Amanda Knapp
The Elam Ending is an alternative way to finish basketball games, designed to eliminate excessive fouling and preserve a more natural end to the game. Developed by basketball superfan Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, the Elam Ending was first used by The Basketball Tournament in 2017. The format has since been adopted by the NBA All-Star Game and other leagues, receiving widespread attention and praise from fans and players alike. Instead of a game clock, teams play to a target score, with the shot clock still enforced. The clock is turned off with four minutes remaining, and a final target score is announced, which is the leading team's score plus a predetermined number of points. The first team to meet or exceed this target score wins, creating an intense and exciting finish to the game.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Creator | Nick Elam |
| Creator's Title | Ball State University Professor |
| Year of Proposal | 2016 |
| Year of Implementation | 2017 |
| Purpose | To mitigate late-game fouling and maintain a natural flow to the basketball game until the final buzzer sounds |
| Type of Games | Single-elimination tournament |
| Game Format | Teams play to a target score instead of a game clock |
| Target Score | Leading team's score plus a predetermined number of points |
| Overtime | None |
| Number of Teams | 64 |
| Prize Money | $1 million |
| Year of First Use | 2017 |
| Recent Adaptations | Unrivaled women's 3-on-3 basketball league |
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What You'll Learn
The Elam Ending was created to reduce late-game fouling
The Elam Ending is an alternative way to finish basketball games, designed to reduce late-game fouling and create a more natural end-of-game finish. It was developed by Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, and was first used by The Basketball Tournament in 2017.
The Elam Ending removes the game clock from the equation, with teams playing to a target score. This is set by adding a predetermined number of points to the leading team's score at a certain point in the game, typically with four minutes remaining. The first team to reach or exceed this target score wins.
In traditional basketball, the trailing team often resorts to intentional fouling in the final minutes to stop the clock and extend the game. This strategy can be frustrating for fans and rarely works, with Nick Elam's research finding that it was only an effective strategy 1.5% of the time. The Elam Ending eliminates this issue, encouraging teams to focus on defensive plays and pure basketball possessions instead.
The Elam Ending received widespread attention in 2020 when it was chosen as the format for the NBA All-Star Game. It has since been adopted by other leagues, including the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the NBA G League, and has been credited with creating more intense and exciting finishes to games.
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It was first used by The Basketball Tournament in 2017
The Elam Ending was first used by The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in 2017. It was developed by Ball State University professor Nick Elam, a self-described basketball superfan and Mensa genius. Frustrated by the intentional fouling that often plagued the ends of games, Elam began working on an alternative in 2004. Over the next decade, he recorded and analysed over 2,000 college and NBA games, finding that intentional fouling was only an effective strategy for the trailing team around 1.5% of the time.
In 2016, Elam emailed the founders of TBT with a 76-page proposal for a rule change, which he called the "Hybrid Duration Format". TBT implemented the new format the following year, and it has been used in all games since 2018.
Under the Elam Ending format, the game clock is turned off with around four minutes remaining. A target score is then set, which is the leading team's score plus a predetermined number of points. The first team to reach or exceed this target score wins. This format eliminates the need for late-game fouling and encourages more strategic, natural gameplay.
The introduction of the Elam Ending to TBT led to a more intense and exciting experience for both players and fans. The ending has since been adopted by other basketball leagues, including the NBA All-Star Game, and has even been adapted for a spin-off soccer tournament.
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The game clock is turned off with four minutes remaining
The Elam Ending is an alternative way to finish basketball games, designed to preserve a more natural end-of-game finish. It was developed by Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, and was first used by The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in 2017.
In TBT, the game clock is turned off at the first whistle with up to four minutes remaining. At this point, a final target score is announced, which is the leading team's score plus a predetermined number of points. For example, if the score is 65-60 at the first timeout with under four minutes remaining, the target score would be set to 73, and the first team to reach 73 points wins the game.
The Elam Ending was created to mitigate late-game fouling and maintain a natural flow to the basketball game. With the clock removed from the equation, trailing teams are incentivized to focus on getting defensive stops rather than preventing the clock from running out. This results in great defense and pure basketball possessions until the end of the game.
The Elam Ending received widespread attention in 2020 when it was chosen as the format for the NBA All-Star Game. It has since been adopted by other leagues, including the Canadian Elite Basketball League and the NBA G League, and will be adapted for a spin-off soccer tournament in 2023.
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Teams play to a target score to win the game
The Elam Ending is an alternative way to finish basketball games, designed to preserve a more natural end-of-game finish. Instead of a game clock, teams play to a target score, with the shot clock still enforced. The target score is set by adding a predetermined number of points to the leading team's score. For example, if the score is 80-72, the target score becomes 88. The first team to reach the target score wins.
The Elam Ending was developed by Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, who was frustrated by the intentional fouling that often occurred at the end of basketball games. He found that this strategy was rarely effective, with his research showing that intentional fouling was only an effective strategy for the trailing team 1.5% of the time. After emailing the founders of The Basketball Tournament with his proposal in 2016, the Elam Ending was first used by the tournament in 2017 and has been implemented in all games since 2018.
The Elam Ending received widespread attention in 2020 when it was chosen as the format for the NBA All-Star Game. It has since been adopted by other leagues, including the Canadian Elite Basketball League, the NBA G League, and the Unrivaled women's 3-on-3 basketball league. The Elam Ending has been credited with creating more exciting endings to games, increasing the intensity, and reducing the number of fouls committed by trailing teams.
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The Elam Ending has been adapted for soccer
The Elam Ending is a rules format designed for basketball games. It was developed by Nick Elam, a professor at Ball State University, and was first used by The Basketball Tournament (TBT) in 2017. Unlike traditional basketball rules, in which the game is played with four timed quarters, the Elam Ending removes the clock from the equation, with teams playing to a target score. This is designed to eliminate excessive fouling by the trailing team at the end of the game, which can disrupt the flow of the game.
In 2022, the organisers of TBT announced that they would be adapting the Elam Ending for a spin-off seven-a-side soccer tournament, The Soccer Tournament (TST), which began in 2023. Like TBT, TST has a winner-takes-all prize of $1 million. Matches are played on a reduced-size field with slightly smaller goals than normal and consist of 20-minute halves.
After the end of the second half, the remainder of the match goes into "Target Score Time". The target score is set by adding one goal to the leading or tied team's score, and the game ends once this target score is reached by either team. This adaptation of the Elam Ending for soccer aims to bring the same intensity and excitement that it has brought to basketball tournaments, providing a more natural and electrifying finish to the game.
The Elam Ending in soccer, as in basketball, eliminates the reliance on the clock, encouraging teams to focus on their performance rather than the timing. This can result in improved gameplay, with greater emphasis on strategy, defence, and pure possession. The format also discourages intentional fouling, which is often used as a tactic to extend the game or disrupt the opposing team's flow. By removing this element, the Elam Ending promotes a more positive and skilful approach to the game, enhancing the overall viewing experience for fans.
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