The NBA has been tweaking its rules to make it a fair game for all involved. However, players flopping, which is an intentional fall, to get calls from the officials has been a headache for the league for a few years now. A former three-point champion recently addressed the issue, comparing players who flopped with professional actors. This has come after the controversial ejection of James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers’ game-3 against the Brooklyn Nets.
Players flopping to get calls in their team’s favor has been damaging for both the league and fans. It is not a good sight for many in the community to see players throwing themselves to the ground. However, it is still persistent on both ends of the court.
Tim Legler is not happy with players flopping in the NBA
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
James Harden has been a huge part of the?76ers’ success so far this season, especially in the series against the Brooklyn Nets. In game-3, Harden was ejected after he seemingly caught Royce O?Neal near his groin with his offhand as he started dribbling. However, the replay did not look like Harden’s push-off was strong enough and it looked like O?Neal flopped pulling his head back and going to the floor. In addition, it seemed like the 2018 NBA MVP’s hands only hit O’Neal’s hips. Former NBA player turned analyst Tim Legler recently talked about players flopping while talking about the incident during a podcast appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
Legler revealed his displeasure with the current generation of players flopping. He said that it makes it harder for officials when athletes act like they were hit hard as they snap their heads and shoulders back. The analyst was not happy that it has become very frequent and compared the players with professional actors. He added, “It’s so frequent now that it’s become a total sideshow to the actual action. It’s an art form. These guys should all have Screen Actors Guild cards.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Legler also stated that players are perfecting their skills to trick the referees with their flops. Moreover, the 56-year-old was not the only one to criticize the ejection of James Harden.
Stephen A. Smith thrashed the ejection of James Harden
In addition to Legler, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith also slammed the call and labeled it one of the worst calls ever in the NBA. Smith reportedly said, “That might be the worst ejection I’ve ever seen in NBA history. … It’s debatable if that was even a foul.” Moreover, The Beard expressed his disappointment after the game and called the Flagrant 2 call as “unacceptable”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WATCH THIS STORY – ?Michael Jordan vs James Harden in stats. Who was more lethal as a scorer in their prime??
What do you think about the comments of Tim Legler and Stephen A. Smith? Let us know in the comments.