Last week at the elitist country club message board, Keegan started a good debate about some possible rule changes for the W.

One change may be on the way already, imported from the men's side.

In an effort to reverse the two-decade decline in scoring, the NBA told refs to start calling certain fouls more closely this year. Most importantly, officials were instructed to be more vigilant about hand-checking above the free throw line extended.

The idea was to make it easier for the offensive players to move and penetrate, thus leading to a smoother, less physical, and higher scoring game.

How did it work out?

Scoring went up about 4%. In the '03-'04 season, the NBA averaged 93.4 PPG. This year, it increased to 97.2.

The difference was partly due to more free throws, partly due to more field goals. Free throws attempted went up about 8%, meaning teams got about 2 more attempts per game, accounting for about a point and a half. (Free throw percentage stayed around 75%.) Field goals per minute increased by about 2.7%, meaning teams scored about 1 more field goal per game, accounting for a little more than two points.

Another difference was that a new breed of offensive, run-and-gun teams had more success. Phoenix has been the most notable example. With over 110 ppg, the Suns led the league in scoring, and also ended with the best record. (They are also, by the way, a ton of fun to watch.)

Of course, there's no way to know for certain whether the tighter hand-checking rules caused the change in scoring. But most folks who follow the league thing they had something to do with it. And in watching the games, the difference was noticeable.

What does this mean for the W?

Posting on the Minnesota board, Lynx President Roger Griffith said last month that the WNBA intends to follow the NBA's lead and crack down on perimeter contact. If so, we can hope for a bump in scoring. Maybe we'll even see a smaller, faster, run-and-gun team end up with the best record.