Column: ... scoring could increase if rules were applied instead of interpreted

[JetMetFan]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

He mentions "incidental contact," but he clearly doesn't understand that it's an entire rule.

Remember, it's a section of Rule 4 not a rule itself. I think he does understand it, specifically 4-27-3, he just phrased it incorrectly. Whether we agree with his hard-line view is another story.

I've heard discussions about the little bumps on offensive players as they go through the lane in IAABO and NCAAW meetings for years. He's right in that the size of players has changed the way the game is called on all levels. I think a major change was the rise of the Detroit Pistons in the late '80s and the Pat Riley Knicks in the '90s. That bump and grind style basically dared officials to call fouls on every play. They/we didn't so the players bulked up. The style filtered down to the college level (anyone remember the Big East going to six fouls for a DQ?) and eventually to H.S., though to a lesser extent.

When I look at videos of games from the dark ages when I was in college (mid-80s) there definitely wasn't as much contact allowed and the players adjusted accordingly. I don't think you can turn the clock back completely but catching a few more screens, hand checks and bumps here and there would probably boost scoring a bit.