Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckS
To all those who say “just make your free throws”, you are missing the point. The problem in basketball is that the penalty does not fit the crime. In baseball, if a fielder obstructs a runner, the runner is awarded the next base. In football, if a defender commits pass interference, the offense gets the ball at the spot as if the pass were completed.
But in basketball, assuming a 75% FT shooter, the defense can commit a foul to prevent a sure layup, and the offended team only gets 1.5 points, instead of 2. And the coach will yell “Good Foul”. A team is gaining an advantage by committing an illegal act.
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None of those sports award a score. They put the team in a spot to make the score more likely. That is what a FT does. That is what an at-the-spot or 15 yard penalty does. That is what awarding the next base does. They're all doing the same thing. Football doesn't award the touchdown, ever. In college, with it being a 15 yard penalty (and, IIRC, the NFL is considering a change to match), even on an obvious score (absent the penalty), they still don't award the score. The player still has to catch the ball and, even with the best, that isn't 100% certain.
Also, NO layup is sure. I had a top team in the state lose a game this year missing a laying with less than 5 seconds to go that would have put them ahead.