Personally, I’ve always favored the strategy of fouling when up by 2 with more than 5 seconds on the clock. The one thing you want to take off the table is losing on a last shot and effectively having no ability to respond. By fouling (in a valid, hard attempt to get the ball), you can take that off the table and give yourself the opportunity (assuming enough time to inbound and get a reasonable shot, hence, the 5 seconds or more) of winning on a last second shot. At worst, even assuming the other team makes the free throws, the game ends in a tie. (As the saying goes, “What have you got to lose ?”) Of course, the other team could make the first free throw, rebound a second miss and have a put back — but what are the percentages of that ? Particularly such percentages as opposed to the percentages of stopping the other team from making a 3-point shot ? Just how rare is it for a team to make a 3-point shot these days in the waning seconds of a game or a half ? Haven’t we seen several of those the last week or so ? Added to that is just what such a shot by the other team does to your team; it literally knocks the stuffing out of them. (Not to mention the fact that a team is hesitant to vigorously defend the basket in the fear of giving up a traditional 3-point play.)
So, we didn't foul and opted to play defense — how did that work out ? Did we have the final chance (with little or no pressure of losing in regulation) to win the game ?
