In the first round of the 2008 playoffs, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich resorted to the “Hack-A-Shaq approach of having his players intentionally foul Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, who struggled throughout his career at the free-throw line.

Late in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Thunder on Tuesday night, OKC coach Scott Brooks instructed his team to deliberately foul Spurs reserve center Tiago Splitter, who was shooting 32.0 percent from the line this postseason.

The tactic at least stopped the clock for the Thunder, which still wound up losing 120-111 at the AT&T Center.

Asked if he thought the “Hack-A-Splitter” approach helped OKC get back into the game, Popovich said: “Maybe, maybe. It was a good move. I might have done it.”

via John Rohde and Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman