OMG!!! This kind of fouls are very well known in Europe. To this kind of fousl we call "tactical fouls"
First of all, I want to apologize because I'm not going to talk about statistics I'm goingo to talk about basketball. And if I do it, it's because I think it could be interesting for someone.
We have a large experience with these fouls. With these fouls the team that make them what they want is ...
- To avoid fast-breaks
- To avoid easy baskets
- To control the rythm of the game
All these actions are making by these teams to avoid a high pace of the game. Because a worst team in a game with a low number of possessions has more oportunities to win than if they play a game with a high number of possessions.
Everything started so many years ago ... 1992 when Limoges (a french team) hired to Bozidar Maljkovic. Who is or was in that years Bozidar Maljkovic? Well, he was previously the coach of Jugoplastika. Jugoplastika, today called KK Split, is a team from Croatia. Jugoplastika has been one of the most talented teams in Europe of all time. He won the euroleague three times in a row from year 1989 until year 1991 with very young players like ... Dino Radja, Toni Kukoc, Velimir Perasovic, Zoran Sretenovic, Zan Tabak, etc.
How I said, Bozidar Maljkovic was hired for Limoges. But Limoges was not the same team than Jugoplastika. On the contrary, Limoges has been one of the less talented teams in Europe that had won the euroleague. Yes!!! They won the euroleague in 1993!!! How? Always controlling the pace of the game. Except a pair of players the rest of the players did not have a great offensive talent, so they could not play with high scoring. And one of the resources used was the tactical fouls.
In that year, in the regular season of the euroleague, Limoges was the team which scored less points and received less points by game. If quarters of final they played a very hard play-off with the field factor against and won it!!!
Olympiacos: 70 - 53 - 58
Limoges: 67 - 59 - 60
In the final four, the first game the result was:
Real Madrid C.F. 52
Limoges 62
And the final who they win had this result:
Benetton Treviso 55
Limoges 59
Limoges from 1993 to today has only one european title. They won "Copa Korac" in 2000, a minor title in that years.
Before the arrive of Bozidar Maljkovic the final played between Tracer Milan - Maccabi Tel-Aviv in 1988 finished with the result of ... 90 - 84 for the team of Milan. In that final, the point guard of Tracer Milan was ... Mike D'Antoni
And that's all!!! Everything started with Bozidar Maljkovic and his Limoges. We can say that Limoges has been the worst team by far that have won the euroleague.