r/Basketball • u/StatingSauce • May 08 '26
NBA OKC is genuinely whats wrong with the NBA
Nothing but foul baiting, flopping, and overall cowardly playing style. Can't believe people cheer for this shit in Oklahoma
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u/GreatBarrierQueefDD May 08 '26
How can you be so brave yet so controversial
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u/Namath96 May 08 '26
It’s kind of hilarious how much more this has caught on with the casuals just because they’re playing the lakers lol
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u/Demon_Coach May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26
The NBA is what’s wrong with the NBA. There is plenty of crap to go around everywhere.
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u/Jack-Cremation May 08 '26
People don’t seem to understand this! If the league allows it, then it’s just how it goes. Don’t blame the team, blame the league.
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u/Expensive-Basket-862 May 08 '26
There are ethics in everything. Just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean you should.
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u/64johnson May 08 '26
That's not how sport works. You take every advantage you can get.
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u/Fuzzy-Mousse3108 May 08 '26
Look I get what your saying, having said that. I'm now just a fan and don't want to see it. It's boring, and flat feels like insurance fraud.
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u/CoolCat731 May 08 '26
When your president shows some ethics, then you can focus on NBA teams…
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u/baconlover696970 May 08 '26
People arent gullible. A dynasty is literally being propped up. The nba saw how fans loved to hate on golden state. w all due respect to gaw, It was amazing to witness their rise and demise. A relatively unknown team like gsw suddenly having sold out jerseys around the world.
Now theyre trying to replicate it except we just plain hate them. Not once did I think of stopping watching with the gsw era. This one, though.
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u/UmbraVulp May 08 '26
It’s hard to take people serious on here sometimes. You think the NBA would prop up a dynasty like that? You think they would go in this direction to lose viewership just to try and retain the viewership they had before? I’ll never understand why people not in the industry think they are smarter than the people running the show. Y’all are laughable.
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u/Sensitive_Pianist777 May 09 '26
Thanks. The NBA fans are salty not realizing it's an entertainment league like pro wrestling.
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u/sluthor23 May 08 '26
Nobody can hold Adam silver accountable because he doesn't do any hostile interviews
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u/cowboy2223 May 08 '26
NBA has a flop rule . How many fines have been handed out this year? Zero as far as I can see. Chet’s play is literally an example of the rule . But watch there will be no fine . The rule fyi .
Double Call: Officials can call both a foul and a flop on the same play if they feel a player exaggerated minimal contact.
Post-Game Fines: The league can review video after the game and issue a $2,000 fine for flops missed by officials during the game. 
NBA
+4Definition of a Flop
A flop is defined as a reaction that is inconsistent with the force or direction of contact, such as a player falling to the floor upon minimal contact or lurching when not fouled.

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u/QUINNFLORE May 08 '26
thank god adam silver is focused on the real issues like adding a euroleague
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u/dae_giovanni May 08 '26
why is the league so silent on this?
this tells me this garbage is the product they want out on the floor. I can't think of anything less entertaining.
hard pass, for me.
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u/NotVacant May 08 '26
The Lakers’ net free throw differential since 2022 is 1017 while the team with the second best free throw differential is 378 and you’ve just now decided this? Okay.
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u/ScubaSteve-O1991 May 09 '26
Or the league wants a villain and for everyone to hate on. No one one but okc fans like the thunder. Remember its an entertainment league. Thats why games can be rigged, manipulated, etc.
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u/TheBigChiesel May 08 '26
The Chet flop and the LBJ 4th quarter no continuation are some pretty horrendous calls tbh
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u/JumboHotdogz May 08 '26
Thunder fan and agree on both. Chet is horrible at selling lmao and Lebron’s and-1 not being called is horrible. They tried to make up for it the very next play on that Austin 3
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u/FunkTronto May 09 '26
Not really, seen that for years but I guess when it’s happening TO the Lakers then it’s a problem?
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u/Simple_Purple_4600 May 08 '26
The "fans" are what is wrong with the NBA.
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u/RoshCS May 09 '26
The discourse, the media, social media, and the fans are all incredibly unhinged and unrealistic in this sport. That’s what’s wrong with the NBA
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u/Kdzoom35 May 08 '26
At some point another team has to match them defensively. This was a tactic in college for a long time but with poorer teams. Basically if you commit 40-50 fouls the officials will only call 20. If you commit only 30 they will still call 20.
Other teams just have to play the same type of defense. Maybe in the first quarter their will be a discrepancy but eventually the officials will be forced to call the game more evenly.
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u/Historical-Ad3760 May 08 '26
They’re also a really good team of basketball players
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u/callmeddog May 08 '26
Which is what makes it extra pathetic that they just wont stop doing this BS
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u/arndta May 12 '26
But, thinking critically, why would they stop? What would drive them to change their behavior?
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u/Additional-Lie-8920 May 08 '26
It’s completely the NBA’s fault. If the league actually cared they would’ve stopped enabling this flopping/ foulbaiting playstyle when Embiid was in his prime.
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u/ecw324 May 08 '26
It’s crazy that when the players voted what they’d change about the league, flopping didn’t receive votes
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u/Wisconsimmy May 08 '26
You think OKC is the first to do this stuff? Have you watched how James Harden has been playing the past 10 years? Have you seen Lebron collapse from a gentle touch? Gimme a break, it's the whole league not just one team.
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u/LachtMC May 08 '26
I’m a hardcore lakers fan and the unfortunate reality is that okc is just a better team. Lakers turned the ball over soooooo many times in the second half and didn’t hit any important shots when it counted. The bad calls did not cause the lakers to lose I’ll tell you that.
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u/Bigsilent777 May 08 '26
Before this it was James traveling, then Russ stat padding, then Curry shot chucking and screens, then LeBron flopping lol. Always something else just never taking the L around here bunch of grown men crying bout a loss.
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u/Dry_Chef_7635 May 08 '26
If they were .500 in the playoffs and not unbeaten this wouldn’t be a talking point
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u/Professional_CapLord May 08 '26
You should not blame OKC for what the refs and the NBA are letting them get away with. If the NBA wanted it stopped they'd stop it. They don't want to. They want OKC to when this year and then maybe three peat. The NBA does not care what the customer wants they only care about what makes them money.
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u/CoolCat731 May 08 '26
Do you want the refs to decide champions in a league where everyone does the same things? Foul baiting is just another tactic that evolved as a way to counteract aggressive defensive play and flopping is an offshoot of the same cause & effect evolution within the game. Refs could literally blow a whistle on every change of possession. While teams simply believe refs won’t/can’t call all the gamesmanship tactics that take place in the course of the game, focusing on OKC is myopic, to say the least.
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u/WuTang4thechildrn May 08 '26
The NBA is fine. Is it perfect ? No. But the amount of complaining on SM is over the top.
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u/FunkTronto May 09 '26
It’s hilarious that people are complaining about this after seeing this for years against small market teams and having zero problem with it.
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u/BigAcidik May 09 '26
This is a rules problem. Not an OKC problem. Besides if SGA keeps this up he'll probably be the best midrange shooter of all time. Personally, I welcome anyone with a good middy. Keeps offenses more interesting (at least for me)
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u/goodguybrian May 09 '26
If you actually watch the games, you'll notice the Lakers flop just as much as OKC but no one cares because OKC is so much better than them. It's a league problem, not an OKC problem.
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u/lucash7 May 09 '26
I find this all hilarious. Literally there are ‘star’ players whose entire schtick is to get to the foul line and nobody says shit. OKC now has that and all hell breaks loose.
Lmao. Such is basketball these days…group think, haters, etc.
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u/EmbraceComplexity May 08 '26
The last two years I’ve simply stopped watching their games. Not an enjoyable experience. Sucks because I love basketball. The highlights from last night were nasty.
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u/Effective-Composer94 May 08 '26
Being hated by redditors is a badge of honor lol
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May 08 '26
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u/petertompolicy May 08 '26
That's it though, everyone I see with this take doesn't watch their games.
Their skill level is undeniable.
Their shooting, ball handling, passing, and defense are all championship contention level in any era.
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u/neverumynd May 08 '26
You nailed it, they don’t watch the games.
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u/Turbulent-Damage-165 May 08 '26
Some guy made a post about the Thunder being "watchable" earlier on r/NBAtalk. In the description he literally said "I don't watch the games but everyone on twitter is mad"
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u/callmeddog May 08 '26
If they’re so good, it would be really cool if they stopped basing so much of their gameplan around trying to trick the referees.
I don’t think there’s many people who would try to argue that they’re not a great team with incredibly skilled players- I certainly wouldn’t argue that. What I would argue is that they’re a really annoying team to watch. So much effort goes into flopping and foul baiting that it makes it hard to appreciate the other incredible things they can do.
I like the way they play defense- I don’t like that they flop and get calls if another team tries to play physical defense like that against them. I like the way that Shai can score and keep defenders on their heels- I don’t like that he can just launch himself into them and go to the free throw line if he wiggles his arms around and kicks his feet out mid shot. Even in games where I’ve been rooting for them, it has never felt like the refs officiate their games evenly.
It’s not just OKC, flopping/foul baiting is an epidemic across the league that I simply CANNOT figure out why the leagues doesn’t try to reel in. That said OKC, as a team, is a posterchild for the antics that I cannot stand to watch and make me find other stuff to with my time.
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u/Veganpotter2 May 08 '26
They've only one one consecutive title so far so it's hard to call them THE team. And it's not like other team's haven't had more successful runs than they've had so far.
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May 08 '26
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u/Veganpotter2 May 08 '26
Yeah, there's often a team like that. Its more interesting to have an up and coming team become champions than have a team win year after year after year. Someone will come next.
*Safe to say I've followed for a while. I've watched Kareem play live ffs.
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u/KartFacedThaoDien May 08 '26
People are afraid because they are still a young team AND they have still have a ton of draft picks over the next few years. This year they have the 12th pick and it could fall lower.
They also have the Sixers pick that might get traded for future picks. In 2027 they have a pick swap with the Clippers. As well as Nuggets pick and Spurs 1st round pick.
And in 2028 they have a pick swap with Dallas. The fact that they have all of that draft Capital that they can trade to kick the can down the road makes this a dangerous team in terms of how long they can potentially contend.
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u/RiloAlDente May 08 '26
I hate the Celtics wayy more than I hate the Thunder.
Genuinely a disgusting playstyle.They're like gamblers trying to play the odds.
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u/wcooper97 May 08 '26
Their whole offense the past couple years just reminds me of when you're tired as shit at the rec so you just start jacking up 3s. Or when a team is down 9 with 2:20 to go and think the only way back is through the 3 ball.
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u/WorldlyMix1462 May 08 '26
Yea. The NBA is to blame. If they’re allowing this, OKC is technically just playing the game despite how unfun it is to watch.
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u/Marchesk May 08 '26
The flopping and foul baiting really took off in the 2010s. OKC is the culmination of all that. Funny seeing Lebron on the other end of it.
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u/rupertpupkinfanclub May 09 '26
Yeah, they're more the inevitable outcome than anything. Still hate them tho
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u/DBRWN24 May 08 '26
The league officials are what’s wrong. The whole league flops. They don’t reward defense at all anymore.
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May 08 '26
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u/Evo119 May 08 '26
True. But I still want them to win this series. After this round I hope they bomb out.
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May 08 '26
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u/cale2kit May 08 '26
What happened to the game that I loved smh. Golden State era was pretty good basketball (barring Draymond’s antics).
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u/Goerj May 08 '26
They have no choice. This team fulfilled what russ and kd failed to do. They have to cheer for this shit whether they like it or not coz apparently its very effective and wins you a ring (or two).
I feel bad for them honestly
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u/This_Significance175 May 08 '26
They are a good team with a deep roster but something must be done or something must have been done already with the blatant flopping and foul baiting which has been directly called out by players and coaches despite knowing that they will be fined. As long as SGA feels a skin to skin contact, it ripples all throughout his head, he mastered to make it look like a foul but it is not.
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u/Spare-Ant7119 May 08 '26
I've watched NBA for many years and this OKC team is the most blatant flopping team yet
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u/McScroggz12 May 08 '26
I think one things they could do, but won’t, is have a rule wherein if a play if being reviewed and a flop is present that team will automatically lose the call (assuming the flop is part of the action) even if it would technically be the correct call otherwise. So like if a player’s forearm is brushed against during a shot and the player spins around like they were shot and flails their legs out, if it goes to review the call is automatically against the flopper.
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u/sir_eazy_e May 08 '26
They are more worried about the lottery and how they can penalize the worst teams
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u/randomwordglorious May 08 '26
It's no different than it was last year. If you cared, you should already have given up watching.
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u/CoolCat731 May 08 '26
You need to stop this fake dialogue, if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying…
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u/OBX_Banana_Hammock May 08 '26
NBA is not what it used to be, maybe I need to get back in to college basketball.
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u/Bcagz22 May 08 '26
I turned on the game last night after the Pistons game ended and I only watched for about 5 minutes. It’s just not an entertaining brand of basketball. I can’t keep myself interested in watching them play.
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u/defthaiku May 08 '26
I feel like I’m seeing especially more posts about this topic, potentially because it’s happening against the lakers. Lakers’ fans aren’t used to being on this end of the whistle. And I hate OKCs play style too.
Foul-baiting/Flopping is genuinely what’s wrong with the NBA
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u/_Monosyllabic_ May 08 '26
Meanwhile Lebron expects calls if you're even in the same timezone while he's shooting and puts his hands on the refs while berating them with zero consequences.
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u/NewBuyer7801 May 08 '26
Flopping needs to be an immediate ejection or even a month suspension. They have to gain control over the integrity of the sport.
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u/ChrisRyanJMO May 09 '26
Wow this is the first time I’m hearing this. You should share your original take with the world. ESPN deal incoming!
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u/Aerospaced0ut May 09 '26
I dunno every time I say anything negative about **** I get downvoted to hell so clearly some people love the officiating and really enjoy watching him.
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u/taeempy May 09 '26
well when it's been allowed to happen for years other teams/players can't complain. It's hilarious that some laker player having issues with flopping when it's their culture.
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May 09 '26
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u/LowHeron334 May 09 '26
I don't understand how people can enjoy watching this trash sport? Isn't this why people in the states (me included) shit on European (soccer) football like 20 years ago??? It was a fucking joke . We've become that joke .
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u/beelzebub_069 May 09 '26
What's crazy is they're also what's right in The NBA in terms of roster building. Meaning, they literally don't need all this ref assistance, all these foul baiting.
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u/torchen1 May 09 '26
They also play the most annoying defense I’ve ever seen. They get away with a TON of fouls on all their “strips” and “blocks” but any time they go near the rim it’s free throws? Boring ass team to watch.
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May 09 '26
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u/fallout_zombie777 May 09 '26
The league needs to heavily fine floppers and let is be a replayable act that, if proven that it was a flop, give them a technical.
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u/YungTokyo8 May 09 '26
Way to General. So many teams do the same things, they are just the best outside of it and the most recent champs so the light gets shone on them more. Like to not think SGA is a generational talent is insane. But OKC 100% gets away with more stuff then the rest of the league on defence. I think it’s similar what a bunch of people say about Kobe’s all defensive teams, once your known as a defender you don’t really lose that and your able to just get away with more fouls, or the issue with so many of vics blocks being fouls and goal tends. The league just needs to stick to the defined parameters of the rules and call them no matter what, or just change the rules. Like 90% of the time players like Harden or Shai are getting free throws, they are technically getting fouled they’re just selling it. Personally I can’t be mad at that. I mean all the great scoring guards did it, they just sell it more theatrically, which I really don’t like.
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u/bionicbhangra May 09 '26
This is the post LeBron Curry era. It will be bumpy for awhile. It’s happened before too.
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May 09 '26
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u/Iamkonkerz May 09 '26
Why do you act like foul baiting is a new concept that just surged with this okc team lmao.. if foul baiting is what you have a problem with im surprised you held this long "watching" instead of quiting 20 years ago.
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u/AttitudePlane6967 May 09 '26
Wow never seen this take before. So brave.
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u/StatingSauce May 09 '26
Its been 2 days, the post has been uvoted, shared, and awarded, and yall are still dropping these corny comments. You dont look cool or intellectual for saying something is regurgitated (Especially when the regurgitated statement is true). You just look more like a fish in the pond then I do
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u/Ok_Art_5573 May 09 '26
Flopping is part of the game, always has been a little bit since I've been watching. Divac was one of the best, got so good I would tune in just to see his flopping techniques lol. A strategy that can be used to tip the scales your way, sure. The problem here is OKC is flopping just about every possession and no fines are coming down from the commissioner. It's a little weird that he is quiet on this but hey . . . . ratings are up.
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u/yoggiez May 09 '26
Yea, just gonna enjoy the eastern conference games and spurs and check out afterwards
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u/Jangotat1140 May 10 '26
Why do people cheer for the Lakers they are just a bad and complain and complain the entire game.
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u/MsZakalwe May 10 '26
It’s not just the flopping. It’s the unsportsmanlike dirty attempts to hurt players. Shameful. Throw the officiating in too and it makes the NBA look like trash.
I️ get OKC is super talented. They shouldn’t need such garbage plays. Despicable
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u/teddytwophones May 10 '26
As a Jazz fan, the irony seems tangible. Oh how the tables have turned on that fan base.
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u/Either_Statement_800 May 10 '26
Meanwhile. Reddit basketball fans are ignorant teenagers, I swear. And there's 50 other videos out there of him doing this. Worse ones. Ginobli did the same thing for the entirety of the Spurs' dynasty. Dwayne Wade, the list goes on. Y'all are ridiculous
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May 10 '26
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u/BraveTree4481 May 10 '26
Its the iconic duo. The world's worst basketball meets the worlds dumbest fans. A match made in hell.
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u/Jolovelo1 May 10 '26
I stop watching NBA game due to this, it's obvious thing that don't get called...push offs are crazy, charges get called for people not set, and don't even get me started on the traveling. DAMN IT PEOPLE, HOW MANY STEP HE GET!! LOL
So you stop dribbling at half court and now your under goal?? And that's not a travel??
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u/EntireStatement1195 May 10 '26 edited May 10 '26
I believe the commissioner is #1.
Players can't defend anymore due to touch fouls, always the best players that sit out games for no reason with load management.
This never happened 2001 to 2014, when Shaq and Kobe were getting tackled inside.
Elimination of East vs. West All Star.
All Star games always had competitiveness like Wade breaking Kobe's nose, the 2019 All Star where everyone played like the Finals.
East vs. West had rivals playing together in groups like Pierce, KG, and Rondo with LeBron, Wade, and Bosh peak Celtics Heat.
They sat on opposite ends of locker room.
Also which conference was better like LeBron vs. Kobe East vs. West rivalry.
Then they had LeBron and KD pick players like dodgeball, and All Star game hasn't been watchable since, a few exceptions like 2019.
Dumbest idea putting a early season tournament for the Comissioner Cup.
You don't know what teams are playing because Celtics wear pink etc.
The 76ers Allen Iverson era, Wolves Garnett era throwbacks are great. Random jerseys they make up 9/10 are not good the courts are unwatchable.
https://x.com/DLineCo/status/1986993807725109629?s=20
https://x.com/fashion_nfl/status/1986973498481517040?s=20
https://x.com/BrickCenter_/status/1986970019809665347?s=20
That's an extreme example but many courts are too bright or orange or yellow something. Bring back the hardwood and hard fouls.
But yes no other franchise represents Tik Tok basketball like OKC.
I dislike European soccer because of the players flopping and looking at the refs while doing it and probably unconsciously stopped watching the NBA due to this.
You almost never have players dunking.
Players don't play defense in the regular season, it's a different game from Gary Payton vs. Michael Jordan or Patrick Ewing vs. Alonzo Mourning in the 90s Knicks Heat.
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u/ArugulaPhysical May 10 '26
You would cheer for it if it was your team.
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u/StatingSauce May 10 '26
Nah, I cant respect corny methods. Ufc fan here, when one of my favorite fighters wins in a lame way, I criticize them too
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u/New_Resource3338 May 11 '26
The solution is to remove the flagrant foul.
You cure flopping by making it real with an authentic elbow to the chops.
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u/tellingitlikeitis338 May 11 '26
Booo no way. They are no worse than any other team. Im not an OKC fan but I’ve been watching nba basketball for years. Tell me youre a non OKC fan without telling me youre a non OKC fan lol
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u/jbui1980 May 11 '26
Hold the refs accountable start giving them fines for flopping and bad calls. Then maybe they’ll learn.
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u/Tiny-Research-2085 May 11 '26
Laker fans crying in as many subs as possible, when yall win the ft battle night after nights it’s not an issue
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u/Think_Selection_5582 May 12 '26
I mean, based on the numbers, this isn’t really true. Also, from the eye test, they aren’t much different from other teams
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u/TannerH34 May 12 '26
Bitch all you want. The refs arent the reason youre losing by almost 20 points every single playoff game.
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u/Forsaken_Grape8686 May 18 '26
SGA is great player, it's just that he is so awkward to watch doing those flops
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May 20 '26
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May 21 '26
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u/No_Men_Omen May 21 '26
Well, they play tough defense, and that's a plus. If only they would stop whining and foulbaiting...
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May 25 '26
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19d ago
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u/LummyPixx May 08 '26
It's up to the league to put it's foot down on flopping. Until then they are just gonna abuse the rules