Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
1. Do you see a lot of flopping? Who has been the biggest flopper in this series so far?
Ehsan – Yes, I see flopping all the time. The Flop King in this series has to be a tie between Shane Battier and Lance Stephenson. It’s kind of ironic how Pacers fans were chanting about flopping when their own player is one of the leading floppers in this series (think about the “charge” Stephenson took in Game 3). Stephenson at one point tried to sell a flop when Ray Allen barely threw his elbow back.
Kris – Yes, there is a lot of flopping in the NBA and especially in this series. It’s hard to pick one or two players above all else, but Dwyane Wade has had his moments for Miami, and Lance Stephenson should win an Oscar for his numerous flops in this series.
DJ – Yes, there is a lot of flopping. It’s on both sides of the equation, and now there’s even “counter-flopping”. The thing is, this is a huge topic of interest, especially for this series because of the accusations made by the Pacers towards the Heat before the series began over the Heat “being a flopping team”. Lebron and Wade chimed in, and didn’t exactly refute the Pacers’ claims. So now you have a cat-and-mouse game of both teams trying to “outflop” each other.
2. If you were the NBA Commissioner, what would you do to eliminate flopping?
Ehsan – I don’t have much of an issue with flopping, to be honest, unless it is blatant. Every player sells their fouls when they drive to the hoop and that is something that has been a part of the NBA for a long time.
Kris – I don’t necessarily believe that there is a way to eliminate flopping, because it’s a “vantage point” call. If there were any way to truly get rid of the epidemic, it would be to simply not call it when the flop is egregious. The players would then think twice about it and perhaps stop altogether.
DJ – Obviously, flopping ruins the integrity of the game. When you hear superstar players such as Wade and Lebron making comments that it’s “strategy”, it’s sending the message that this form of play has become so ingrained in the game, that NBA players now see it as a necessity in order to win games in the NBA. The only way to stop flopping is to tell the officials to stop rewarding those who flop. Until that happens, enjoy the cat-and-mouse game of flopping that you see on a daily basis in NBA games.