I turned on game 4 of the NBA finals and watched several
minutes of the 3rd quarter without seeing a miss. In a way the guys are just really good, but
in a way they were just shooting jump shots as if they were alone in the gym.
No defense.
After a miss by OKC the Heat pulled away by a few via more
made baskets and further decline in defensive effort. The final fractions of a second saw Durant at
the line after a little bit of contact and a big bit of acting. While he was no Paul Pierce, he sold the flop
like Alec Baldwin fictionally sold real estate in the early 90’s.
Most unfortunate is how this defense through flop has made
its way down to the urban street game.
In a faction of the game that prides itself in toughness and hard contact
you’ll see the same players cry foul when it’s defensively advantageous or when
they just feel like it.
Worse for me is the mentality that this something for
nothing approach breeds in cultures that radiate from and around basketball. It’s
been said that if you’re not cheating you’re not trying. I guess that’s true,
if you want to cheat to get ahead, but to me that is not just bad for the game
it’s bad for all of us.
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