You're not original. Here's why...

Yeah, that title is clickbait. I am so sick and tired of the flopping and foul baiting in the modern NBA. It’s been around for a while, sure, but it’s become super prevalent in the past few seasons. The obvious face of this is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s become so good at it that it’s now part of his jump shot form. He literally jumps into the defender, and you can hear him shout as he shoots. It’s disgraceful. If he tried to pull this shit in the 1990s, the 2000s, or even the late 2010s, he’d be a sixth man at best, if not a g-league player. The worst part is that Shai is an objectively skilled player, but he’s so good at acting like he’s been fouled, that it's easier for him to flop and take the free throws. The foul baiting makes the game unwatchable. If you’re an OKC fan because of the Westbrook, Durant, George, and Harden era, I get it. But if you’re an OKC fan because of Shai, you should look into seeing a psychiatrist. 

It’s not just SGA though. In Game 2 of the Lakers vs. Thunder, OKC drew so many fouls that as soon as the game finished, Austin Reaves and the rest of the team immediately spoke to the refs. I don’t blame them either. Now, it’s not like the Lakers were going to win that game, as OKC was generally out playing them. But the Lakers could have had a fighting chance had the refs not made so many bad calls. Isn’t the NBA supposed to be an entertainment industry? Well it isn’t entertaining when the “Most Valuable Player” earned that title for faking fouls. 

But it’s not all bad. Arguably the two best players in the league right now are facing off in another series. Anthony Edwards leads the #6 ranked Timberwolves, and Victor Wembanyama leads the #2 ranked Spurs. And thank god they’re playing each other. Both those young men seem to love the game of basketball more than they love the free throw line. Game 3 was great. Physical, ethical hoops took place at the Target Center last night. It was a proper game of basketball, and it makes you feel like the league isn’t lost. 

No matter what you think of the modern NBA, you have to admit that there’s something off compared to the 2010s. Is there anyone at fault? Probably NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. He should have announced a penalty for this type of behavior years ago, but he hasn’t. Instead, he smiled and handed SGA a trophy. Disgraceful. 

That’s about all I have to say about this issue. I’ll admit that I don’t watch the NBA like I used to, largely in part to the foul baiting, but the Bulls have also been mediocre for forever, and they just traded away their best players for a couple of second round picks. I liked the Miami Heat for a couple of years, mostly thanks to Jimmy Butler, but he left in diva-like fashion, and they’ve stayed Play-In merchants ever since. The league may not be as entertaining as it used to be, but it’s still the most elite basketball around, it’s just been poisoned by this scourge of foul baiting and flopping that makes games hard to watch. Welp, I better be hitting the road. At this point I’m just rambling. Thanks for reading.