Hack-a-Shaq by teams that are trailing near the end of the game. Basketball, unique among major world sports, permits intentional fouling to gain a strategic advantage; in other sports, it is considered an unfair act or professional foul. Once the fouling team enters the penalty situation, the fouled team is awarded free throws. The typical NBA player makes a high enough percentage of his free throws that, over time, opponents' possessions that end with free throws will yield more points than possessions in which the opponents try to score a field goal. Even the highest-scoring NBA teams average only about 1.1
Strategic move Strategic move A strategic move in game theory is an action taken by a player outside the defined actions of the game in order to gain a strategic advantage and increase one's payoff. Strategic moves can either be "unconditional moves" or "response rules". The key characteristics of a strategic move are that it involves a "commitment" from the player, meaning the player can only restrict her own choices, and that the commitment has to be "credible", meaning that once employed it must be in the interest of the player to follow through with the move. Credible moves should also be