From Zach Lowe, at ESPN:
At the first dead ball under the 4:00 mark, the clock will go dark as officials add seven points to the score of the leading team. The first team to reach that score wins. If Team A leads Team B, 78-70, when the clock stops with 3:58 left, they play until one reaches 85.
What a genius idea, and one that’s specifically designed to combat hack-a-Shaq1 endings. Looking at you now NFL.
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That would be a reference to Shaquille O’Neal for you kids. He was shit at free-throw shooting, so if the opposing team was down near the end of the game he’d just keep getting fouled. The hope was that he’d miss at least half his shots and it would take almost no time off the clock, giving them a chance to catch up. ↩