Do you think teams who complain about "running up the score" are just trying to hustle the other team to slack

Question

Sounds like point shaving to me!

*I was referring to the team being behind compalining about running up the score.

Answer 1

It is point shaving from one point of view but it is not frowned upon. While I was on my community basketball team it was called the mercy rule - when a team was up by 20 it is respectful to the other team to send in your second unit. Teams complain not because they are trying to get back into the game easily but because it is disrespectful to the other team and their fans. However, with the talent of todays professional athletes, I do not agree with this concept because many teams can make unbelievable runs.

Since respect plays a very prominant role in sports it is expected that teams do not run up the score. When teams do run up the score it can cause trouble. For example, On December 17th, 2006, a brawl broke out between the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks which resulted in the suspension of 7 players because the nuggets kept on running up the score after they have made it clear that they have won the game. In the interviews afterwords the New York Knicks commented on the how the brawl broke out because of the disrepect that was shown by the Nuggets.

Answer 2

Teams that complain about the other team running up the score need to do one thing, GET BETTER. If they get competitive, they don't have to worry about that.