In one NBA game, there will be lots of players from both teams who will fall during the game. They fall because of various physical plays. Falling in basketball games is normal because it is a physical sport. It is inevitable to have contact with other players on the court.
However, even though a player falls in the NBA, one of his teammates will help him get up. We often see this from NBA players every time one of their teammates falls amid the game. The player that falls amid the game will never stand up on his own because he will wait for his teammates to help him up. Why? Let me answer that.
Why do NBA players wait to be helped up? NBA players wait for their teammates to help them up after falling because it is a tradition in the NBA. It also helps the fallen player to conserve his energy if his teammates help him up. NBA players also do this to show teamwork, respect, and camaraderie.
There is much more you can learn about this topic. We are going to discuss the various reasons why NBA players wait to be helped up and why NBA players fall during a basketball game. Also, we are going to answer different questions related to our subject. If you are ready let’s go!
Reasons Why NBA Players Wait To Be Helped Up
Let’s check the various reasons why NBA players wait to be helped up by their teammates when they fall.
Conserve Energy
The first reason why NBA players wait for their teammates to help them up when they fall is that it helps them conserve their energy. One NBA game has four quarters, and each quarter has twelve minutes. Imagine if you play ten minutes per quarter. It is exhausting, right?
When the game reaches the fourth quarter, this is where NBA players lose their energies already. They can’t even stand up from the bench after their coaches call a timeout. What if they fall in the middle of the fourth quarter? Picking themself up when they fall can be a tough task, especially if most of their energy is already consumed.
Almost all of their energies are already consumed from the first three quarters. That is why they become more exhausted when they reach the fourth quarter. This is why NBA players wait for their teammates to help them up when they fall. They need to conserve energy for them to continue playing until the final buzzer of the game.
Increase Team’s Morale
Helping your teammates up when they fall increases the team’s morale. When you help your teammates up, it shows that you care for them. This can help increase the chemistry of your team.
NBA players will wait to be helped up by their teammates when they fall because they also want to know if their teammates truly care for them. If the fallen player was helped by his teammates, he will have more confidence to play the game because he knows his teammates are behind him.
To Show Teamwork And Camaraderie
NBA players help their teammates up to show teamwork and camaraderie. They wait to be helped up by their teammates when they fall to show teamwork and camaraderie. Teamwork is essential in basketball because, without it, the basketball team will fall.
Tradition Of The NBA
The last reason why NBA players wait to be helped up when they fall is that it is a tradition of the NBA teams. They still do this tradition to keep it alive, and this tradition proves that it can increase the team’s morale.
This tradition shows how players in different NBA teams care for each other. Even the alpha males of each NBA team help their teammates when they fall. It is a good tradition of the NBA because it shows how caring and loving NBA players are on the court.
Why Do NBA Players Fall In Basketball Games?
Like I have said above, NBA players may fall in basketball games often. Falling can consume lots of the energy of an NBA player, especially if they help themself up. This is why they wait for their teammates to help them up to consume their energies.
Falling in a basketball game is inevitable. It is a physical sport that is why it is usual to fall. An NBA player may fall many times in one NBA game. They fall for many reasons, but the main reason is because of the physicality of the game.
To learn more about this, let’s take a look at the different reasons why NBA players fall in basketball games. Let’s check them out!
Athletic Plays
Many athletic plays can happen in one NBA game. Athletic plays are incredible plays that most people think are impossible to execute. This includes 360 dunks, self alley-oop dunks, jelly layup, moving your body in mid-air, and more! In simple words, athletic plays are incredible plays that make people’s jaws drop.
Derrick Rose is one of the best athletic players in NBA history. However, because of his injuries, his athleticism becomes low. But he can still make some simple athletic layups. Rose prevents doing athletic dunks as he does before because he might get injured again. He only executed simple dunks today.
Athletic plays are one of the reasons why NBA players fall on the ground. When they get bumped while performing a dunk or get out of balance when they land down the floor, they may fall. The athletic play puts the player in an awkward position making it hard for them to land properly on the floor.
When NBA players know that they will have an awkward landing, they fall their whole body on the ground. It is much safer than putting your knees and feet first. You may get injured like Gordon Hayward if you do this. They put their upper bodies first when they fall on the ground to avoid any injuries on their lower bodies.
Getting Hit While In Shooting Motion
The next reason why NBA players fall in basketball games is that they get hit by the opposing player while they are in a shooting motion. It happens often in the three-point line or jump shots. Any team will prevent any shooter from shooting threes because it’s lots of points.
However, because some defensive players are in a hurry to prevent the shooter from shooting threes, they accidentally bump the shooter and lead to a foul. When the defensive player who is in a rush to block the shot bumped the shooter, the shooter has a high chance of falling into the ground.
Players like Stephen Curry, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, and other best shooters in NBA history experience this. If these shooters have been left wide open, a defensive player will rush to them to prevent their shot. Sometimes they bumped these shooters that will most likely lead to a shooting foul. Because these shooters are very accurate, they are most likely to sink the shot in even though they have been out of balance because of the bump.
NBA coaches also try to prevent this from happening. Why? Because this may lead to an and-one opportunity. Whether it’s from three points or inside the paint, it still hurts for the team to let the opponents have an and-one opportunity.
That is why NBA coaches always tell their players that if the player is already in the shooting motion, they should leave it. It is better to hope for the player to miss rather than giving it an and-one opportunity.
Drawing Charges
Have you seen NBA players who stand still inside the paint if the offensive player is driving? If yes, the reason why NBA players do this is to draw a charge. Drawing charges requires the right timing and being in the right position to make it real. Some players flop or act to draw some charges.
These players who flop will act like it was a hard bump when they get bumped even though it is not. They will lean back a little bit and let the opponents touch them a little bit. If they feel the touch of the opposing player, they will act falling while making a grunting sound. They fool the other referees, but others do not.
This is called a smart move in the NBA. They do this to draw a charge and get possession of the ball. This is also one of the reasons why NBA players fall into the ground. Sometimes the charge is real, but sometimes it was manipulated by the players by acting or flopping.
When They Slip
The floor of the basketball court may be slippery because of many reasons. Sometimes it’s because of some spilled water or spilled sweat of the NBA players. Also, it may be because of the shoes of the NBA players. Because of this, NBA players rub the bottom of their shoes to remove any dirt that causes less friction.
This is one of the reasons why NBA players fall on the ground. Sometimes they slip because the basketball court is slippery. That is why they have a floor mopper in the NBA. The floor moppers are the ones tasked to make sure that the court is not slippery. Not only the NBA players get slipped but also the referees.
Because Of Big Guys
The other reason why NBA players fall on the ground is because of the big guys on the court. Small players will sometimes bump into bigger guys, and they are most likely to fall off the ground. The bigger guys have a low chance of falling when they get bumped because the heavier a player is, the harder they fall.
When centers or big guys go inside, they will use their size to conquer the opponent guarding them inside. There can be lots of collisions and tangle-ups between the big offensive and defensive player while fighting inside.
The weakest of them will be the one who will fall on the ground. But big guys don’t often fall on the ground, but if they will, you must look out because they might fall to you. Players with a size like Shaq are less likely to fall when they get bumped. They might fall to the ground if they slipped or did not land right.
Why Do NBA Players Fall After Shooting A Three Pointer?
In the NBA, almost all players can shoot threes, even the big guys. Because of that, the players who fall after shooting a three-pointer become enormous. But, what is the real reason for this? Simple. NBA players do this to draw fouls.
Players that are shooting threes will act or flop to get a four-point play opportunity. They know that a foul doesn’t have to be physical to get a call from the referees. As long as they look hurt or have pushed, they have a high chance to get the call. However, some shooters don’t flop or act. Some of them have really pushed by the defensive player.
The NBA officials have a problem with the flopping thing. Referees are just humans too. That is why they can make mistakes. The referees made some changes during the offseason to prevent players from manipulating the game.
One of the problems of referees is the players kicking out the leg of the defensive player guarding them to draw fouls. James Harden is adept when it comes to this kind of strategy. Because of this, the NBA officials reviewed this tactic and now they considered it as an offensive foul.
Some basketball players who shoot threes fall intentionally, not because of them to draw fouls but to prevent injuries. Let me explain to you. If a defensive player is running towards you and moves close to you if you land you might land on the defensive player’s foot. You may get a sprained ankle or worse! This is also a smart move NBA players make to prevent ankle injuries.
Why Don’t NBA Players Help A Player From An Opposing Team Get Up When They Fall?
Some of them do. When NBA players help a player from an opposing team get up when they fall, it is a sign of respect. It is also their way of showing admiration to their opponents.
NBA players will help each other after a hard foul sent by one of them. This may also happen if the opponent of an NBA player is his teammate before. However, most NBA players don’t allow their teammates to be helped by their opponents. Why? Because their teammates may lose focus on the game. That is why sometimes, you will see some NBA players swat the hands of their opposing player who has an intention to help his teammate.
NBA players believe that in a basketball game, an enemy is an enemy. Because if this is not their mindset, they will lose focus on the game and act softly. So it means it is better to be helped by your teammates rather than your opponents.
Does Falling Help You Score More?
Falling can’t help you to score more, but it can help you to get more chances at the charity strike. However, it might be risky because sometimes you might miss your free-throws, and maybe the referees will never make a call even if you fall on the ground.
If you love to drive inside the basket to dunk or lay the ball in, then expect that you will most likely get bumped inside. You may also get bumped while you are in the air. The best option if you have been outbalanced in the air is to fall. Why? So that you can avoid lower-body injuries.
Final Words
Now that you know that helping your teammates up when they fall helps increase your team’s morale, I hope you do it on your next game. Help your teammates when they fall to show that you care for them. Don’t let the opponents be the first ones to help your teammate when he/she falls. Be the first one always!
What do you think are the other reasons why NBA players wait to be helped up when they fall? Comment your answers below!
