OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Toronto guard Kyle Lowry squarely planted his feet and braced for contact with Milwaukee Bucks athletic big man Giannis Antetokounmpo barreling down on him.
Lowry, one of the best in basketball at taking a charge, absorbed the punishment and drew a foul against the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo. These days, not everybody is willing to do what Lowry does in the fast-paced, open-floor NBA game.
I think its kind of a lost art, DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors said of taking a charge.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wont argue that sentiment.
It seems so, doesnt it? You can count on one hand how many charges are taken over the course of five or 10 games, in some situations, Popovich said with a chuckle. You see it a lot more in college than you do in the NBA. Maybe theyre protecting their contracts, dont want to get hurt, I dont know. There arent very many, thats for sure.
Successfully taking a charge is difficult and even those who are willing to try wont always do so. Yet its a play that can change the momentum of a game during the pressure-packed postseason.
The 6-1 Lowry goes into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night with a league-best 11 charges during these playoffs, a stat the NBA keeps under hustle plays. The Raptors have drawn 16 charges and the Warriors were at 16 going into Thursday nights Game 2 win in the Western Conference finals against Portland.
There are several keys to it: Anticipate. Get in position. Solidly square your feet and prepare to be run over, knowing the foul call wont always go your way.
Youre going to have to stand in there. The one thing Im super proud of our defense is we stand in there and we take hits, and we take charges, Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. I dont have the numbers but weve got to be up there really close to leading the playoffs or leading the league.
Golden State defensive leader Draymond Green thrives in the middle of the action, but he knows firsthand about calls not going his way.
Green failed to get the favorable whistle in the final minute of an overtime road loss against Houston in the last round. Green seemed to have position when James Harden drove the lane but no call was made. Replay showed what appeared to be a textbook charge, and the NBA Last-Two Minute Report ruled the next day a charge should have been issued.
The play came outside the restricted area, which is defined within the NBA rules as an arc of a 4-foot radius measured from the center of the basket and an area in which a defensive player cannot step in to take a charge.
At the end of the day if thats something you like to do youve got to be all right with some of them not going your way because they are really subjective, said Golden State guard Stephen Curry. Whether you were slightly moving side to side or your feet were planted or the charge circle debate, youve just got to take the good with the bad. The ones who do it well get the benefit of the doubt more times than not for sure.
There are players in the league who stand out for consistently doing it well and getting the call Lowry, Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, Bostons Marcus Smart and Cousins.
Its a big play. All of us cant be up there and be rim protectors and dunk the ball, Rockets star Chris Paul said. It can definitely ignite the crowd. Charges are huge and theres not a lot of guys in the league who do that.
Not many teams have elite shot blockers anymore either, so taking a charge has become that much more important.
