[mick]

Originally Posted by Y2Koach

I hear a lot of spectators/parents/fans saying stuff like "let the players decide the game"... well, if your player has slow feet and needs to use two hands to try to keep the offense player from getting to the basket, that player is deciding the game by fouling. Letting it go would be not allowing the offense from deciding the game by making his freethrows. If hand-checking and rough defensive pressure is allowed in the first half, why call ticky tack touch fouls at the end of the game because one team now wants to foul due to strategy? I wanted to fouls to be called in the first half due to strategy (get fouled, make freethrows)... I say let them play, but calling fouls and shooting freethrows are part of letting them play...

unless you deem calling fouls in the first half intentionally not letting them play...

Sometimes, "letting them play" is heard due to the fact:

That one team in more physical and less skilled than another team (i.e., football players playing basktball against basketball player).
That the game is being called too tight by newer/younger officials.
That the teams are overly and illegally agressive, the teams are lacking skills and the game is already in the toilet so everyone wants to go home.