This time of year in the NBA, you might need an extra edge.
Of course, I’m talking about players acting at the slightest hints of contact, hoping a call goes your way. The art of flopping.
During the Miami Heat’s visit to the Boston Celtics (6.5-point favorites heading in) in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, P.J. Tucker had the latest great audition to enter the flop pantheon. When Jayson Tatum tried to make a slick dribble move on Tucker in transition, a light forearm (seemingly almost nonexistent!) sent Tucker flying across the floor:
The call? Why an offensive foul obviously!
P.J. Tucker covered a lot of ground 😅 pic.twitter.com/UHbeWnrnNc
— ESPN (@espn) May 22, 2022
Tatum must be really strong if he can send a 245-pound man like Tucker soaring and spinning across half of the floor. At least Tucker got the last laugh (he probably got the first one, too, right?) when he helped hold Tatum to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting in an eventual 109-103 Heat win.
Take notes, young basketball fans: That’s how you act and defend.
NBA fans thought Tucker’s dramatics in such a big game was so hilarious that they even turned it into a meme:
