The Indiana Pacers defeated the New York Knicks, 138-135, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday inside Madison Square Garden.
During the first quarter, with two minutes, 50 seconds remaining on the clock, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson drew a personal foul on Pacers guard T.J. McConnell. The play received mixed reactions from members of the AT&T Connected Cam, who thought Brunson was foul-baiting. However, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jared McCain responded differently because he thought it was a smart play.
McCain, 21, said he talked about using the method with his teammate and all-star center Joel Embiid, who has used it to draw fouls. McCain added that it’s a smart play and can be used to manipulate the game in your favor.
“Even when I talk to Joel (Embiid) about it, he thinks it’s just playing the game smart,” McCain said. “Knowing how to manipulate the game in your own way.”
Foul-baiting refers to the act of a player intentionally trying to draw a foul while being tightly guarded to force a stoppage or a trip to the free-throw line. Players like Embiid and Brunson do this by falling toward their defenders when taking a shot to force the defender to make contact with them.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain.
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Brunson did it again during Wednesday’s game by using his arm to force Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith’s hand to smack his eye. The forced contact was not called a foul but was another example of foul-baiting.
Game 2 of the Pacers and Knicks series is on Friday, so watch closely for more instances of foul-baiting so you can determine for yourself if it’s a smart tactic or not. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.