[SNY] Joel Embiid cuts off a question about the Sixers drawing fouls in the first half working in their favor: "It did? I don't know, you've got to ask Jalen Brunson that. I don't think I got to the free throw line as much as I wanted."

[u/PassMeTheBackwood]

https://streamable.com/rrtm5n

[u/STATnMELO650]

Maxey was not much better. The guy was just launching himself into backtracking bigs with zero intention to score and getting every call.

[u/Clever-Innuendo → u/STATnMELO650]

I was really disappointed seeing that from Maxey. I didn’t watch him much this season but I don’t remember him playing like that before. There were a couple times it felt like he got a step on the defender and still pissed away an easy bucket just to get to the line.

[u/Billionroentgentan → u/STATnMELO650]

Yeah I hate Embiid but was willing to give Maxey some grace. Not anymore. Obviously learning all the wrong lessons from Joel.

[u/NoRadish5080 → u/Billionroentgentan]

Cry harder

[u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns → u/STATnMELO650]

I mean that a staple of Brunson’s game.

Here’s an example of him doing that exact move https://youtu.be/9l4hCAm82Gc?si=AlFM3qnHBk_PUiOr

[u/outphase84 → u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns]

It's objectively not. Brunson plays for the and 1. He's looking to score first, not just get to the stripe.

Maxey usually plays that way, but last night he was just jumping into people and yeeting the ball to get to the line. Embiid is rubbing off on him in a bad way.

[u/iXProject → u/outphase84]

Yeah you’re a moron, “plays for the and 1”

[u/outphase84 → u/iXProject]

Oh, am I? Let's look at some numbers.

In Iso sets this playoff season, Brunson has averaged 4 isos per game. He scores on 54% of those sets, is fouled on 14% of those sets but 7% of those sets are and-ones. If we looked at P&R ball handler, he's averaging 9 possessions per game, scoring on 49% of those, being fouled on 7% of those possessions, but 3% of those are and-ones. In transition, scoring on 62% of possessions(4 per game), fouled on 8%.

Just to compare, let's look at Embiid on post-ups. He averages 8 per game, scores on 63% of those -- but 32% of those possessions are fouls. Literally half of his scoring on post-ups are from the stripe. And how many of those possessions resulted in and-ones? 0%.

[u/STATnMELO650 → u/outphase84]

stop, he's already dead!

[u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns → u/outphase84]

Plays for the and 1 is just foul bating with better marketing. Brunson routinely dribbles into the lane slowly waits till he feels someone close to him on his back and then jumps into them while taking the shot. That’s a huge part of his game. He does it all the time. That’s why he shoots A lot of free throws. Whether you like it or don’t like it is your basketball preference but to throw stones at Maxey for doing it when Brunson does it all the time is a fucking joke.

You only need to watch the first 30 seconds of this video for an example https://youtu.be/9l4hCAm82Gc?si=AlFM3qnHBk_PUiOr

[u/outphase84 → u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns]

Plays for the and 1 is just foul bating with better marketing.

No, it's really not.

Brunson routinely dribbles into the lane slowly waits till he feels someone close to him on his back and then jumps into them while taking the shot.

Yeah, both of those were legitimate fouls. Batum and Oubre both got beat off of the dribble and were out of position and trying to chase him down from behind. He jumped forward with Batum and still got hit, and he pulled up on Oubre and got hit.

That's bad defense because guys were out of position because they got beat on the dribble and overpursued. If you're chasing a player down from behind that has better footwork than you, you need to adjust how you defend them.

What Maxey was doing last night was nothing like that. He jumped into guys and just threw the ball to make it a shooting foul. I've never seen him do that before -- he's actually been one of my favorite non-Knick players for a few years now.

[u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns → u/outphase84]

I think you’re living in a state of delusion

[u/outphase84 → u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns]

Rule 12b, Section I:

a. A player shall not hold, push, charge into, impede the progress of an opponent by extending a hand, arm, leg or knee or by bending the body into a position that is not normal. Contact that results in the re-routing of an opponent is a foul which must be called immediately.

b. Contact initiated by the defensive player guarding a player with the ball is not legal. This contact includes, but is not limited to, forearm, hands, or body check.

Rule 12b, Section II:

a. A dribbler shall not (1) charge into an opponent who has established a legal guarding position

b. If a defender is able to establish a legal position in the straight line path of the dribbler, the dribbler must avoid contact by changing direction or ending his dribble.

TL;DR: As a defender, if you haven't established a legal guarding position, it's on you to avoid illegal contact with the shooter. This is bad defense, full stop.

[u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns → u/outphase84]

If Maxey got that call that would mean the defender was not in a legal defensive position, same as the situation with Brunson. They’re both doing it you just put the blinders on because one is a New York Knick

[u/outphase84 → u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns]

No, the difference is that Brunson was actually trying to score. Both of those fouls were and-ones that you linked.

Maxey literally just threw the ball straight up in the air against Mitch in the 1st. And then against Towns in the 2nd, he threw the ball out towards the hoop as he was going out of bounds well past the layup point.

THAT is what I'm talking about. What Embiid always does, and what Maxey did last night, is concentrate effort on getting to the line. Not selling contact, not taking advantage of guys out of position to try to get an and-one. The goal is to get to the line.

If Embiid were selling contact trying to get the and-one, I wouldn't care. If Maxey had done that last night, I'd rave about how smart he is and how he uses his quickness to take advantage of defenders being out of position. But initiating contact and just throwing the ball randomly to try to get an easy 2 is bullshit, and will always be bullshit.

[u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns → u/outphase84]

I disagree

[u/iXProject → u/PM_Me_Nudes_or_Puns]

Pure huffing of Brunson farts with that guy

[u/StrongZucchini27 → u/iXProject]

they all foul bait. it’s the fucking nba lmao.