But not as much as shooting free throws. You also can't flagrant foul... So you have to be careful with that, and if it's getting out of hand the refs can judge the intentional fouls as flagrant... I'm not disagreeing with you, just thinking of ways to make the smallest tweaks possible to resolve the problem. But I'm honestly not sure it's a problem worth addressing, either.
I have always thought that teams should practice missing free throws. Let me explain - Say you are down 3 with 8 seconds left and the other team fouls you. Typically, a team tries to make both and foul quickly. It rarely works. Instead, make the first and, having practiced where to hit the rim on the intentional miss, you at least give yourself a shot at getting the offensive rebound and winning or tying the game. These guys are so skilled, I have little doubt they could learn quickly where and how to hit the rim to get the best chance at that offensive rebound. It sure as heck beats the stupid foul-foul-foul game which rarely works.
If you’re up 3 and play good defense, why give the other team free points? It turns the pressure back on you to make 2 free throws or possibly losing in regulation.
I see it both ways. In college ball, I would definitely agree. The problem in the NBA is that they baby the 3-point shooters. (except for the NY-Piston game) Where else on the floor do you see the refs calling a foul on a player because they don't allow for the shooter to "land safely"? Sure, it happens, but not as often as it does outside the 3-point line. Plus, the shooters are so good, it just takes a quick screen for them to get a shot off. To play good perimeter D, you need to do what Thybulle does and close out from the side.
