[Highlight] VJ Edgecombe receives a technical for flopping in a preseason game (with a replay).
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ref really just wanted to use that
and not on Embiid
Like my old high school coach. He would see his best players goofing off, say nothing. He’d wait for the end of the bench guys to join in, then scream at them
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Every time I see this I’ll say the same thing: There’s no real reason to call defensive flopping. The punishment is not calling the flop as the flop almost always puts the defender out of position and at a disadvantage. Offensive flopping is what needs to be called but is being completely ignored by the NBA.
Defensive flops are a 50⁄50 gamble for the defender whereas offensive flops are 90⁄10 in favor of the ballhandler. The NBA is moronic for pursuing defensive flops instead of the ones on offense.
yeah it’s definitely a rule that seems to be directed at the fans not wanting to see a flop than affecting game flow
There definitely is a reason to call it. For discouraging players from doing it. If refs were perfect then you’d be right, but since refs fall for flopping it should be discouraged
Yeah the game is hard enough to call if played legit, with exaggeration and flailing arms everywhere it makes it even harder. Hopeful these rule changes help cut that shit out
Nice to see you Vlade
The refs wanted to make the call. Just waited for the right opportunity.
Shows how subjective this rule is applied.
They know, they wont do it consistently enough, so they will stop calling it in the season.
yea this very clearly feels like “we want to show we’re serious about this, so here goes wink wink” kind of call
Isn’t that like, the entire point of the preseason? So the league staff and the players can all get on the same page and put their shit through some paces before it starts counting?
It’s so weird because is the trigger here how far backwards he ran? Seems like it…. Is that a bad thing, backpedaling?
Yeah feels a little like, “hey you went back 6 steps instead of the appropriate and recommended 3-5 so that’s a flop”
In the video they put out before preseason, they emphasized secondary and exaggerated movements, with particular emphasis on players throwing their arms out. I think the arms must have been what got him here, but there was no secondary reaction (bump, delay, react).
In a game of millionaires playing against millionaires while being paid by billionaires, what’s the harm in adding more refs? Wouldn’t it be better to have a ref specifically for offensive violations, one for offball violations, etc.? Instead of this team of 3 setup that have to juggle so much and can only do so because they pick and choose what they want to enforce for the night.
I am conflicted here. He did sell it, but it also is a legitimate push off from a bigger player.
Yup. If they are going to do this, they need to implement it like the NHL. Call the pushoff on the offensive guy but also call the embellishment on the defensive player. The way this is set up now is a huge disadvantage to the defense which was the opposite of what was needed.
In a just world this is a double tech
I’d prefer a no call, but yeah both or neither
That’s hilarious
Because this sub basically spent the last decade complaining that flopping is ruining basketball
And now, everyone is like “hm, idk yes let’s litigate this more”
Like, you’re not wrong necessarily, but pick a lane guys, geez
The flopping that is ruining basketball is almost always the offensive flopping. Defensive flopping can be punished very easily by just not calling the flop. As we can see in this video, defensive flopping almost always puts that defender at a disadvantage if there is no call made.
How does this argument not work for offensive flopping? Someone takes a jumpshot and falls over so now they can’t get back on defense on the rebound.
As long as the referees don’t fall for flops, it is never advantageous to either side.
You’re not wrong but people have it in their head that defensive foul-fests are great basketball until they have to watch it live. The reality is that flops are more symptom than problem. Call all the nitpicky fouls both offensive and defensive and deal with a foul-parade for a few months and watch players adjust.
But really, fans at large right now seem to want a situation where defenders can foul offensive players without fouls being called but not the other way around - they just don’t want to say it out loud. And then when it comes time to differentiate between which fouls should be allowed and which shouldn’t there is a wholly unsurprising argument divided based on who likes which team and which player.
Offensive flops are the ones ruining the game. The new rules make it easier for them to do so while making it harder for the defense to counter.
hah, ok now just offensive flops ; )
sure, I mean those are worse offenders, I agree
but also there are new rules that are supposed to crack down on both offensive flops and the ability to get away with push offs (which, this clip may either prove or disprove)
I guess regardless, feels like r/nba just wants to keep complaining and move the goalposts no matter what
I want them to call nothing on a flop. A flop is a negative play for the culprit. I do not need a technical foul
first flop tech where they don’t fall over?
That is a fucking shit-ass call
That’s a textbook play on situation for me
i mean he sold it pretty well, egor did push off too. Wouldve been a weak call either way
Weren’t pushoffs not allowed anymore? Took 2 whole preseason games to drop the rule again?
Push off rule is going to be forgotten quickly, such a subjective call seems silly
Do we not even take the time to read what they said constitutes as a push-off? No wonder the NBA is fried when the fans make their own definition of what fouls are instead of:
R E A D I N G
The commenters here are honestly braindead. I have to remind myself constantly that the vast majority of people here are shit at basketball and probably 15 years old
For your education. https://www.nba.com/news/nba-referees-teams-points-of-emphasis-2026-27
So they are calling the flop that they said they would call, but not the shove (that they also said they would call). Shocking
edit: this absolutely is the right call by the way. throwing your hands up in an “exaggerated and theatrical” manner is a flop and is supposed to be called. the problem is that shove is also supposed to be called on the same play
? Wtf was that LOL
That’s both a push off and a flop.
Somebody needs to ask Adam Silver or somebody high up very publicly how long they’re committed to making these calls. Can they commit to at least half a season? If not the entire season?
Should honestly only be used for falling over or over-dramatic reactions with examples given to refs. I do not think think this was either and VJ mostly stayed with the play whereas flopping would generally take the player out of it.
Start calling the arm extensions for fucks sake.
This is already dumb as fuck, it’s not a flop. VJ is defending normally, he flies off because he wasnt low on his feet. He wasn’t low on his feet, because this is halfcourt defense, you don’t expect someone to run through you/shove you. It’s not foul baiting, it’s showing that he got shoved.
He didnt get ran thru or shoved. He got bumped and flew back 15 feet. Its a flop.
He clearly got pushed off by the off arm. Maybe it’s not hard enough to be an offensive foul, but it’s for sure not nothing.
Just exaggerated movement being enough to call a flop is the problem imo. If someone flails when nothing happened, that’s foul baiting and a flop. If someone flails when they got pushed off, that’s a fair reaction; if you choose not to call it an offense then the defensive player is punished anyways by being out of position. You see what I mean?
It’s a flop.
Definition of a flopping:

Flopping in sports is the act of exaggerating, faking, or completely fabricating physical contact from an opponent to deceive referees into calling a foul
Exaggeration is flopping.
Oh shit if we’re calling techs on exaggerating and that’s what YOU want, we will not have a league to watch, everyone will be suspended
U understand rulebook is not the end all? If that was the case the rules wouldn’t have changed since James Naismith. Spirit of the game comes first, rules follow. You wouldn’t call this a flop in pickup, you wouldn’t call it in the playoffs, why call it here?
all 3 of the verbs used there are completely subjective though. That’s the whole issue.
IMO a flop should be called whenever someone makes a move like they were fouled, and you can clearly see on replay and confirm that the contact didn’t happen. Even that is subjective but I do think something does have to be done about flopping, though I’m not crazy about giving NBA refs even more room for subjectivity given their…. checkered history.
I also think there should be a flagrant for flopping that blatantly puts other people at risk for injury ala Embiid multiple times/game.
is this not the definition of exagerated movement thus a flop?
Imagine this call in the playoffs. Not going to happen. Why are they further splitting regular season rules and playoffs. It’s almost like two different games at this point.
We are going to go through a month of performative flop calling just to never do it again later in the season aren’t we. This is slight pushoff, some flailing to sell, play on is the call imo.
So it should be called in the playoffs but won’t be?
Wrong
Okay u/Enriching_the_Beer has spoken, I want to retract my statement now.
you have the username of a 11 year old on cod mw2 trying to emulate faze and make 360 no scope montages
https://youtu.be/7Dt5Nf7ct5c?is=5x7wNHFg0nFJnTuA
Repeatedly not calling simulation on Defense would also work, no? More whistles will slow game and make it less watchable.
Players will adjust to the whistle.
Idk what the deal was with last night’s refs, but it was very obvious they just had a bone to pick with the Sixers lmao. Supposedly they’re cracking down on off arm pushoffs, and then you get called for a flop after one
It’s always in the defensive end. I guess the goal was to make offense even easier while pretending you’re dealing with the real issue.
It’s great that the finally call a flopping tech, but ffs that particular call was awful. Meanwhile Embiid is falling over like a newborn baby dear and taking out his own teammates.
Learning from 2 of the goats when it comes to flopping.
Wait a sec if they are gonna call it like this then you can shove people with your off hand
Just bc a player sells it or reacts dramatically it isn’t automatically a flop lmao. You literally see VJ stumble regain balance and actively not fall so he can recover and continuing defending. Why is this called and not people ending up on the floor
Selling it or acting dramatically is literally the rule book definition of a flop lol.
Low BBIQ refs. Bad example of applying a tech for a flop. That’s a no call. Do better.
I don’t think I like this
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1wxvqfp/with_the_stricter_rule_scottie_barnes_gets_called/
So Scottie Barnes one is offensive foul but this one is flopping? Hold tight, we’re in for another horribly officiated season.
Push off and a flop. I think you can’t reward the flop. IMO.
Is that Levan Saginashvili sitting courtside??
This reminds me of when Tre Jones got a flopping foul from falling over from an obvious offensive foul. Except that Tre Jones call was a far worse call plus it was in an actual game.
A technical in a preseason game is wild 😭
flopping??
I hope the refs apply this type of energy to guys like shai, brunson, trae, etc.
The problem with calling this here (and VJ did oversell it) is that it was legitimately a push off with the arm fully extended. If you’re going to call these, you kinda need to make sure that it’s not actually foul that the defender is reacting to, regardless of how they sell it.
I think he might have just lost his footing a bit, it’s hard to tell
I have seen so much worse, including last night from vj’s teammate
And they still can’t get it right so bad
Lebron already teaching them how to flop
offensive players snapping their neck back and forth like they’re Denzel being shot by the Russian mob in Training Day-not theatrical.
Defender puts his arms in the air-you better believe that’s a paddlin’
Lol
I am 100% against flopping, but I am 110% against the offensive player shoving/chicken winging/ect against the defender. If anything that should have been an offensive foul, not a flop.
His new teammate needs to educate the young buck on what a flop looks like.
In a game where Joel Embiid played VJ is the one to get a flopping tech. Nasty work by the ref
Do people not play basketball on here? Getting shoved while moving can easily put you off balance.
Okay bot
lol, good talk. That’s not even clever. You go around calling every opinion you don’t like a bot? Try to be an actual human being
Very obviously you’re a reddit bot, go comment on some Tom Hardy post you clanker and get the heck out of here. Coming into the NBA Subreddit saying people don’t play basketball is the most obvious bot response
Well if the shoe fits. Learn how to exercise and actually play a pickup game
He threw his hands up and exaggerated. I like the call but doubt they continue this into the actual season.
They kind of have to have this balance if they’re going to start calling push offs offensive fouls. otherwise guys are going to try selling calls like VJ did here.
Already putting his stamp on the team