Block or charge? New rule for once-contentious call leading to a more free-flowing game

Arizona guard Pelle Larsson takes a devilish pride in drawing charges, even if it leaves him battered, bruised and buried in ice bags after every game.

“It makes the offense look kind of stupid, to be honest,” Larsson said. “It’s even better than a steal or a block. It's a turnover and a foul, so it's the best defensive play you can make.”

Drawing an offensive foul is often a momentum changer, putting a charge in the charge-taking team, deflating the offending defenders.

It's also been a massive point of consternation, a slippery slope on which no one's exactly sure where the parameters for a block or a charge fall with the players who crash to the hardwood.