Wright: “You can’t convince me that OKC, with all of its analytics and the fact that everyone on the team does it, that flopping isn’t coached to a degree”
It’s absolutely coached. They raise the physicality on defense in the hope the other team gets physical on defense. Then they flop all over the place to get as many calls as possible.
The RDC world video was a short documentary lol
Player: ”Okay, Coach!”
*Camera pans up to a ref standing above the player*
“Do we flop or do we hoop!?”
“Amazing, I’m not callin’ none of that shit.”
“FLOP!”
Limit free throws a game to a max of 25 per team. Start a penalty box like hockey afterwards with two and five minutes penalties.. I’m down to 3 on 3 in the 4th quarter.
Didn’t realized they’d dropped a vid in the playoffs yet, good looking out
Only one and they have SO MUCH MATERIAL lol
Don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed they didn’t rightfully roast my team
You’ll always have: KYRIE GIMME YO RING
Kyrie you hit a step back over Steph you can keep yo ring!!
Yeah in retrospect I have no place to complain, I was eating good on those LeBron videos for a few years
But they also have you guys coming back against the Pistons* so it evens out
wish game of zones was still around
Omg a house of the dragon game of zones would slap Lebron as the king on his deathbed 🤣
Lu Dort practicing shoulder checks lmao
Low key feels like Wright watched the video then popped on air.
OKC is fairly open about doing this. I think what goes missed is how they time it to stop runs.
This is what i noticed too. Its hard to gonon a run against them, because when in doubt slow it down and draw a foul. They are also dont miss freebies.
The Spurs definitely assisted quite a bit with dumb fouls, but Shai was at the line pretty much every time they got within 8 or 9. Spot on.
At a certain point they’ll probably punish OKC. I’m going going to get called for a foul it’s going to be a real foul.
It’s a great strategy from a purely practical view. Easy points / attempts and disrupting any flow for your opponent.
Shame it ruins the sport really
Went to an AAU tourney in Texas last week and half the kids 12u and under are doing it too. So much floppy around it was total trash. Heard a dad next to me ask who is teaching this shit. They are kids watching an incredible team do it. Of course they copied it.
Like everyone jacking 3s only at the gym after Curry made it popular.
Shooting threes is legal though, so…. No?
Apparently, so is flopping.
My nephew was that kid. All the sudden at 8yr he could shoot 30ft. Thought my wife was going to lose her shit on her sister for allowing it. She was so damn proud.
Love that okc fans compare this to shooting 3s.
All it takes is destroying the integrity of the sport. What kind of argument are you trying to make?
Think it was more of a statement than an argument
Everything’s an argument - by Andrea Lunsford, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters /s
Was just stating. I’m a spurs fan and I hate it. But that’s exactly what has happened to San Antonio at multiple times during the series. It’s a terrible product from a neutrals standpoint also. I like watching the spurs play for the most part, but this series has been tough to watch at times, and the Minnesota series was aesthetically much better.
The horror
Part of it may also the fact that Daigenault never played any professional basketball above the high school level. Pro players that later go on to become coaches probably have some baseline level of respect for the game that may in theory prevent them from stooping to literally drilling into your players how to flop. Just a theory I saw somewhere else.
But yes, it is most certainly a great strategy and they are rewarded for it almost every night. Ruins the game though.
Edited the post to reflect that I don’t necessarily fully agree with that theory, but it may be part of the reason OKC devotes so much time to flopping.
This argument makes no sense. According to you Daigneault has no respect for the game because he hasn’t played pro, but his players are literally pros so they should have some respect for the game.
Or is that only developed once those players retire to become coaches?
Professional coaches shape the pros, who then go on to shape the future.
He was saying that Daigneault never had a professional coach shape him, so he doesn’t respect the game the same way.
I don’t agree with that statement, just clarifying.
Cavs did this against Detroit
What kills me is the refs going along with it. At this point they have to be complicit.
It makes sense. It’s the ultimate gaslight. If you are physical with someone they will want to be physical back with you, then when they start with the physical defense you go flying as soon as they touch you
Same thing every schoolyard loudmouth who couldn’t actually fight did. God they are so detestable
And the spurs are young so it really gets to them mentally and takes them off their game
Really praying that Mike Brown looks like Slim in the Stan music video taking notes right now
This is my biggest gripe, the refs allow OKC to play super physical but then all of a sudden when they’re on offense OKC can barely stand on their feet, and then the refs reward it. Either let both teams play with the same physicality or none of them can, it’s bullshit.
yeah lol, just look at Jaylin Williams
guy is looking to fall to the floor to draw an offensive charge CONSTANTLY, and even when the Thunder are on offense he’s still running into defenders trying to get hit so he can flop to draw a foul
but then the moment he’s in a situation where he needs to play some actual defense, he’s suddenly capable of remaining on his feet through contact lol
one of the biggest floppers in the entire league and he someone isn’t getting fined for it
Yeah, i’m just sick and tired of watching big dudes suddenly have jello legs and fall to the ground, just doesn’t make for good basketball.
It’s an OKC problem, but it’s going to be an NBA problem if this doesn’t get fixed.
Once there was only one man (Harden) who did it. The league implemented the flopping rules and decided not to enforce it, pretending it doesn’t exist after two weeks.
Now, an entire team is doing it. Soon we might have more than a team going at it.
Agreed, they’ve led the league in free throw differential for 5 years by an absurd margin… this has to be fixed… wait
Bigger problem than tanking in the nba. Both affect the product on the court but at least tanking doesn’t affect playoffs
All time flop team
They also raised the physicality on offense. With Shai’s pushoffs, and Hartenstein’s grabbing on the opponents centers, moving screens.. the opponents will also increase the physicality on defense, and then OKC flopped all over the place
The push-offs really bug me.
The NBA needs to stop dumbing down the skills required to be good. Why work on footwork when you can push off? Why work on handling when you can travel and carry? Why work on three level scoring when you can just flop?
It’s so obviously coached and clearly a great fucking strategy because it completely short circuits the brains of many refs.
Its box office poison. Never have i despised a team more. I thought the warriors would hold that title, mainly because they knocked my team out every playoffs, but Curry was lethal and modus operandi wasn’t getting to the foul line, OKC.. diabolical.
Also 2 free throws for SGA (87%) is worth 1.74 points. His 2 point shot is 55% so is worth 1.1 points per shot. And his 3 (38%) is worth 1.14 points per shot. Practically the same as his 2.
So it makes sense for him to go for a contested 2 and get the foul as it’s worth the most points.
They also get away with dirty plays on defense which makes it a no-win scenario for the opponent.
the new jelly legs offense is reshaping the NBA
Why is the league so resistant to fixing this? No one enjoys watching a flop off but they have dug their heels in to pretend it’s not a problem
Apparently the league thinks rebuilding teams are a bigger concern.
The league doesn’t give a shit about that either. Their gambling sponsors just complained about tanking affecting their lines, and the league responded. The NBA couldn’t care less about the actual quality of their product.
True. We basically need to somehow link this to gambling so the league will do something about it.
This is linked to gambling. They dont care how the game looks so long as the final number matches as close as what the book makers want.
I think this is the inevitable end state of a monopoly. Once there’s no competition for a product, there’s no incentive to invest in the product itself anymore; you just start extorting your customers more and more.
This isn’t exactly Standard Oil. They still have to compete with every other way you could spend your time.
If people stop watching, they’ll care. In an inverse of the 3 point revolution and the prime warriors drawing interest to the sport, this OKC team becoming a dynasty will put people off. Like who the fuck wants to watch this garbage and see it getting rewarded.
At least Harden and Embiid at their worst had the calls dry up in the postseason, plus they didn’t have the rest of the team getting to play like the 89 Pistons without being pulled up on it.
First time in a few years I’m considering not renewing league pass, personally. Seeing real time enshittification of the NBA product, for want of a better term. Doubt I’m the only one. This is straight up bad.
They had those penalties on flops for half a season then completely stopped caring
I say this all the time on various subs. It is not brought up enough.
They had penalties for both flopping AND forcing unnatural contact (think offensive shooters jumping into a defender). It was great, then they just stopped for no reason.
And to my knowledge they never said anything about it. And everyone forgot
Nah man, they’ve got to create a problem and tell you they’ve solved it or else we wouldn’t see improvements.
Happens almost every year, they fix things right at the start of the season, everyone gives them props and then after that one golden month of basketball, it all goes to shit.
People still watch so what’s their incentive to change things?
I was so happy for a little bit.
Ive genuinely stopped watching basketball and i want to love basketball as much as i love other sports.
I never will as long as the officiating is like this and instead of better it’s gotten worse.
I tried man….i tried. Unwatchable, scripted nonsense. Honestly, the WWE is better entertainment - it stopped pretending to be competitive sports as well.
I think it was right after the 2023 fiba world cup and everyone was talking about the game flow and lack of flopping
And the ones they did call it on were no name players making little to no money getting slapped with hefty fines. Fucking wild
It’s easy. Just remove flagrants. If you want to flop so be it but you will get absolutely cleaned up for a common foul next possession.
That’s the most frustrating part about this. You already have the solution just get the refs to actually enforce it. The semi embarrassing nature of the penalty means guys would quickly cut it out of their game to avoid getting labeled a flopper with actual empirical evidence to back it up.
It would be so easy to assign techs and suspend floppers after the games with replay. Especially the obvious ones. It would fix the game.
I understand giving refs even more in-game latitude to say “that’s technically a foul, but it looks like a flop so I’m not calling it” might be worse (they don’t have accountability and seem like they do this anyways though).
But if a flopper gets caught and suspended a game, and gets harsher penalties for each successive flop, it should erase it without even changing the rules. I bet it’s the players union shutting down the fines and any movement on this.
barely half a season, it was like 1 week until the flop calls returned to normal lol
Adam Silver has gone on record saying it drives emotional engagement. He doesn’t want to fix floping and missed calls because he wants fans to feel a Rollercoaster of emotions both positive and negative. Its similar to ragebait or outrage farming in social media.
NBA is going to turn into pro wrestling soon if that’s the case. If he thinks fans are really emotionally engaged by flopping rather than real basketball skills.
I mean he has a point, all the negative buzz is crazy engagement bait because it gives you a bunch more controversy per game. People are talking about this series way more than they otherwise would be
They’re also losing eyes on every game. I don’t care if that series goes 30 games…it is not watchable. The WCF is not watchable and the league has indicated they haven’t sunk to the bottom yet. At least Ballmer and Kawhi will pay for their overt cap manipulation too…..hahahah…just kidding. Compromised refs, flopping teams, tanking, overt cap manipulation, players owning gambling Co. stakes…..great league there. Will they survive on JUST international interest?
Flopping and ref controversies drive online engagement. Silver knows this is a clip league. Nobody watches the games anyway. /s
I know you put /s but I do think the first part of your comment is genuinely true, in the era of online engagement nothing pumps the numbers more than controversy. The fact that every conversation about the playoffs right now circles back to the subject of flopping might genuinely be seen as advantageous to the NBA as a whole. Maybe I am trippin but seems kinda logical.
We’re really running out of explanations for why the league has promoted flopping like this, right? I’m to the point where I’m wondering if league officials are watching the WCF. Maybe they hired a consultant who told them that online engagement about foul baiting is good for profitability. How crazy is all of this!?!?
They can play ads during free throws.
this seems like the obvious answer to me. The slower the game the more ad breaks which means more money even if less people watch.
Curious at what point it becomes so unwatchable that it starts to hurt the bottom line
I mean for me outside of playoffs I hate watching the games live, usually I’ll start watching right when the game ends or when it’s at least halfway through so I can skip all the ads.
Obviously with playoffs, especially games with my team where I’m invested I’ll sit through it, but yeah, regular season I value my time too much to sit through the ads.
longer games for commercials, engagement, and they can choose who gets favorable calls. i dont see the downside for them, ppl will watch anyway.
The penalties are too soft anyhow.
Every game should be reviewed after the fact. If there is an obvious flop and embellishment for no contact, one game suspension. Do it again? Two games.
It’s gonna stop really fucking quick if they do that and the product instantly improves.
The flop tech has existed since 2012. The league has the means to fix it.
Because the owners don’t care
Because look at the ridiculous comments people say that hate watch. We get to have the nba ruined because people want to hate watch, instead of support actual good basketball
Cause that would mean they have a reffing problem. Bad optics for the league and betting
It’s not hard to figure out. If you’re physical with somebody and then they complain to ref, the first thing you should do when they respond with any physicality is flop. It will never not look like a frustration foul.
Sociopath behavior tbh
The sheer amount of jobs that actively look for this is high.
OKC DARVO
It’s annoying and frustrating but “sociopath” is a high bar that this doesn’t cross.
Not so sure, sociopaths like to use norms against others and cry foul when it’s reciprocated. I think that comment is spot on.
I actually think it’s sociopathic too. It’s gaslighting and obviously outside of the spirit of the game. It wouldn’t work at the park. It’s part of the NBA but it’s not part of basketball. The conscious deceit, the total lack of remorse. It’s definitely sociopath behavior.
Gaslighting? Sociopathy? What are we doing here guys
Sociopaths do what they do out of a complete disregard for the people around them and the damage they do to their lives. Taking a dive in a basketball game ain’t that.
anyone calling an NBA player a sociopath for flopping is simply an unserious person
Even if it isn’t coached, it certainly isn’t being un-coached.
And considering Daigneault is constantly harping on the refs in real time to help sell the calls, I think we can all put together that it’s a team strategy.
Daigneault is a bitch ass
The way he nods approvingly after every foul call is insufferable
Great first point.
I’ve seen this point a couple other places, but the best evidence that this is coached is the way OKC exploits the sight line of a ref. As soon as the ref’s view is obstructed in any way, they will flop even more egregiously than normal because they know the refs are going to be easier to fool. I also think its worth pointing out that OKC is definitely not the only team that coaches this, theyre just the best at it.
You can really see the ref sight line thing on that Jared McCain play from last night
All of this! Especially them just being the best at it.
I’ve heard several of the top level players talking about how learning the ref sight lines literally changed their game and how they played it. And not just OKC players
This is going to sound like blasphemy, but I think I saw Kobe talk about this once. Obviously he wasn’t flopping but instead it was so he could get away with a little more physicality (specifically jersey pulling I believe).
Makes sense
Its a disgrace but it works and its proven at that point to reward the players. At that point you have to hate the game and not the player. This is on NBA
You can definitely hate the player too
Flopping fines.
10k first offence 5k more each time.
Money goes directly to basketball courts across North America.
Fines aint gonna do shit. Need to issue techs so nobody will purposely flop.
I don’t think you can judge it in game very well. Just give out 1 game suspensions after games for egregious flopping starting next year. This shit will be fixed in a week.
yeah, i’m sure that fining SGA 0.02% of his yearly salary is going to register.
Flipping should be a technical foul just like a flagrant 1.
A 50M contract losing 0.01% of his salary is a joke
Technical if caught in game. Have flopping also assessed/reviewed after the game, if it is determined a player flopped, hit them with a fine. If they repeatedly flop, they get a suspension. If they continue to flop again, give them a suspension and also start suspending them from NBA Cup, Play In, and Playoff games if their team qualifies.
All fouls and falls are reviewed. Results are published, including the ref who reviewed them. And it _should_ be a ref, a ref who wasn’t on the officiating crew.
Done. CBA ratified
2K27 introducing a flop button lol
2k has always had flopping. It used to be free and a default action but recently they updated it to become a paid emote.
LOL, it’s a real thing in the game? How sad and funny at the same time. Not even FIFA has a button to dive.
Haven’t played in years but I thought it already been existed double press circle
what on Earth is that thumbnail
It’s okay he can do it
just a passionate man sending his heart out (to you)
But the guy on the tv who feeds me my opinions agrees with me!
Yeah once again this sub constantly goes on about how these sports talk shows are just clickbait for views UNTIL they drop a take that agrees with the circlejerk and it gets treated as the Gospel.
And Wright just doesnt like the Thunder lol.
Nick Wright on here every day looking for what to hit to get this place in a frenzy.
Nick Wright is basically this sub personified. He hates OKC and is the biggest media Luka stan.
Also massive Lebron Stan lol
I hate how people frame flopping as a new, analytical thing. It’s always been part of the game. MJ himself coached players on how to draw and sell contact back when he owned the Hornets. (Well, the bobcats then.)
https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/michael-jordan-is-mentoring-gerald-henderson
“Jordan has started taking Gerald Henderson under his wing, personally providing him with film on how to improve his game, particularly in drawing fouls to get to the line.”
(Direct quote from MJ) “And free throws are just what they sound like – free points. Someone with [Henderson’s] abilities should be getting to the line all the time.”
“I made a point of reading the referee’s handbook,” Bryant said in his book “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.” “One of the rules I gleaned from it was that each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor. If the ball, for instance, is in place W, referees X, Y and Z each have an area on the court assigned to them.” “When they do that, it creates dead zones, areas on the floor where they can’t see certain things. I learned where those zones were, and I took advantage of them. I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the officials’ limitations,” he added.
“I made a point of reading the referee’s handbook,” Bryant said in his book “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.” “One of the rules I gleaned from it was that each referee has a designated slot where he is supposed to be on the floor. If the ball, for instance, is in place W, referees X, Y and Z each have an area on the court assigned to them.”
“When they do that, it creates dead zones, areas on the floor where they can’t see certain things. I learned where those zones were, and I took advantage of them. I would get away with holds, travels, and all sorts of minor violations simply because I took the time to understand the officials’ limitations,” he added.
It’s not like Nick Wright is going to know/care though. These talking heads don’t watch games or follow the sport closely. They just say shit. This thread will shoot to the top because r/NBA found someone who agrees with them.
Why would knowing about Kobe learning to game the refs change his mind
r/NBA shits on talking heads… until they make a point they agree with, then they’ll glaze their opinions to no end.
Well Knicks brother, I think there is a difference between ‘drawing contact’, ‘selling contact’, and ‘flopping’.
As someone that watched a lot of Jordan going against our 90s team, he definitely drew and sold contact, and he definitely had a soft whistle - but he didn’t straight up flop. He tried to score each and every time; he’d rather an And 1 than 2 free throws. I think Brunson is the same way, although he sells a lot less these days.
With this Thunder team though, I’m not so sure anymore - especially with Shai. I mean I get WHY they are doing it, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t egregious, or that people have to like watching it.
I mean look at Harden or Embiid - think about how people would feel if they had Draymond leading their teams defense and were winning rings? Its not any different with the Thunder right now
Flopping is not the same as drawing a charge, getting you opponent in the air. Its also not the same as drawing contact.
the truth is though that they all get lumped into one. There was a thread up last night of all Shai’s fouls, and at most *one* of 13 was slightly questionable. That’s why these threads don’t have bite, these aren’t game watchers complaining about real flopping, any foul to them is a flop
Not Nick Wrong this time
When he’s not talking about his specific teams he’s generally pretty clued in to sports. The guy has gotten a lot better the last couple years with Wildes there to bust his balls when he’s ridiculous
Nick Wright on Reddit hitting all the talking points to get you dweebs riled up.
I thought the last years run was great but OKC getting every fan base tilted is like pure ecstasy to the brain.
I think it goes further. I think the Thunder really understand the ref crew. What they can get away with. For example, a Tony Brothers’s crew. If they are not calling much at the start of the game, they will eventually, and it will be everything. As soon as that started, Thunder were flopping all over the place, either on ball or off.
So although I don’t think they practice flopping, they absolutely know when to flop and they would talk about it. And you can see it happening live. They will set a screen like anyone other play. Stay strong, and not fall. But as soon as the refs start calling tick tack fouls, all of a sudden they fall on the ground on a screen?
Not sure why I never thought about the analytics on the refs. Im sure they have all the Hinkie data on the different ref crews!
They probably sent the refs Christmas and birthday cards as well. If you tell me they have a lobbyist for refs, I would believe you.
Every team and player in the league does everything they can to win. Don’t blame OKC - blame the league that rewards it
How about we blame both. Fuck the thunder and their anti-basketball. Fuck the refs that reward it and fuck Adam Silver for continually allowing horrible officiating in the NBA
can we say fuck Spurs too for doing the exact same things?
Spurs are not even remotely comparable to OKC in that regard.
The closest comparison is probably the Lakers. But we saw them go head, so we don’t have to listen to OKC fans gaslighting us into believing they are just as bad. Because anyone who watched that series knows that OKC is SOOO much worse.
Eh not really. The narrative is way worse, but its mostly manufactured and feeding on itself. Actual gameplay without the bias of hatred, theyre fine. No worse than other teams
My team just lost to the Spurs. Wemby literally elbowed a fan-favourite in the neck. I am cheering for the Spurs. I’m also Canadian.
All my biases should have me cheering for the Thunder.
If you genuinely think they are not worse than other teams you aren’t paying attention.
Although, I kind of doubt you are making an honest argument here.
The only time I saw the flopping call enforced this year was when Keon Ellis was still on the kings and was given a flopping tech after a review.
Except the review showed him literally tripping over someone’s foot and it caused him to fall. They still gave it to him though. That was like the 5th game of the season.
That’s not true. Plenty of dudes won’t stoop to flopping or foul baiting.
You can absolutely celebrate the dudes who are competitive AND try to play the right way, and you can absolutely call out the Thunder for trying to essentially skirt the rules to gain an advantage.
Like, foul calls are inconsistent because the refs don’t want to call 70 fouls a game because basketball (just like all sports) is an ENTERTAINMENT product. Abusing that goodwill is part of why people hate OKC.
It’s like if someone in life is “financially successful” not because they became a neurosurgeon or a rocket scientist, but because they gave out predatory loans. Sure, maybe it’s legal, but most people will look at them like the assholes they are.
I watched today’s show. What’s interesting is Danny Parkins proceeds to discredit all of Nick’s claims with evidence on FTF OT, and Nick’s response is: “well it doesn’t feel that way!”.
I will say, it’s a little concerning how much Nick is swayed by Twitter bots and engagement baiters as it comes to this. It’s one thing when it’s the average redditor, but for a guy who has decently evidenced takes when it comes to the NFL - he’s going off the deep end a bit here with the Thunder and the NBA.
Yeah I’m almost embarrassed to say it because if the hate he gets on here but I really like listening to Nick talk about sports so I’ve probably watched more of his podcast than most people and this is the most illogical and unmoving I’ve seen him on an opinion. It seems like he’s ok to argue pretty much anything, but this specific topic he just shuts down and sounds like a Twitter user more than someone who calls himself a “professional sports debater”
Yeah, I oddly do like FTF and Nick’s content for the most part. I think he and the show are especially good when it comes to NFL content. Though some of the Chiefs stuff is a bit over the top - it’s at this point a bit, and I appreciate how they all lean into their homer-ism. The Lebron stuff similarly falls into this bucket.
There’s been less than a handful of topics where he’s been so blatantly wrong but stubborn about maintaining this position.
We all watch the same games. The vast majority of us who feel this way are not spurs fans.
Numbers are also easily manipulated. Why use last 3 post seasons instead of just this one since they have similar trajectories. 2 sweeps and a 6 game series each would be a better comparison. Thunder are -15 going into game 6. Knicks are +13. Mitchell Robinson has 43 free throw attempts so if you remove hack a Mitch, Knicks are at -30.
These posts have radicalized me into a Thunder fan icl
SAME. I originally wanted Spurs to win since it makes the Blazers look less bad for losing to them. But I feel like I am living in a different reality than everyone else when I watch these games.
Thank you for saying this, bc I’ve felt insane. Of course flopping is bad and they should do what they can to penalize it. But the hand wringing is absurd.
You’ve got people in this thread encouraging people not to watch the games anymore.
I saw someone on twitter say that no one will remember Shai after he retires!
Same lmao. The incessant whining is insufferable
Same thing for me that summer when Embiid won his MVP, and Jokic won his ring. Couldn’t care less about the Sixers in reality, but the subhuman vile hate Embiid received made me root for him. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. It’s up to the NBPA, ref org, owners to police it, not players who will do anything to win.
The Thunder regularly visits the local aquarium, remove fish from their tanks, lay them on the ground at their feet, the coaching staff points to the fish flipping and flopping around and says “be like that tonight.”
This guy gets ragged on all year for terrible takes about every team and the second he starts shitting on the thunder and all of a sudden he’s this subs favourite analyst, lol
Of course it is. Did anyone think otherwise?
yeah, players stay on the ground in agony to bait refs to review for a flagrant.
Teams just need to start hard fouling OKC. You’re going to get whistled anyway. Might as well make sure you get your moneys worth
Dude your team does the exact same thing, tf you talking about lol
Spurs just tried it last game
Y’all are really getting generational BTA if the first thing that comes to mind after losing is to commit violence 😂
belly aching over fouls has reached liberace levels of gayness.
“Bellyaching”, a Liberace reference, and “gay” as an insult, man this comment is a throwback
Had to check my calendar for a second.
Dude was born four score ago
Mark Phillips and RDCWorld say hi.
A. What is that thumbnail?
B. It’s really rich hearing Nick Wright talk about diving when he’s a Chiefs fan
Who said it wasn’t? Of course it is.
OKC Thunder Broadway
SGA didn’t used to be like this. Someone helped him become unwatchable
The double/triple teams make it easier for him to catch someone off-guard.
Blame the freaking refs
Blame the fucking league
This guy either needs to shave his beard or his hair. One of them is too much, but I can’t decide which one. He is right about OKC though.
“…to a degree” is providing a lot of cover here
Well, yeah. Of course it’s coached. I don’t think anyone believes it’s an accident.
I personally don’t care at all how “watchable” the Thunder are for anyone else. What I want is the team I root for to win championships. Same as all teams I follow in all sports. If something works and makes you win more games and get to more championships, you’re stupid if you don’t do it. Winning rings is the entire point of the sport.
Appreciate the honesty
Anytime. I get why the Thunder are boring or not satisfying to watch for non-fans, I just also don’t really think that’s the Thunder’s problem to solve. They’re being paid to win rings right? They found something that works really well and I’d be upset if they gave it up to be more entertaining for neutrals.
The flopping drills are definitely real.
Playing pickup when I was younger there was always a kid who’d call a foul whenever they missed a shot. Like every time. The entire OKC team is like that kid.
As much as I disklike OKC sometimes watching the way they flop, at the end of the day it’s the NBA who decides what the limits are and what is or is not allowed. Every team every day of the week for the rest of time will take a win with some criticism of how they got there, vs a loss but they played “respectable straight up honest basketball”.
It reminds me of the rule in video games, that players will engineer the fun out of a game if you let them. Same goes here, players and teams are paid millions and millions of dollars to figure out how to exploit the game to give them an advantage. It’s up to the commissioner and the NBA to design the rules and structure so that the end product is entertaining to watch.
Hell yeah! Flop until you fail!
Pretty funny that the guy who made an entire career out of twerking for LeBron is leading the charge against flopping.
Jimmy Butler did this on the Bulls all the time. Pump fake, defense jumps, draw contact leads to foul. The OKC montage of “flops” all had the defense jumping.
If fouls are going to slow down the game, have a booth up top to review, penalize and fine flopping fucks
Absolutely. I think it’s coached in a lot of places but the Thunder are especially egregious.
If it was just SGA you could argue it’s his play style like some other notorious floppers, but you watch a game and every Thunder player hits the ground. Chet falls down on like 50% of his possessions. It’s obvious when you watch a few series in a row how important it is to their game plan. You can tell with how they fall they’re coached on how to land safely, kind of like how some shooters are coached how to kick their leg out to draw contact.
Until the league steps in and the refs start enforcing the rules that already exist it’s not going to change though. It works for them and I don’t think most of those guys know how to play without falling down.
Of course it’s coached. It’s smart, because until the league stops fucking calling it, it’s an advantage. This is 100% on the refs.