Document text
3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Medford School District budget funds new student success programs RCC President Angstadt retires Rogue jet boat tour company eyes TouVelle for permanent home Prefontaine-style running trail proposed in south Medford Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Medford police identify woman found dead in field Emergency services, May 18 Body found in southeast Medford field Emergency services, May 17 Public meetings for May 18-22, 2015 Politics and Elections Jackson County district election turnout under 17 percent Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Education Medford School District budget funds new student success programs RCC President Angstadt retires Four South Medford seniors build soccer lockers SOU student's project tells story of devastating Weed fire South Medford, Ashland high schools earn national honors Environment Rogue jet boat tour company eyes TouVelle for permanent home Why is Bear Creek so muddy? Blame Emigrant silt and winter storm Mt. Ashland Ski Area proposes summer adventure center Jackson County declares drought disaster Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection State News Senate panel passes medical pot rules Oregon wildlife officials eye phased-in hunting, fishing fee increases Wyden's gambit on trade deal pays off Panel sends Jackson, Josephine drought declarations to governor Court overturns $85 million award for Oregon soldiers Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Clarence Allen (Al) Swearingen George Frederick Christensen Henry Daw Patricia Anne Staniforth Karen Ann Sharp Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories Record Round San Diego committee unveils plans for $1.1 billion stadium Spoilers lurk as American Pharoah seeks history NFL owners have key meetings this week George Barnes: We need to help free Tom Brady Varsity 541 College Sports Oregon track sweeps at Pac-12s Hovinga stars on mound as Ducks advance Duck men, women lead in Pac-12 track meet Wu falls just short of advancing to NCAAs Beavers continue hot streak, trip Cardinal Pro Sports San Diego committee unveils plans for $1.1 billion stadium Spoilers lurk as American Pharoah seeks history NFL owners have key meetings this week Leroux, Wambach lift U.S. past Mexico Allred finishes in 16th at BMW Charity Pro-Am Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Business Latest Stories Two Crown Markets planned for Talent Cars We Remember: 1955 and 1956 Plymouth memories Blog: L is For... Blog: Cash deals for homes inches toward normal levels Tourism stronger than ever in Southern Oregon Real Estate News Single-family home sales take off Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house People In Business People in Business Transportation Tourism stronger than ever in Southern Oregon Medford airport still flying high with record passenger counts Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Memorial Day and Uncle Sam George Barnes: We need to help free Tom Brady Lloyd Garver: The Apple Watch - good birth control? Letters to the Editor, May 18 Kathleen Parker: Jeb Bush's unfortunate honesty Editorials Our View: Kicking state government down the road Other Views: Keeping marijuana away from minors Our view: Legislature should fix both marijuana laws Our View: City should let SkyPark project move ahead Our View: E-cigarette bill is half right, half wrong Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 18 Letters to the Editor, May 17 Letters to the Editor, May 15 Letters to the Editor, May 14 Letters to the Editor, May 13 Columns George Barnes: We need to help free Tom Brady Kathleen Parker: Jeb Bush's unfortunate honesty George Will: Santorum — The return of the GOP's runner-up Dana Milbank: The domain of 'dot-sucks' Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Ample water? Think again Guest Opinion: Oregon mothers need much more than flowers Guest Opinion: Child poverty and the Schneider Children’s Center Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Lifestyle Latest stories Kitchen Call: Cakes — not just for birthdays Sid McKeen: A bumper crop of idle observations Cars We Remember: 1955 and 1956 Plymouth memories Home Help: Keep a man cave top of mind when choosing a new home Outdoors photos from readers Food Kitchen Call: Cakes — not just for birthdays Community blog: Rhubarb's sour stalks have surprising savory side 6 stars of the Rogue Valley food universe Season Stepp: Use pink lemonade in recipes Quick, easy, versatile Home and Garden Home Help: Keep a man cave top of mind when choosing a new home Learning to be a water watcher in these dry times Betty Montgomery: Longleaf pines making a comeback Pergola, arbor, gazebo: Learn the differences Dear Monty: Five tips for companies to reduce relocation costs Health Community blog: Little Free Libraries Community blog: Fasting out of Cancer Brent St. Germain: Weight loss goes to the dogs Community blog: Don't Fall for This Part 2 Health Watch: Easy tips to drink more water throughout the day Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 15 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 8 Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Milestones and Achievements Prefontaine-style running trail proposed in south Medford Bukair-Hinkle Wedding: Stephanie Anne Obad and Mark Douglass Schmor Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Drones helping create unique wedding photos Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs 5 picks for live entertainment Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom Theater OSF commissioned plays tour throughout country 'Cuckoo's Nest' is a big play, well presented 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Music Live Music in Local Clubs Blues great B.B. King dead at 89 Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory Victor D. Infante: If loving bad pop songs is wrong ... The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters Community Events Third Friday: 'Into the Woods' is a must-see 5 things to see at Art in Bloom Flowers, art and music highlight Art in Bloom Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘Mad Max’ is a fresh, fantastic approach to a classic idea Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Mad Max’ franchise Movie review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ will leave your inner 12-year-old giggling with glee Movie review: ‘Hot Pursuit’ is a hot mess George Miller returns to his ‘Mad Max’ roots Dining 6 stars of the Rogue Valley food universe Cool down with a cold one (or two, or three) Nguyen Street Food From rustic to elegant: Wine tasting in Southern Oregon Quick, easy, versatile Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Senate panel passes medical pot rules ... Medford School District budget funds new student success programs ... RCC President Angstadt retires ... Senate panel passes medical pot rules ... Medford School District budget funds new student success programs ... RCC President Angstadt retires ... Kelly McElroy: I hate this 'game' By Kelly McElroy HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Kelly McElroy HoumaToday.com Posted May. 15, 2015 @ 9:22 am By Kelly McElroy HoumaToday.com Posted May. 15, 2015 @ 9:22 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Remember when the NBA’s slogan was “I Love this Game”? It was used in the 1990s and then later in the mid-2000s. It was a big thing. The slogan was featured in commercials, on hats, billboards, T-shirts and anywhere else the NBA was marketing itself. I still love the NBA and try and watch as many NBA playoff games as possible. But there is an aspect of the game that has led me to turn off a number of playoff games recently — the use of intentional fouls on poor free-throw shooters as a tactic by some teams to gain an advantage through stealing possessions and “muddying” up the game. It’s commonly known as “hack-a-player.” The practice was used on Shaquille O’Neal at times in his NBA career because he was a poor free-throw shooter and dominating post player, but it is back in full force in 2015, especially in the Clippers-Rockets Western Conference semifinals series. You are seeing it used in that series because those teams feature two of the top big-men in the league in Houston’s Dwight Howard and Los Angeles’ DeAndre Jordan. They also happen to be two of the worst free-throw shooters in the league. Howard shot 52.8 percent from the free-throw line during the regular season and Jordan shot 39.7 percent. So at certain times in the series, the teams, under instruction from its coaches, intentionally foul the two by just running up to them and grabbing them when neither is anywhere close to the play or the ball. In a 129-95 win by the Clippers in Game 4 on Sunday, the Rockets forced Jordan into taking 39 free throws. He made 14 of them. I, just like every other sports fan out there, would much rather see Howard or Jordan catching alley-oop dunks, snagging rebounds and throwing down vicious dunks instead of watching them shoot (and mostly miss) free throws. It is making the game boring. If this was the NFL, a rule would have been put in place a long time ago to avoid this from happening. I understand that some people will point to it being a good strategy and that bad free-throw shooters should work to get better, but when strategy starts to push fans away from watching a sport they pay good money to be entertained by, something must change. It really makes the games painful to watch and also adds to the length of them. For instance, some of the playoff games this season have been pushing three hours. That means if a person on the East Coast wants to watch a Western Conference playoff game at night they would have to stay up to after 1 a.m. to see how it finishes. We don’t need guys fouling other guys away from the play to make the games drag on any longer than they have to. I still love the NBA and the playoffs. But when it comes to the strategy of intentionally fouling poor free-throw shooters away from the ball, I am quickly starting to hate that game. Kelly McElroy writes about sports for The Thibodaux (La.) Daily Comet and The Houma (La.) Courier. By Kelly McElroy HoumaToday.com MailTribune.com By Kelly McElroy HoumaToday.com Posted May. 15, 2015 @ 9:22 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501