A Bit Too Much Theatre

Let's be honest, basketball is a contact sport.  It is nowhere near the physical battle that American football is, but harsh physical play exists nonetheless.  Since referees are human, and therefore limited in sight and evaluation of what consists of too much contact, they sometimes rely on reactions, sounds, and facial expressions from players.  A lot of these actions taken by players are involuntary, and stem from a legitimate foul.  Therefore, most of the time, it is easy to see what a foul is or should be based on a player's reaction.  However, in the past decade the act of "flopping" has become more prominent, or at least brought to light more in the NBA.  Flopping is defined as deceiving the referee in order to draw a foul on an opposing player.  The same thing that so many of us Americans hate about soccer (the acting, the flopping, whatever you'd like to call it) has infiltrated our national basketball association.   It isn't just one player, or team as some would be quick to say that flop the most.  Everyone is guilty of it.  From worst player in the league (Brian Scalabrine) to the best (LeBron James) every player flops.  And if you are a player, why not flop?  By the simple act of exaggerating, you can get a crucial foul called on the defender, charge the other team with an offensive foul and thus get the ball back, or get two cheap free throws that may end up changing the outcome of the game.  I'm gonna go on a Jeff van Gundy-esque rant here.  Flopping is indeed ruining the game.  The superstars benefit from these flops perhaps even more then role players.  Since this is a superstar driven league, naturally the superstars will get the close, 50/50 calls anyways.  And when they flop, watch out.  They will always get a foul called on the opposing player.  Always.  Some of the top players that flop the most according to a players poll include: Manu Ginobili, Shane Battier, Kobe Bryant, and Paul Pierce.  These players should not be called out for being good at flopping; they have just excelled at a part of a game that benefits them.  The real problem is that flopping exists in the first place.  Personally, I think that Chris Paul, Mario Chalmers, Blake Griffin, and yes, Even the Chosen one LeBron James all excel at flopping.  But a new player comes to mind during these playoffs that just personifies how atrocious flopping has become.  And let me be the first to tell you that I used to love this player, he was one of my favorites and I modeled my (modest) game after him.  This player is James Harden.  He is a joke.  Almost every time he shoots he falls down.  When you watch him shoot threes, he kicks his legs out into the closing defender to make it look like they caused him to fall down.  Now I'm not saying that he is the only person that is doing that, but it has recently come to light especially now that the Thunder are playing on the big stage.  A self-professed Heat fan, I was sure that Battier and Chalmers were the kings of flopping; I am sure now that it is James Harden.  These players deserve our derision for ruining a beautiful game with their foolish playacting.  People laugh at Jeff Van Gundy when he goes on rants about how bad flopping is for the game but I think he is exactly right.  Referees need to be able to review these fouls, especially if they are key in the game.  And if that is not allowed because it would take too much time, then fines and other penalties should be doled out retroactively.  It should be someones job to go back and review potential flops and point them out to the league.  The NBA is getting more popular then ever, shown by the highest ever ratings for the finals games so far, and a blemish like flopping should be removed in order to keep this League's popularity on the rise.  Punishments should be severe in order to deter players from acting like they are in a play.  They are too skilled to need to draw a foul the cheap way, it takes away from the game.