Floppers Gonna Flop
Tony Allen put on the acting performance of the year. A pathetic and desperate display from a man who knows who can’t beat another team. When you know you can’t beat them on skill and talent you resort to trickery. No shame in gadget plays. But when you flail on the floor grabbing the back of your head like the Undertaker just gave you the Tombstone, it moves beyond gamesmanship.
Tony Allen has gone to the Gordon Bombay School of Athletics.
TAKE THE FALL! ACT HURT! GET INDIGNANT!
Here’s the Oscar winning performance:
To be perfectly clear the referees are just as guilty. You watched the play and you allowed your judgement to be swayed by the fanciful acting of Tony Allen. The Same Tony Allen who was jusssssst fine when time comes to take those free throws.
But it’s not like Tony Allen has a history of this that the ref’s could have been made aware of…
The NBA where good refereeing happens!
If Tony Allen gets away with this without a stiff fine then all of the conspiracy theories about David Stern hating the Spurs will come out.
On top of that, if Stern lets this pass, then he is effectively snipping the Commissioners Office balls off. How can anyone get fined for flopping if this is allowed?
Before anyone says “Well the Spurs still won, so what’s it matter,” let me say that the outcome isn’t the point, though if the game was decided in the Grizzlies favor it would legitimately taint this entire series. If you want to outlaw this kind of behavior then you have to hit everyone, every time.
Except, of course, when the money train is involved
This was egregious and directly in front of the officials.
The Officials should be fined as well. You call the foul as it happens. Not after the actor is done deciding how hurt to be.
The NBA, as it is, is in a very odd time in its history. The public perception of these games is that they aren’t on the level. Officiating has been so abysmal, and so often siding with the stars, that fans already know going in that they should expect huge foul discrepancies when facing the Heat or the Thunder or any of the Leagues Stars.
David Stern has to step up. Big. For an act this blatant, that could have affected the outcome of a Playoff game, 35K will not be enough. 50k will send a message. A game suspension will tell the players, don’t mess with me.
David Stern may be overseeing the most corrupt sport that doesn’t rhyme with Gloxing. Time to show everyone who’s boss.
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Get With The AFR Program!
