I’ve been a basketball fan in the US for over 40 years and I think this would be a fair rule. In the last 2 minutes of a close basketball game the team playing catch-up commonly draws the game out, and is somewhat rewarded by fouling a player on the other team, stopping the clock and forcing the fouled player to attempt shots from a “free throw line”, while the team guilty of the offense is given advantageous positioning for rebounding, in case the free shot is missed. Add to this practice “time outs” and it can take 10 to 20 minutes to finish a two minute game.

I suggest a rule that would give the team being fouled the opportunity to choose to take the free throws or keep possession of the ball and take 2 seconds off the clock, and alternately when a team leading commits a foul in the last 2 minutes, and this happens some times to prevent a team from attempting a 3 point shot, give the team the option to put 2 seconds back on the clock, and keep possession.
-- oyea6, Feb 16 2006

or try this Race_20To_20100
[phundug, Feb 16 2006]

They're never gonna take the clock totally out of these games (IMO), but it is realistic and needed to make minor rule changes for fairness.

We don't reward drivers who commit violations of the law to beat, or avoid stopping at, a changing control light, it just wouldn't make sense or be fair, so why play that way in sports?
-- oyea6, Feb 16 2006



random, halfbakery