The attempt to draw an offensive foul has become such a common play that it’s a reason Spurs coaches are so persistent in teaching their players how to shoot the floater. They like the technique because it creates a way to score in the no-man’s-land of the paint, about five to eight feet from the basket, but they also like it because it better protects the players from the way the game is played now.
“We honestly don’t know,” said one Spurs assistant earlier in the playoffs, “what to tell our players.”
They aren’t sure anymore what is charging and what is blocking. Refs have too much to analyze in a quick moment, and they tend to look first to make sure the defender’s feet are outside the half circle. To determine that, they often miss the basics — such as whether the defender is getting under the driver while he’s in the air.
— Reported by Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News
