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Adam Silver went on Pat McAfee’s show this week and basically told NBA fans what we’ve all known for years:
Flopping isn’t dead.
In fact, according to Silver, players are actually taught to do it.
And just like that, every Knicks fan, Spurs fan, Thunder fan and guy screaming at his television while throwing a chicken wing across the room collectively yelled:
“WE KNOW!”
Silver said players are taught to “sell calls,” and as long as they’re not actually fooling officials, he’s OK with it.
Now Adam, my man, I gotta stop you right there.
If a guy gets brushed on the shoulder and reacts like he just got hit by a runaway Long Island Rail Road train, we may have crossed a line.
Look, I’m not saying every flop is fake. Sometimes contact is contact.
But somewhere along the way basketball turned into an acting audition.
Guys aren’t trying to score anymore. They’re trying to win an Academy Award.
I swear some of these players hit the floor so dramatically that if they stayed down another 30 seconds they’d qualify for a medical drama on NBC.
And before Thunder fans come after me with pitchforks and advanced analytics, yes, this conversation naturally drifted toward NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Every time Shai drives to the basket, defenders look like they’re being investigated for a crime they didn’t commit.
One minute he’s dribbling.
The next minute somebody’s getting called for a foul while looking genuinely confused about what just happened.
Listen, Shai is an incredible player. One of the best in the world.
But if we’re being honest, some of these foul calls have fans looking at replays like they’re trying to find Bigfoot footage.
The funniest part?
Tyrese Haliburton came on after Silver and basically confirmed what everybody already suspected.
Players are taught this stuff.
Imagine explaining that to basketball fans from the 1990s.
“Hey Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason… in the future players will purposely exaggerate contact and everybody will call it smart basketball.”
Those three would’ve collectively laughed so hard they’d break a backboard.
Now here’s where I actually agree with Silver.
The NBA officiating is incredibly difficult.
These referees have giant human beings moving at full speed while trying to determine if contact occurred within fractions of a second.
That’s not easy.
But the league still needs to get tougher on obvious flops.
Not because fans hate free throws.
Because fans hate nonsense.
Nobody wants to watch a seven-game playoff series decided by who can impersonate a crash test dummy the most convincingly.
Silver also talked about future technology helping officials with objective calls, similar to tennis’ Hawk-Eye system.
Honestly?
I’m all for it.
If technology can instantly tell us who touched the ball last, great.
Maybe one day AI can also determine whether a player was actually fouled or simply launched himself backward like he got shot out of a t-shirt cannon.
The commissioner also defended the NBA’s proposed lottery changes, saying there should be consequences for teams that consistently lose.
His point was simple:
Stop trying to lose your way into greatness.
Scout better.
Develop players better.
Find talent everywhere.
Considering Jalen Brunson was a second-round pick and is now carrying the Knicks to the NBA Finals, he’s got a point.
As a Knicks fan, I’ve watched Brunson turn into the basketball equivalent of a New York cockroach.
No matter what gets thrown at him, he survives and somehow gets stronger.
Meanwhile New York City has completely lost its mind.
The Knicks are in the Finals.
The streets are chaos.
The subways are probably chanting defense.
Half the city hasn’t slept in a week.
And if Donald Trump actually shows up at a Finals game like reports suggest, Madison Square Garden may need an emergency backup power grid just to handle the insanity.
The Knicks in the Finals.
Trump courtside.
Adam Silver defending flopping.
Victor Wembanyama watching from home after a Game 6 exit.
We’re officially living in the weirdest basketball timeline imaginable.
But if the NBA really wants to improve the game moving forward, here’s my humble suggestion:
Keep the skill.
Keep the physicality.
Keep the stars.
Just reduce the amount of performances that belong at the Oscars.
Because basketball is at its best when players are trying to make highlights, not audition for daytime soap operas.
And until then, every time I see a guy fly 14 feet backward after getting touched by a pinky finger, I’ll continue doing what every NBA fan does:
Laughing uncontrollably while waiting for the replay.
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My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
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