Tag: Elam Ending

The NBA possibly using the All-Star Elam Ending for overtime is the best idea

This would be SO good for the everyone.

Last weekend, the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers duked it out in an instant classic. By night’s end, in a long slugfest, the Kings would prevail 176-175 in double overtime. It was the arguable game of the year.

Under a possible new rule change, lengthy matchups like Kings-Clippers might not take place next season.

According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the NBA is considering implementing a “target score” next year, but just for overtime periods. You might also know it as the “Elam Ending” — first famously used by the league in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game when the target score was 24 points for the leading team after the third quarter to honor the late Kobe Bryant.

The idea now is to limit overlong broadcasts and player minutes when applicable. More from Bleacher Report:

“Another potential change could be the use of a target score, but just for overtime. The G League has experimented with the rule in overtime during the regular season and for fourth quarters during the Winter Showcase in Las Vegas. In comparing regular overtime from the 2021-22 season to target-score overtime pre-Showcase, the length dipped from 13 minutes on average to 8.5.”

Beyond broadcast length and player attrition, I’m in favor of implementing the Elam Ending on a regular basis (in overtime or the fourth quarter) because it incentivizes aggression. Knowing there’s a target score to aim for rather than a set time on the clock, players and coaches would potentially play harder and take more risks to secure a victory.

And who doesn’t want more aggressive, higher-stakes basketball in the NBA? The Elam Ending becoming a staple in the league in any facet would be a win-win for everyone.

What is the Elam Ending, explained: How the NBA All-Star Game ending works

Let’s break down the ending you’ll see in the NBA All-Star Game and the Rising Stars games.

If you’re watching the 2023 NBA All-Star Game –also the All-Star Rising Stars games — and you start hearing about something called the “Elam Ending” that will decide the contest, and you’re confused? We’re here to help.

Let’s start with the format: In the fourth quarter of the game, there will be no more game clock. Instead, there will be a target score for one team to hit first. That number? It’ll be the team with the lead’s score through three quarters with 24 points added.

(Yes, that 24 is a tribute to Kobe Bryant’s jersey number.)

The first team to reach that score wins. It’s that simple.

It’s named for Nick Elam, a Ball State University who came up with it and saw it adapted by The Basketball Tournament six years ago. The NBA grabbed on to it in 2020, and it was an immediate hit as fans loved the drama that came with it:

There you have it!

FTW Explains: The history of the Elam Ending, which was a huge hit at the NBA All-Star Game

The Elam Ending, explained.

Welcome to FTW Explains: A guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. 

Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game was one of the best in recent memory, mostly because of the way it ended – via the Elam Ending.

That phrase was trending for most of the fourth quarter of the the game and had everyone wondering what the meaning and the history was behind this thing called the Elam Ending.

What if we told you it was created by a college professor who was frustrated by the drawn-out ending to basketball games while he was still a senior in college in 2004?

Sounds like a hero, right?

What is this now?

You weren’t the only one thinking that during the game

The easy explanation for the Elam Ending is that it’s a format where the final score necessary to win the game is predetermined. In the All-Star Game they took the team’s score that was leading after three quarters (Team Giannis) and added 24 points (in honor of Kobe Bryant) to that score, which brought us to 157. There is no clock, which means there aren’t a ton of fouls in the final minutes which normally take forever.

Team LeBron ended up winning the game, 157-156, in what was a really fun quarter of exhibition basketball… even if the game-winning shot came on a free throw.

Who invented the Elam Ending?

A fella named Nick Elam, who is a professor of educational leadership at Ball State University. He thought of it while watching a college hoops tournament game take forever to play out the final minutes of a game back when he was a senior at the University of Dayton in 2004. There had to be a better way to finish things up more quickly but without losing any of the drama down the stretch so he came up with one called – the Elam Ending, which was born in 2007.

This ending has been used the past few years by The Basketball Tournament, which is a winner-take all, $2 million tournament that has thoroughly enjoyed the Elam Ending.

Want to know more about this Nick Elam fella?

Of course you do. There are many stories out there about him, as he’s quite popular right now. Here’s one I liked while doing research on this thing:

What did players think of the Elam Ending?

They loved it!

What did fans/media think of the Elam Ending?

They loved it! Though some would offer one tweak to it that makes sense:

[jwplayer 868hTTxX-q2aasYxh]