system, which does not count time but sets target scores to win the game, is called "Elam Ending"-named after its creator and professor at Ball State University Nick Elam.
is no longer timed in the fourth quarter. The team that scores 24 points first wins the game. The result of the new game is that the audience begins to count down the game: 13 points, 9 points, 5 points, 3 points left, whoever scores wins-the new system saves the increasingly tasteless NBA All-Star race, the highest level in the world The intensity of the ten basketball players who played the All-Star Game in the finals-
data can prove this:
The number of fouls in the fourth quarter of the 2020 All-Star Game is 21, and the first three quarters add up to only 14;
finally A total of 26 free throws in one quarter, 13 times in the first three quarters;
in the last quarter the two teams shot 36%, the first three quarters was 56%. The
system, which does not count time but sets a target score to win the game, is called "Elam Ending"-named after its creator, Ball State University professor Nick Elam.
▲Nick Elam and Chris Paul
may seem complicated at first, but in fact Elam Ending is very simple: most of the game is played on a regular basis, and a target score is set at some point before the end. The team that reaches the goal score wins the game. This mode of
has already been used in a tournament called The Basketball Tournament (hereinafter referred to as "TBT") in the United States. Unlike this All-Star Game, the rules implemented by TBT start with the first dead ball in the last 4 minutes of the game. , Set the target score to be 8 points more than the highest score on the field at the time. Whoever reaches or exceeds this score will win the game. The biggest change in the new
competition system, in the view of TBT founder Jonathan Muga, almost changed the basketball game: the team played not to win, but to not lose.
Jonathan said that at the end of the game, either lost the suspense early, or the lagging team will deliberately foul the opponent to free throws to gain offensive time. For the fans, this way of ending the game is too frustrating. Now under the new system, a missed goal in a game is as exciting as a goal. "I have experienced that a team has 8 chances to kill the game, and every attempt It will make fans hold their breath." In an interview with The Athletic by
the day before the All-Star game, Jonathan said that he thinks this format will penetrate into all basketball games, "but I don't know how quickly it will become popular."
Obviously, the All-Star Game has become the best stage to promote the new system. At the last moment of the game, we saw the ten best athletes in the world defending with all their strength. We saw Antetokounmpo blocking James, which could have killed James. The game's ultra-long three-pointer came out and regretted that after Anthony Davis missed the first free throw, basketball fans have never been so nervous about a free throw. How does
Elam Ending come from? The story starts from 13 years ago.
Nick Ilam, 37, is a professor at Ball State University and a member of the Mensa Club. When he was studying at the University of Dayton 13 years ago, he gathered with his classmates to watch the NCAA March Madness game, but the constant fouls at the end made the game lose passion.
Ilam is tired of deliberate foul tactics in the last few minutes of basketball games. Usually this makes the game a long, boring battle, and rarely turns into a thrilling situation in the end.
"I think this is a fundamental flaw in the current basketball game. It is the only means to deliberately violate the rules of the game. This is a boring play." The reason behind
's exploit is to use fouls to stop the timer. That being the case, Ilam came up with a way-turn off the timer at the end of the game and set a target score to win the game.
This eliminates the advantage of using fouls to delay time, which requires the team to use tenacious defense and efficient offense to turn defeat into victory instead of countless fouls and free throw errors.. After
had the initial idea, Elam studied nearly 3000 college, NBA and Olympic games videotapes in the spring and summer of 2007 to analyze intentional foul strategies. In August 2007, the results of the research were gathered into a book: "Time&39;s Up for Basketball&39;s Game Clock".
Eelam sent his thoughts to everyone in the basketball and media circles he could think of by writing and e-mailing, but no one was interested in adopting his ideas.
"This is a ten-year process of perseverance. I tried every means to explain why this is necessary and how it will correct the problems in the current basketball game and open up exciting possibilities." Ram said.
In 2016, Ilam sent his research results to the e-mail address of the TBT event. TBT is a street basketball event with an annual prize of 2 million US dollars, which is broadcast live on ESPN.
"We will receive many emails in this mailbox, but this one is different. This is a 67-page PPT." TBT founder Jonathan said, "It was initially noticeable because of its punctuation and writing. Be rigorous, and we soon discovered more advantages in the content in the PPT."
TBT can be compared to an Internet upstart in a sense, they rely on users and are very sensitive to fan experience, so Jonathan also worried that the final moments of the game will become boring. , Let the fans get tired, "So this is the best time to experiment, Nick’s ideas just match our needs."
Jonathan said, he used a question to convince himself to adopt the new format-if the inventor of basketball Naismith in 19 When basketball was created in the 1990s, the game was played without timing at the end of the game and setting the target score. Today, some people want to add a timer. How will the fans react?
"Fans will definitely make trouble and feel sick about this ending." Jonathan said, "I firmly believe that the new format is the future of basketball."
TBT has adopted a new format since 2017. Jonathan said that he thinks the new format brings 17 % Ratings increase, “I think that’s because fans who are watching our game will send text messages to their friends at the last moment, telling them to watch our interesting game that is about to end.”
2017 TBT’s first few games, The new competition system has not caused a large-scale discussion, but the boring deliberate foul disappeared until the fifth game, and the result was the end of the lore. This is the most exciting part of Elam Ending. At the end of the game, when the score difference between the two sides is within 3 points, every goal from both sides may change the outcome of the game. Whether it is missed or scored, fans will be crazy about it-just Like this year's All-Star Game.
There is an NBA player who quickly became a fan of Elam Ending-Chris and Paul , currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, the current president of the Players Union. In 2019, Paul tried to coach a team in TBT for the first time.
Last summer, Paul recommended the Elam Ending format to NBA Commissioner Adam Xiaohua, and the competition committee quickly discussed the idea of introducing this format into the All-Star Game.
On January 23 this year, Ilam received a call from the NBA, informing him that the league will use his concept of a workaround in the All-Star Game, "After receiving the call, my mind began to imagine what the game will be. The way is over, is LeBron James dunking, or James Harden three-point lore?"
Yilam said, he also heard that many betting sites set up a quiz to guess who scored the last goal to kill the game, "this It will become one of the most popular events in all sporting events."
Jonathan said that he thinks the new competition system will spread all over the world soon, but I don’t know how fast it will be; Ilam said, first In the All-Star game with the new format, the final moment may not be the most exciting moment of a goal.
they all guessed wrongYes, when Antetokounmpo defended James with all his strength, when Paul yelled at the referee for a penalty in the All-Star Game, when the score kept biting, when the world held his breath for Anthony Davis’ free throw, the best in the world Of basketball players have become the best advertisements for the new competition system.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is also one of the fans of the new format. He said he is very happy that the All-Star Game has tried this format, and we should continue to try it in the G League or NBA preseason. Behind the most intense All-Star game in
history, we should thank the designer of the new format, Nick Elam. He was prepared to talk about his ideas on NBA TV during the All-Star Game, but the league did not mention his name when promoting the new game system. The TBT league is the opposite. The balls used in the game are all printed with Ilam's signature and it says "The game should end with a goal."
Elam said that he was grateful to TBT for everything they did to recognize him, and they called this competition system Elam Ending and spread it widely, "I was worried that something I devote myself to creating, someone else would come, then Take it away and leave me in the dust. Now, my name is connected to this concept. "
As for the NBA?
"The NBA recognizes me behind the scenes, which is good. I just hope they can publicly recognize me as the founder of this concept."
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