Flopping Is a Welcome Sideshow in the NBA Playoffs
According to our columnist, basketball players like Kyle Lowry and Nikola Jokic are getting really good at reacting to even the smallest touch. They might gain from taking acting classes.
NBA playoffs in 2023: LeBron James joined in on the action. And Joel Embiid, the most valuable player in the league, and Stephen Curry. Kyle Lowry never gives up, but boy does he need support. Not even Nikola Jokic has bowed.
Yes, the beauty of basketball has been on display this postseason. The domination, upsets, and upstarts. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Miami Heat ended the comeback of comebacks. However, it has also been tarnished by players of all colors, such Malik Monk, the Sacramento Kings’ sixth man, tumbling and thrashing around as though he had been stung by a cattle prod.
All in an effort to trick officials into awarding fouls.
The National Basketball Floppers Association welcomes you.
Of course, flopping is nothing new. The legendary and stern coach of the Boston Celtics, Red Auerbach, complained on national television in the 1970s about “Hollywood acting” that was ruining the game.
According to Hollywood acting teacher Anthony Gilardi, “N.B.A. floppers are almost always overacting.” “Watching these guys perform on-court stunts and pratfalls is so ridiculously embarrassing that it’s funny.”
I requested Gilardi to see clips of fictitious playoff collapses and provide feedback. He was well-versed on the subject and had seen most of the plays. He has witnessed all of Marcus Smart’s biggest mistakes and is a fan of the Celtics.
According to Gilardi, there’s a big difference between players who respond to contact in a way that gives the impression that a foul has been committed and those who are so evident that every spectator in the arena can tell the reaction is phony. The distinction is in the portrayal of an Oscar nominee against an actor in an ordinary soap drama.
He emphasized the point in the same way Heat player Max Strus would give a shoulder bump, saying, “In soap operas, it’s often the case you can absolutely tell they are acting.” “Not enough nuance exists to give the impression.”
If you do all of these steps, the deceit won’t be so obvious that it would shock officials, cause fans to howl, draw scolding criticism from TV pundits, or prompt a takedown by the league office’s suits.
Gilardi stated, “There’s a world where some of these flops would be so good, they might not even be considered flops if they worked on this the right way.” That was some excellent acting.
It seems that today’s players can’t help themselves after witnessing the NBA try, and fail, for more than ten years to stop flopping. The eye test tells you everything you need to know, albeit I can’t provide a number to support this. Flopping is as common in the playoffs as tumbleweeds are in a parched desert plain.
If you search for “Mat Ishbia Playoffs Ridiculous Flop,” even the billionaire Phoenix Suns owner can be seen taking a swipe at the player.
Observing the Warriors’ embarrassing defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoffs, head coach Steve Kerr of Golden State issued a personal appeal to put an end to the “gamesmanship” and cunning tactics used “to fool the refs.”
His suggestion: Just like in the international game, have N.B.A. referees call technical fouls on floppers. According to reports, the league is currently thinking about testing enforcement during summer exhibitions.
