With 23.8 seconds left, the Houston Rockets found themselves down three points against the Chicago Bulls. Despite just 22 seconds on the clock, the Rockets had the opportunity to play the possession out because there was just 16 seconds left on the shot clock. That means that if the Rockets were to get a stop and secure the rebound, they would have time to try and tie the game.
This is why I thought it was interesting that the Rockets decided to foul down two and send Joakim Noah to the free throw line.
Noah hit both free throws, and the Rockets now found themselves down 5 with 22 seconds left. They were forced to try and catch the Bulls by scoring, fouling to extend the game, and hope that the Bulls missed free throws. It didn’t happen.
Now, this is a tough decision for a head coach, and I don’t think that there is a set rule, but I think Rick Adlemen made the wrong decision here for two main reasons. First, the Rockets defense was playing really well at the time. Despite letting the Bulls go on a huge run to start the quarter, the Rockets settled down and actually held the Bulls scoreless for four whole minutes before Noah’s two free throws.
Second, the Bulls were in the same position one possession earlier (coming out of a timeout with 17 seconds left on the shot clock), and they didn’t try to milk any time off the clock at all.
Now, I understand that with less time on the clock, the Bulls would probably have milked some clock, but you have to trust your defense here, get a stop, secure the rebound, and give yourself a chance to tie the game. What do you guys think?
