had quick feet on transition, scoring 24 of their points on the fast break, yet they were out-muscled under the glass and the warriors passing was just too classy.
Golden state had a meeting with Barak Obama the day after, before returning to their home court against an in form OKC. Washington also got a two day break before taking the floor against the Charlotte Hornets.
In the lead up to the main event, the All Star Match, let's take a look at a couple of matches from the past ten days.
Firstly, the second of February saw the Las Angeles Lakers play off against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Let's take a look how it played out.
Any La Lakers win is sentimental for their small forward Kobe Bryant, and this match was no different. Their 119-115 win over Minnesota in the timberwolves second of three game road trip, was the all-star veteran's fifth and final game against a young Andrew Wiggins.
Today's game was all about Kobe, and it was only appropriate that he played his best game for the season, racking up a season high thirty eight points, five boards and five dimes. Andrew Wiggins tried to control the Black Mamba by knocking down thirty points, but with little other contribution from his teammates, the lakers were able to pick up just their tenth win of the season.
Secondly, the third of February saw a scoring marathon between two of the best point guards in the NBA, Stephen Curry and John Wall. Here is the game wrap of the Washington Wizards against the Golden State Warriors.
This game was the end of a long road trip for a tired Warriors squad. Again without centre Festus Ezili, Stephen Curry had a personal best 11 three pointers in his sides' 13 point win over a resilient Wizards team. This win meant that the warriors would go four games clear of the San Antonio Spurs.
It's hard enough to beat the best NBA team this century, but when the reigning MVP Stephen Curry
scores 51 points including 11 of 16 three pointers, they are nearly impossible to contest with. Although, Washington didn't go down without a fight. Their number one point guard drilled 41 points to go with 100% shooting from downtown.
They had quick hands on defence, racking up 16 steals and had quick feet on transition, scoring 24 of their points on the fast break, yet they were out-muscled under the glass and the warriors passing was just too classy.
Golden state had a meeting with Barak Obama the day after, before returning to their home court against an in form OKC. Washington also got a two day break before taking the floor against the Charlotte Hornets.
Friday 12 February 2016
ODI series NZ Vs Australia
Last week New Zealand took the last game of a three match series against Australia. Let's review the first match that saw a dominant performance from the Kiwis.
A night to forget for captain Steven Smith and his young Australian squad, after they were embarrassed by New Zealand on the 3rd of February this year at Eden Park in Auckland. Chasing 309 off 50 overs, the tourists were never in the run chase, losing 6 wickets before they had reached the 50 run mark.
However, this was all set up by a superb batting display from New Zealand and in particular, their openers. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum put on a 79 run opening stand before McCullum was clean bowled while trying to drive James Faulkner through extra cover. Williamson fell close behind for a duck, before Guptill went on to make it to the nervous nineties before being run out by Glen Maxwell in an extraordinary piece of fielding. Mitch Nichols batted solidly in the middle order before an Australian fightback left the Kiwis wondering if they had made enough.
Matt Henry and Trent Bolt both picked up three wickets to rattle the top order in the Australian innings. A typical Australian middle-order fight back got them to a respectable total before Anderson took a major break through by dismissing Mathew Wade, which lead to two consecutive Mitch Santner wickets to secure a series opening victory.
In the post game press conferences, Henry spoke about how they were able to bowl in partnerships and work together as a bowling unit. Steven smith was not so happy, stating 'I'd like to forget tonight, to be honest'. Smith spoke about his disappointment in the pitch saying that they weren't prepared for lack of swing in the pitch.
Australia took the second game convincingly before New Zealand fought back in the final game to claim the Chappell-Hadlee trophy. The teams are currently locked in an intense test match where Australia has the upper hand.
A night to forget for captain Steven Smith and his young Australian squad, after they were embarrassed by New Zealand on the 3rd of February this year at Eden Park in Auckland. Chasing 309 off 50 overs, the tourists were never in the run chase, losing 6 wickets before they had reached the 50 run mark.
However, this was all set up by a superb batting display from New Zealand and in particular, their openers. Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum put on a 79 run opening stand before McCullum was clean bowled while trying to drive James Faulkner through extra cover. Williamson fell close behind for a duck, before Guptill went on to make it to the nervous nineties before being run out by Glen Maxwell in an extraordinary piece of fielding. Mitch Nichols batted solidly in the middle order before an Australian fightback left the Kiwis wondering if they had made enough.
Matt Henry and Trent Bolt both picked up three wickets to rattle the top order in the Australian innings. A typical Australian middle-order fight back got them to a respectable total before Anderson took a major break through by dismissing Mathew Wade, which lead to two consecutive Mitch Santner wickets to secure a series opening victory.
In the post game press conferences, Henry spoke about how they were able to bowl in partnerships and work together as a bowling unit. Steven smith was not so happy, stating 'I'd like to forget tonight, to be honest'. Smith spoke about his disappointment in the pitch saying that they weren't prepared for lack of swing in the pitch.
Australia took the second game convincingly before New Zealand fought back in the final game to claim the Chappell-Hadlee trophy. The teams are currently locked in an intense test match where Australia has the upper hand.
Superbowl 50
Im going to start of by saying that I have no knowledge of the NFL and have only watched a few college games on ESPN. So here is an un-bias opinion piece on how tomorrow's Superbowl is going to be won. Iv’e been breaking down the statistics, going through game by game analysis and here is what I've come up with.
From what I have come up with, the Broncos are going to have their hands full tomorrow. Both teams finished at the top of their respective conferences and divisions. Panthers only dropped the one game during the regular season, and their star quarter-back picked up a major confidence booster, claiming the leagues MVP award. The Broncos lost the four games but won the games that counted, and have fought their way to a Superbowl appearance.
Now for the statistics. The Panthers have been able to consistently put score on the board. They were number one in total score, leaving their opponents staggering defensively. The Broncos have struggled more than the Panthers when they had the football. They rank 19th in total scoring, 4th worst in committing team turnovers, 19th lowest in first downs and have thrown the most interceptions, 23. Also, they gave up over a mile worth of penalties, the 8th worst in the NFL.
The Panthers, on the other hand, were more skilful and had more luck offensively. They rank 10th in team turnovers and 4th in first downs with 357 for the season. They have only thrown 10 interceptions for the season, which is the 25th least.
Now, how are these team going to stop each other? Well, other than skill, hard work and determination, there are other strategies that will have to be put in place if either team plans on winning. So, let’s break down how these teams like to score. The Panthers have had 35 passing touchdowns this season, the 3rd most of all teams. They are number one in rushing touchdowns, with nineteen for the season. The Broncos have had 19 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns for the season.
Let’s take a look at how effective the Broncos and the Panther’s drives were. 31.2% of the Broncos drives ended in either a TD or a field goal. 15.1% of their drives ended in turnover. On the other hand, we have the Panthers, who have been far more effective on their drives. 42.9% of their drives ended in a score and only 9.6% ended in a turnover.
Ok, now for how its going to be won. First, we’ll look at how the Broncos plan on stopping the Panther’s all-star offence. Defensively, this is where the game will be won or lost. If the Broncos can limit the first downs and force the Panthers to try and pass more than rush, then they have to have quick hands and grab the interceptions. All it will take is two or three interceptions for the Broncos and they will have a major chance if they’re offence can stand up and execute their plans and skills. Put simply, they have to score more. Ranking 19 in total scoring, they are going to have to try something different, whether that is slowing the play down or just keeping possession. They can’t afford to lose the ball.
For the Panthers, it’s simple. If they play their natural game and keep scoring, they will win. The Broncos are going to try and limit their offensive pressure so the Panthers will have to play harder than the defence.
So who is going to win? Well it’s all in the hands of the Broncos. If they limit the Panthers offence and capitalise on their own offence, they will be in with a chance. Personally, I can’t see that happening. Im not writing the Broncos off, but I just can’t see them triumphing over the Panthers. But I know that it's sure is going to be close!
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