Elam Ending

The Elam Ending, also known as final target score,[1] is a rules format for basketball. Unlike traditional basketball rules, in which the game is played with four timed quarters, with the Elam Ending format, teams end the game by playing to a target score. A variation used by the NBA G League implements the Elam Ending in games that go into overtime.

Developed by and named for Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University,[2] the Elam Ending was first used by The Basketball Tournament in 2017. The Elam Ending received widespread attention in 2020 when it was chosen as the format for the NBA All-Star Game. It has since been adopted by other leagues, such as the Canadian Elite Basketball League later that year, as well as the NBA G League (which uses it as its overtime format).[3][1] The organizers of TBT announced that they would adapt the concept for a spin-off soccer tournament in 2023.

Format

Instead of a game clock, teams play to a target score, with the shot clock still enforced. The first team to meet or exceed the target score wins, so there is no overtime.[4] The winning score can be a walk-off field goal (two-point or three-point) or a free throw. This format has been compared to how streetball is typically played, as street basketball games are typically played to a target score, e.g. 21 or 15.

Nick Elam devised this system because he was frustrated with stalling and passive play by a leading team and intentionally fouling by a losing team. Elam proposed that his solution, which turns off the game clock, addresses these issues.

History

The Basketball Tournament

In The Basketball Tournament, the game clock is turned off at the first whistle with up to four minutes remaining. In 2017, The Basketball Tournament's play-in games utilized the Elam Ending rules. Since the 2018 edition, the Elam Ending has been used in all games. Originally, the target score was seven points more than team leading or tie score;[5] since 2019, the target score is eight points more than the leading team's/tied score.[6]

Starting with the 2020 tournament, a rule change was made in order to make a game-ending free throw slightly less likely. If the defensive team commits a non-shooting foul during the Elam Ending with the offensive team in the bonus, the offense receives one free throw plus possession. According to TBT organizers, this eliminated an incentive for teams to foul in one specific situation—when the defense could reach the target score with a free throw or two-point basket while the offense needed a three-pointer. The idea for this change came from a user that Elam interacted with on a message board.[7]

Through the 2019 tournament, Jeremy Pargo of Overseas Elite was the TBT leader in making game-winning shots during the Elam Ending, with five[8] (in the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, Overseas Elite won a total of 10 games). During the 2020 tournament, Golden Eagles forward Jamil Wilson tied his record and ultimately broke it in 2021.

Other uses

At the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, the Elam Ending was introduced after Chris Paul brought up the idea to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.[9] This version used an untimed fourth quarter, with the target score being 24 points more than the leading team's score after the third. The target score was chosen to honor Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash a month earlier; he wore 24 during his last 10 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2020, Team LeBron won the game over Team Giannis 157–155 in a back-and-forth game. The Elam Ending format was received well by fans and players alike.[10][11] It has since been used for later installments of the event.[12]

In 2020, the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) adopted the Elam Ending for its CEBL Summer Series tournament (played in lieu of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada), using a target of nine points more than the leading team's score.[13] The change was made permanent in 2021.[14]

The NBA G League adopted the Elam Ending for its 2022–23 season under the name "Final Target Score". For regular-season games, the Elam Ending is implemented once a game goes to overtime, with the first team to score at least 7 points in overtime winning. Games during the G League Winter Showcase, held in December in Las Vegas, employed the Elam Ending after 3 quarters, with the target score set by adding 25 to the leading team's (or tied teams') score.[1]

Soccer adaptation

In October 2022, the organizers of TBT announced that they would hold a spin-off seven-a-side soccer event, The Soccer Tournament (TST), in 2023. TST uses an adaptation of the Elam Ending: after two 20-minute halves, matches go into "Target Score Time", with a target of one goal more than the leading team's (or tied teams') score. Beginning at the fifth minute of Target Score Time, a player is removed from each side at 5-minute intervals until each side is reduced to 2 players or the winning goal is scored, whichever comes first.[15][16]

References
  1. "G League to use Elam Ending format in OT games". ESPN.com. 2022-09-02. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  2. "NBA All-Star Game to Utilize Ball State Professor's 'Elam Ending' For Second Straight Year". Ball State University. February 26, 2021.
  3. "NBA G League to utilize final target score scenarios in 2022-23". Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  4. Lowe, Zach (June 18, 2018). "New kind of crunch time has NBA luminaries excited". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  5. Passan, Jeff (June 11, 2018). "10 Degrees: The Mensa member's idea that can solve almost all of baseball's problems". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  6. "The Basketball Tournament: 2019 Official Rules and Regulations". TheTournament.com. 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  7. Lowe, Zach (March 4, 2020). "The Basketball Tournament changing rules to curb free throws ending game". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  8. "FAQ". thetournament.com. 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  9. "Here's How Chris Paul and Nick Elam Brought the 'Elam Ending' to the NBA". Complex. February 25, 2020.
  10. Botkin, Brad (February 17, 2020). "NBA All-Star Game 2020: After wild Elam Ending, you can't help but wonder about this format in real NBA games". CBS Sports.
  11. "The Elam Ending led to an INTENSE All-Star fourth quarter". ESPN. February 16, 2020.
  12. "2021 All-Star Game Format". NBA.com. February 18, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  13. "CEBL hopes target-score finish will create heroes every game". CBC Sports. 2020-07-09. Archived from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
  14. "Elam Ending Returns To CEBL For 2021 Season" (Press release). Canadian Elite Basketball League. June 19, 2021.
  15. Bonagura, Kyle (October 11, 2022). "The Basketball Tournament organizers announce $1m winner-take-all soccer event". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  16. Bonagura, Kyle (June 4, 2023). "Wrexham and World Cup legends bring star-studded teams to new winner-take-all soccer tournament". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
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