Watch Them Flop

Watching the Spurs two nights ago, and then the Heat last night, I was struck by one thing the two teams have in common. No, not their dominant big-men. And not their playmaking guards. No, it was their star players' tendency to flop, to over-act and draw the foul.

The Heat used the flop to great effect last night in shutting down Rasheed Wallace under the basket. The refs were all too inclined to call fouls when the Heat players hit the floor. 6 offensive fouls called on the Pistons; 3 on Rasheed Wallace alone.

The result was predictable. The Pistons players became hesitant on offense and the Heat became much more aggressive, sensing that the refs were out to control the Pistons hard-pounding inside game. In one particular stretch of the 2nd quarter (with the pistons down by 3 points) three straight Pistons possesions were ended by whistles. And instead of the Pistons tying the game up, the Heat pushed the lead out to 9.

The games in this series have been great until last night. The difference last night was the refs.

Usually refs are pretty good about smelling the flop. But they've been particularly lack-luster in these playoffs. Maybe I'm watching the games more closely. Maybe, seeing the same players day-in-day-out makes me more aware of their tendencies. Maybe the players themselves are the best of the best of the floppers. Or some combination of these elements.

Regardless, the NBA needs to outlaw the flop. League officials should review tapes of games and levy fines against players who are exagerating contact and falling to the ground to draw fouls.

Give players motivation to stay upright and play defense. That's what the fans want and that's true to the spirit of the game of basketball.