Well, if you get the calls and it is a successful strategy, hard to blame anyone for taking the available route. It is a, hmmm to say this nicely, a sissy's way to play ball. We all know Kobe would have never chosen this route. Still, the NBA endorsed it. Maybe, (big maybe), you can blame Harden for recognizing it and taking advantage of it. For all the cash it made him, who cares. If I was not as talented as Kobe or Jordan, and this became an available career choice for me, I would have had to seriously consider it. I just think we cannot really blame this all on Harden, there is more blame to be to be pointed at the NBA over this and while I don't mind a little redemption on Harden, afterall, yeah he deserves a little of it. I would hate to see them let the type of play with Trent become the new norm, even if it was just on Harden. The reason being, is that eventually this type of rules enforcement will point at one of our guys. It's just like in politics, you can't let one rule exist for some and another for others and it is up to the people in charge to interpret them. Hate that, it is not a good place to go.
I always thought that was just a byproduct of the rule changes to “free up offense” and make the game more “free flowing”. Not allowed to literally touch your man on the perimeter, well, that’s gonna result in a lot of free throws. And scoring went up and up and up and the league didn’t seem to care how it happened because it looked good on paper, and they dug themselves deeper and deeper with stuff like Harden. For a time they probably could say oh it’s fine, it’s just one guy, but it started to spread In recent times with guys like Curry, Luka, and Trae Young to name a few, so something had to be done. I’m just glad they finally decided to course correct and I hope they stick to it, the players will adjust if they’re good enough.
It's hilarious to me this went from automatic whistle to a championship confetti moment when he gets a favorable call.
Sounds like Embiid and Harris have the covid bug. "Embiid is struggling with it" per Doc. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/doc-rivers-joel-embiid-struggling-225906691.html
What a f****** clown. You cheated the game for a decade, brought this on himself. Also he looks more gross than usual, like there has to be a wild animal nesting in that thing.
Thanks! That was cool. And my assuming Marcus was a fail. Wow payback was a b****h. Shades of Andre Miller no likee Blake Griffin. The Joker “bullet”. What the hell was Kieff thinking …. he could just run up and sucker elbow check Joker and then smugly turn his back and walk away?
Fake "tough guy" sold it well LOL. Herro was scared af... so was Jimmy, who waited till nothing could happen (even though Jimmy might be crazy, Joker would kill him). I wish we could get both "light skin dudes" on the Lakers Edit: I think Jimmy was yapping at some Denver staff member that shoved him, so nevermind. I guess many NBA players will send Joker a thank you texts. I know, i would
That bears multiple viewings LOL. The pleased with himself look on Morris after he turned away from his cheap shot and then BOOM he’s flying 10 feet.
i prefer integrity you mean like how kobe got suspended for "unnatural motions" and they changed the swing-through interpretation basically the third time he did it? we've already been targeted. we haven't benefited. i'm fine with harden being treated like every non-harden player has been treated for years, quite frankly. i think some people underestimate just how much of his game was built on chicanery. i was watching that game at that time, and he had just not gotten a call on the other end (the bulls announcers thought it was a foul), so that move was another ref-bait. he's nothing if not persistent. btw, very next play down, lavine catches on a curl, is fouled, and dunks. doesn't get the continuation that harden got on the play just prior. basically harden (vs. other stars') career in microcosm on three plays.
Rant on: You are making a hypothetical argument. I am just pointing out the facts. Look, I HATE HARDEN'S STYLE OF PLAY!!!! Have I made that clear??? But the facts are the facts, THE NBA IS WHO MADE THE RULES!!!! Glad they realized their mistake but it was THEIR mistake. He was the most successful player at taking advantage of those rules. Yeah, it is not a way that I admire much, but ...... let me see ........ how much money did Harden make from this?? He also made all NBA first team, SIX TIMES!!! It may suck, but it is what it is. The guy was rewarded handsomely and the NBA honored him to great lengths. This is not simply something that went on for a couple of years and they put a stop to it. I am sorry but if I was in the same position as him and just by my pure talent, could not have come close to reaching these heights, I would have done it in a heart beat. By the end of his current contract, he will have made over 315 million dollars from his salary alone. Screw everything, screw everyone, if I am offered over a third of a BILLION DOLLARS to play that way, I'm doing it. The ONLY way I would NOT do it is if I knew I could be as good without doing it. With all of that taken into play, and understanding that I in truthful actuality believe Harden benefited by this BS more than any other player in the league and does not compare to the other greats in the game, such as Kobe, Jordan, etc., the league can still not punish him by refusing to call honest, real, fouls made against him. This is the problem with our society as a whole today. They want everyone to be forced to make up for all the problems in the pasts. When you go down this path, and can ignore the unfairness of it, it will be the end of the sport. I for one, will bail on it when I cannot trust the refs to be calling the game based on the facts vs their emotional need to punish individuals with little regards to the actual rules. Facts are facts, rules are rules. Follow them, enforce them and leave the rest of it out of the game. : Rant off
they didn't make new rules. note that the rules weren't changed. they literally just decided that they would enforce them all of a sudden. they missed a call on harden, and now it's a thing? they miss calls on lebron all the time? do they go viral? is it an assumed conspiracy? no. harden and his fans aren't used to him being treated like the other players. now that he is, they're literally crying foul. give me a break.
Well it is true that they make these kinds of bad calls all the time against nearly everyone. And I could care less about Harden crying foul. I would be happy to put on the cement shoes and dump him in the nearest river/ocean. I just want consistency. I want the refs to do the best they can to call the games according to the rules I would hate to see them deliberately calling the game different for reasons that are not real or data driven. And while the rules were not changed per say, they publicly discussed that they were going to change the interpretation. IMHO, this is effectively changing the rules.
Jokic has a brother? In the league? How old / big like him? He didn’t “wait” until Morris turned his back …. he came immediately whether his back was turned or not. Morris was the one all pleased with his sucker elbow / body block as Jokic passed the ball and immediately turned and walked away rather than stand there and take measure of his hit facing Jokic.
morris f***ed around and found out. and he could face jokic and get dropped, too. dude outweighs you by 60lbs. you thought you'd get a cute cheap shot in on the intentional foul and rile him up. congrats. put some frozen peas on it.
