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NBA fans are loving the new foul rules

James Harden might not be, but the NBA fans sure are.

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Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in Golden State Warriors fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.


The NBA amended their foul rules over the offseason, listening to calls from fans, broadcasters, and players interested in defense to start eliminating foul calls when offensive players are initiating the bulk of the contact.

Here’s a great example of it: Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden, who has just 15 free throw attempts in five games (despite a career average of 8.7, and seven seasons averaging double figures), not drawing a foul where he’s clearly used to getting a whistle:

Some speculated that Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry might be impacted by the rules, but he seems just fine: through four games, Curry is averaging 6.8 attempts per game, the highest mark of his career.

But NBA fans are happy with the changes they’re seeing. According to the latest SB Nation Reacts survey, the overwhelming majority of fans think that the game has gotten better as a result of the changing officiating.

In more Warriors-centric news, you probably know by now that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were omitted from the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. The majority of Warriors fans think that Thompson should have been listed as one of the 75 best players in NBA history, while less than half think Green should have been.


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