[Ball Don't Lie] Strange Technical Foul on LeBron James

I'm confused by that ref, and one of the announcers. One of the announcers said, "Is this going to be our first flopping call?"

What? There is no technicals on flops, right? League review after the game and fines, only, right? Let's not argue whether it was flailing by Lebron or not, doesn't look like it to me; but for discussions sake, let's say it was flailing/flopping.

Has the league given authority to the refs to call technicals on flopping. Even it that was an attempt to fool the ref by flopping or flailing, he doesn't have to authority to call a technical, correct.

I wish they did. Right or wrong on that play, calling technicals will stop the flops, eventually.

 

Floppers oughta be hanged, drawn, and quartered...

Technical foul is nothing

 

I thought refs had the authority to call a flop a technical foul even last year, if it was blatant enough. Its reflects a lack of sportsmanship and respect for the game, which qualifies for a technical.

Its the more subtle flops which refs should hold back on calling technicals but, nevertheless, will be reviewed and perhaps punished post-game.

The NBA should institute a suspension if a player gets past a certain number of flop-violations, just like they do with technicals.

 

That ranks up there with Tim Duncan's laughing technical.

 

hahaha lebron's hairline

 

Yeah, I thought trying to fool a ref has been in the books for a long time, but I've never seen it called before.

I've never seen "Acts of Deceit" ever called before, but it should.

Also note, there is no other mention of deceit anywhere in the Rules Books except this above excerpt from an appendix and just in part of one sentence.

Here's the list of Technical Fouls for Unsportmanslike Conduct

Rule 12 Fouls & Penalties
A. Technical Fouls
Section V -- Conduct​

d. A technical foul shall be assessed for unsportsmanlike tactics such as:

1. Disrespectfully addressing an official
2. Physically contacting an official
3. Overt actions indicating resentment to a call
4. Use of profanity
5. A coach entering onto the court without permission of an official
6. A deliberately-thrown elbow or any attempted physical act with no contact involved
7. Taunting

Seems like trying to deceive a ref would be here, if they were serious about allowing a technical foul.

 

I'd like to see the original source here, but if this was the reason they called a foul, if anything it should be a flagrant, not a technical. You could argue that LeBron made "unnecessary contact" and that he was not making "a legitimate basketball play" once he saw Henderson jumping into his path. You could argue that, at that point, he was only trying to bulldoze the defender.

Still, really weird. Flagrant offensive fouls happen like... never. Regardless of league justification and rulebook technicalities, I don't like that call and hope I don't see more.

 

I think they meant "thrust his chest" after the play for showing up the player -- "taunting". Not to say he did.

Because you are right, you cannot call a technical foul for physical contact on the court during play. It must be called a flagrant w/technical. This is stated in the rule book. Since no Flagrant was called, this must be unsportsmanlike after the foul.

 

The call was absolutely weird. James got foul and happened to run into Henderson afterwards and he got T'd up for it. Its not a flagrant foul or was it a flop whatsoever. Lebron arms flew up in a shooting motion when he ran into Henderson. It was just basketball physics. It was not a flop at all. I really hope the refs would stop calling these stupid technical fouls throughout the rest of the season. I understand if it was really a flop but that clearly was not anywhere near a flop. Strange and stupid indeed.

 

I'm not as much interested in whether it was warranted, but what was the call for?

Was it for taunting or flopping?

The former (as mentioned in the Tweet a couple posts above) is in the Rule Book and commonly called. The later, a Technical for flopping, is vaguely in the Rule Book but as never been called before -- "tech for unsportsmanlike conduct by an 'act of deceit'."

When you say "I understand if it was really a flop," note that a technical for a flop has never been called...hence, the announcer saying "is this going to be our first flopping call." Which is also confusing, because the League statement on flopping didn't say *anything* about technicals, only fines.

 

Acting like Lee Harvey Oswald shot you is basketball physics?!!?

 

Why do Yahoo! videos have to have 30 second commercials before you watch the video?

 

LBJ deserves it for overreacting being hit by oxygen molecules.

 

Yeah, that's a good point. Maybe that's at the root of it. Initial foul was on Biyombo, and then the tech was for bumping Henderson after the play.

But I mean...****. You can't stop a freight train. To suggest that LeBron could put on the brakes and not barrel into Henderson in that split second after the foul is totally absurd. And just the nature of it... It definitely didn't look like he was trying to start a fight or send a message to Henderson or anything. Incidental contact man. Let 'em play.