Bill Walton has passed away at 71 years old

guidomerkinsrules said

I’m not saying the rules didn’t change- but almost always rule changes are reactive not proactive

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Sure, in a lot of cases yes. But I'm saying the game changed because the rules changed. Like, in the NFL, you'd see guys getting injured because they tackled awkwardly and so the horse collar penalty was added. That changed the way defenses tackled. Same with the NBA. Saw players getting lower leg injuries because defenders often would sneak a foot or crowd him enough that he can't come down on his feet, and the NBA made that a foul. This gave shooters a bit more space and opened things up for the offenses.

So yes rules changes were often reactionary, but they also affected the approach teams take in their game plans. The game strategies didn't change the rules. The rules affected the game planning.