Too gimmicky. A nice change of pace for lower levels but not for the NBA. Won't even end intentional fouling - say I'm at target-2 and opponent's got the ball at target-3. Immediate intentional foul. And completely eliminates buzzer-beaters and overtime.
you seem to have missed the point that the current way of ending basketball games is often awful. i and many others are tired of the last 2 minutes of game time taking 15 minutes of real time and offering little in the way of actual basketball.
the intentional foul you mention above would be a single occurance, not a drawn out drama.
as for being gimicky, aren't intentional fouls a "gimmick" to win a game, a gimmick that hurts the watchability of the game and rarely makes a difference.
did not some people consider the 3 pint shot a "gimmick" when it was brought into the game? instead, it improved the game of basketball. elam's ending may do so as well.
as for losing overtime, yes, it would go away. since the number of bad endings outnumber by far over times, it is a tradeoff i will take.
and as far as drama from a buzzer beater, it would exist, but would be dictated by score and not be dictated by time. target score is 87, each team is at 85. it is sudden death!!
i like this idea.