Elam Ending

[BryceC]

Its going to be a part of TBT this year. I feel like I read a lot of stuff about basketball but I missed this entirely.



So, the Elam Ending blended the league with the playground: With three minutes left in an NBA game (and four minutes left in a college game) you turn off the clock. And from that point on, you play to a target score. What is the target score? This is the best part: It’s the leading team’s total plus seven.

So, if the game is tied at, say, 89, then it’s a mad dash to 96. But if a team is leading 104-89, then the target is 111 — meaning the trailing team would have to score 22 points before the leading team scored seven.

Full disclosure, I hate the foul fest at the end of games. I would welcome this 100%. I hope it’s part of basketball games going forward.

 

[cyfanatic13]

I really like the idea but I just don't ever seeing it fully replacing the time in NBA and College Basketball. The strongest argument I've seen for not fully switching to the Elam Ending is "but but but buzzer beaters!" Those situations happen in 5% of games maybe and I think the thrill of a close game with the Elam Ending could provide just as much excitement. Count me in, but like I said, don't see it happening

 

[Sigmapolis]

That is an interesting concept. I am not sure you can replicate the intensity provided by the clock, however, even if the foul and charity stripe ending can be lame.

It costs you the glory of games within one possession/tied while on the clock.

 

[Dandy]

That is an interesting concept. I am not sure you can replicate the intensity provided by the clock, however, even if the foul and charity stripe ending can be lame.

It costs you the glory of games within one possession/tied while on the clock.

Finishing on a free throw would suck but finishing on a wall-off three would be sick.

 

[runbikeswim]

I think it is fun to watch for bball outside the NBA/NCAA for a different flavor, but 7 points is much different in a up tempo high scoring game than a grinder.

The nice thing it does is it eliminates the fouling that drives us all mad

 

[Sigmapolis]

There are basically three types of endings to a basketball game...

-- VERY CLOSE, tied or within a possession, every touch and every second counts

-- kind of within striking distance, depending on the clock and game situation, so the team behind has to resort to fouling to lengthen the game

That type rarely, though sometimes, turns into the first type. When it does, it can be great, when it does not, it is usually a boring foul-fest.

-- this game is over, and we all know it, so both sides are running out the clock and/or not even playing their starters (or without any intensity whatsoever).

The Elam scoring system...

-- kind of changes this... every touch still matters, there is probably still a shot clock, but you lose the intensity of ticking down to those final seconds

-- mostly eliminates this, though a team down 5 with 1:00 left probably has about the same chance as scoring 12 before the other team scoring 7

-- probably makes these worse, to be honest, as you have to wait for scrubs to score and/or wait for the losing team to just let the other team score

I think it comes out as a slight net loss, looking across the game types.

 

[JD720]

I think it is fun to watch for bball outside the NBA/NCAA for a different flavor, but 7 points is much different in a up tempo high scoring game than a grinder.

The nice thing it does is it eliminates the fouling that drives us all mad

It would also get rid of the replay reviews for the clock. "Is there 13.4 or 13.6 seconds left? Better look at it for 5 minutes and make sure."

I'm not 100% on board yet, but I like that people are willing to experiment with this.

 

[TXCyclones]

This game is an example of why this shouldn't happen. Sorry UNI.

 

[BryceC]

I really like the idea but I just don't ever seeing it fully replacing the time in NBA and College Basketball. The strongest argument I've seen for not fully switching to the Elam Ending is "but but but buzzer beaters!" Those situations happen in 5% of games maybe and I think the thrill of a close game with the Elam Ending could provide just as much excitement. Count me in, but like I said, don't see it happening

Also from the article.

So when people come at him with the complaint that this new ending would eliminate buzzer-beaters, he responds with the precise number of buzzer-beaters — he has sampled more than 2,900 games in college, the NBA, the Olympics and found only 28 buzzer-beaters, less than one percent of all games, The buzzer-beater, he says, just doesn’t deliver often enough to put up with the constant fouling, the herky-jerky final three minutes of games, the intense boredom of watching people shoot free throws.

 

[BryceC]

This game is an example of why this shouldn't happen. Sorry UNI.

I disagree. This is a one in a million shot of happening, and you could still see crazy comebacks.

 

[mywayorcyway]

I'm going to have to do some more looking into this. At first I thought "that's stupid, no way, don't do that." I might be open to changing my position - the more I look at this, the more I like it.

 

[Cyclonepride]

This would be a big change, but it is intriguing. The foul/foul/foul ending does get old, even with buzzer beaters. I'm not sure on the 7 point portion, as it seems too small. Maybe 9 or 11? Could suck though if both teams went cold (or Virginia was playing) and the last three minutes took ten or twelve.

 

[JD720]

I disagree. This is a one in a million shot of happening, and you could still see crazy comebacks.

Yeah, if you've ever seen a UNI scoring drought, you'd know they could have just as easily lost that game via the Elam Ending.

 

[JD720]

I really like the idea but I just don't ever seeing it fully replacing the time in NBA and College Basketball. The strongest argument I've seen for not fully switching to the Elam Ending is "but but but buzzer beaters!" Those situations happen in 5% of games maybe and I think the thrill of a close game with the Elam Ending could provide just as much excitement. Count me in, but like I said, don't see it happening

I don't really get the buzzer beater complaint. Every game that uses the Elam Ending will end with a made shot of some sort (some will be free throws).

 

[Cycsk]

It seems that if a team has a lead, they could just cherry pick. That would make for a very odd ending of games.

 

[BryceC]

It seems that if a team has a lead, they could just cherry pick. That would make for a very odd ending of games.

That’s a good point, that could be weird.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I would say that anything has to be better than the current system of foul-a-palooza at the end. But I'm not sure this is it. Seems too different.

 

[charlie_B]

It seems that if a team has a lead, they could just cherry pick. That would make for a very odd ending of games.

How would they be able to cherry pick? I would assume the shot clock would still be in use.

 

[Cycsk]

How would they be able to cherry pick? I would assume the shot clock would still be in use.

I'm talking about cherry picking, not stalling. One guy just stays down on the offensive end.

If the other team tries to take advantage of the 5 on 4, then they just trade baskets until the team with the lead wins.

If the other team sends someone down to cover him, then you have could have an ending that alternates between 4 on 4 on one end and 1 on 1 on the other.

Either would be odd.

 

[cyfanatic13]

I'm talking about cherry picking, not stalling. One guy just stays down on the offensive end.

If the other team tries to take advantage of the 5 on 4, then they just trade baskets until the team with the lead wins.

If the other team sends someone down to cover him, then you have could have an ending that alternates between 4 on 4 on one end and 1 on 1 on the other.

Either would be odd.

I think you could take advantage of the 5 on 4 while having someone get back fast enough to not give up an easy bucket. If it was close, I think that'd be too risky for the team leading, but if it's a blowout, sure why not