CGTN Sports Talk: What took away NBA scorers' magic?

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CGTN Sports Talk EP119 Rule changes and new basketball.mp3

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Scoring used to be easy in the NBA until the 2021-2022 season. The arrival of shooting foul calling changes and the new Wilson basketball took many star scorers by surprise at the free throw and 3-point line.
Suddenly their old tricks cease to work, and defenders are emboldened to go aggressive trying to stop them.

The league has made changes from time to time since its birth 75 years ago. Most of them are controversial because there are always players who have to change their game. The interesting part is that although the league introduced the changes, they rarely foresaw how it would play out on the court.

James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets looks on in the game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn borough, New York City, New York, U.S., October 24, 2021. /CFP

Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers looks on in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 9, 2021. /CFP

Host: Li Xiang

Guest: Matthew Watson

Cover designer: Feng Yuan

Chief editor: Chen Ran

Supervisor: Zhang Shilei

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