Down 3: To Foul or Not to Foul?

[Anonymous]

I would say foul (non shooting) at 4 or under.  At 7 there is still time to foul and get the length of the court for another possession by the opponent.   So with no “it depends” choice in the poll I said foul only if not shooting – but in practice I would ask for three things.   1.  force opponent to catch moving away from basket.   2.  try to force a dribble or pass to use 2-3 seconds.   3.  foul only if absolutely certain they are not able to make it a shot attempt.    Key is to actually practice late game fouling so you can teach and correct in a controlled environment.