Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
While there is a lot going on on an NBA court during the games, the sidelines are full of action as well. You’ve got coaches yelling out instructions while the players on the bench are the ultimate hype men for the team. Bench reactions after some stunning plays often go viral but over the years, we have also seen controversy arise when it comes to the players on the bench,
There was that infamous incident during Game 4 in the 2007 playoffs between the Suns and the Spurs, where Amar’e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for a game because they stepped onto the court after Robert Horry had hip-checked Steve Nash. The NBA has had rules in place that bench players cannot step on the court during an altercation and more rules are coming for this upcoming season.
NBA Fans Don’t Like The New NBA Team Bench Rules
One of the less-talked-about storylines of last season was how the Dallas Mavericks were fined a total of $175k for bench decorum during the playoffs. Their players were standing on the bench for extended periods, at times they were away from the bench altogether, while also encroaching on the court. The NBA does not want this to become the new norm in the league and new rules have been placed for this upcoming season.
NBA fans were not happy with these rules as they felt it was taking the fun out of the game.
“No more fun essentially”
“First rule for sure cause People sitting court side complained. You can’t see a damn thing if they’re standing 😭😂”
“Nah that’s horrible just give them techs if they go out of line idk why they’re so strict”
“league gone soft”
“It’s a sporting event not a somber meeting. If it’s such an issue back the bench up a few feet.”
“nba starting to become like the nfl 😔”
“no fun league??”
“I blame the Mavs and the Grizzlies. I remember different plays when their bench players got involved and tried to distract Steph and other guys. Steph even accidentally passed the ball to one of them”
“But why? if a professional athlete can’t ignore bench players then he doesn’t deserve to be in the league”
“I didn’t know the NBA’s sport is softball?”
“National Boring Association”
“its like they want us to stop watching basketball”
“Everything is just so soft now 😂”
“What are these crazy rules 😂”
“Lol these leagues get worse every year”
“Great job making the NBA boring”
“Whoever thought of these hates fun”
“Adam Silver saw the NFL making unpopular rule changes and said “hold my beer””
“I love basketball but it’s getting tough to watch smh”
“Just take the energy right out of the game 🤦🏾♂️”
Despite their complaints, this is something that had to be done. Another fan also pointed out the kind of incidents the league is trying to stop with these rules.
There were other instances too of Heat players doing this and with the new rules in place, we’ll hopefully see fewer instances like this. Also keep in mind that the standing part only applies for extended periods, so bench players can still go wild when something crazy happens.
We all just want to watch some great basketball in the end and while it might seem like these rules are taking the fun out of the game, they really aren’t to the extent that people think.
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