Ira Winderman: NBA enhances play by eradicating embellishment

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thank you NBA. Thank you Monty McCutcheon. Thank you referees.

It’s beginning to again look a lot like basketball, everywhere you go.

All because, as McCutcheon, the NBA’s officiating supervisor, explained to us on the eve of the season, “We want basketball to be played, not manipulated.”

And then came Wednesday night’s game at Barclays Center, when the Miami Heat pushed past the Brooklyn Nets, 106-93, in the teams’ first meeting of the season.

No, the outcome hardly was stunning, as the Nets continue to struggle in the absence of Kyrie Irving.

But here’s what was: James Harden continued to flail, flop, gesticulate, embellish and … nothing. Crickets. Hardly a whistle, save for those that got him to the foul line for three free throws in his 35 minutes, 36 seconds.

The NBA really meant it, this, in the league’s words, “interpretive change in officiating overt, abrupt or abnormal non-basketball moves by offensive players with the ball.”

In the NHL, embellishment gets you to the penalty box. In soccer, “simulation” results in a yellow card. But in the NBA, it had led, for too many years, to a parade to the foul line.

One often led by Harden, who at times appears to be throwing more appendages in the air than Spider Man’s Doc Ock.

While discussing the league’s revised interpretations, McCutcheon said, “NBA referees are no longer in the business of what would have happened.”

Saying it is one thing. Meaning it is another.

The NBA meant it. The numbers seemingly telling as much.

In the wake of Heat-Nets, according to Basketball Reference, the NBA was averaging the fewest personnel fouls per team ever, at 19.3 per game, and the fewest foul shots per team, at 20 per game.

For all the NBA has to offer from its ongoing 3-point-a-thon to its high-wire acts at the rim, no one comes to watch free throws.

Soon enough, players such as Harden will come to appreciate that flailing only will leave them failing.

And perhaps then actually try to score on plays when the lone previous goal was getting to the foul line.

“We want there to be equal opportunities to compete with passion and skill,” McCutchen said during his media briefing. “And we want flow in the game, and we want the game of basketball to be played as the game of basketball.”

Persistence, in making actual basketball plays, still was rewarded in that Heat victory in Brooklyn, including Heat center Bam Adebayo going 8 of 9 from the line.

“We don’t want to disincentivize free throws,” McCutchen said. “We want to disincentivize abnormal moves whose sole purpose is to get free throws.”

So perhaps once Harden overcomes his conditioning and hamstring issues, he will adjust, just as defenders adjusted when the NBA eliminated hand checking and cracked down on restriction of movement.

The respect still will be there for Harden, as he showed by shooting 16 of 19 from the line on Friday night against the Pacers.

“I just think that would be really dangerous to go in there trying to change how you’re defending a player like Harden, who’s so savvy,” Heat coach Spoelstra said. “His skill level is incredible.”

It is a lesson hitting home well beyond Harden-ville.

“There’s a lot of things they took out that was necessary, veering back and jumping into guys, that’s different,” Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young said after a frustrating outing in Thursday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards, when he attempted only three free throws. “There’s certain things that I agree with the rule change. But then there’s things that are still fouls.”

As in actual fouls, not the type of stat stuffers that Harden and then Young had feasted on.

“I love what I’m seeing,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I think the officials are doing a great job. The game has more of an authentic feel.”

Or, as Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma posted on Twitter, “The new rules changes to the sport are the best thing the league has done in recent history. Watching the game Is muuuuuch different.”