Could McRoberts' Hard Playoff Foul on Lebron Finally Mark a Return To 1980's "Big Boy" Basketball?

The short answer is apparently... No.

Why? Because after in game referees reviewed the play and 3 officials saw it as nothing more than a common foul, the NBA has swept in and fined McRoberts $20K and raised the foul to a flagrant 2. The Charlotte Bobcats' McRoberts will not be suspended for Game 3 of the series.

One of many images that, even selected for effect, show McRoberts' elbow only grazed Lebron. 

When I first heard about the hard foul the Charlotte Bobcats' Josh McRoberts had committed on Lebron, I had to check it out.

When I watched footage, it didn't seem like much more that incidental contact with McRoberts' arm in a bad position to try to make a play on the ball, but of course, in this day and age, we all have gotten used to that kind of play being called a flagrant foul 2 because of the coddling of NBA superstars like Lebron James.

So, when the foul was ruled a common foul during the game, I thought, "Finally! New commissioner, Adam Silver, is returning the league to the man's game that was played during the 1980's and 1990's."

Well, that excitement lasted all of 48 hours, during which time, the league stepped in and upgraded the play from a common foul to a flagrant 2, and additionally, will assess Josh McRoberts with a $20K fine. Apparently, the flagrant 2 did not warrant a suspension for Saturday night's Game 3.

And despite the actions taken by the league, the Miami Heat stated that the disciplinary action parsed out by the league office don't go far enough. Not that they have a vested interest or would say anything to try to gain an even greater advantage over the scrappy Bobcats, who are gaining confidence with every close playoff game.

Worse yet, Lebron is now whining to the sports journalists about how frustrated he is with all the hard fouls, siting fouls like the "hard foul" by Serge Ibaka that broke his nose this season, which, everyone would agree, was unintentional and incidental contact.

Lebron writhing on the floor after Serge Ibaka looked at him funny, resulting in a broken nose.

If that was Lebron's idea of a "hard foul", Lebron has no idea what a "hard foul" is.

Next time someone tells you that Lebron is in the same league as Michael Jordan, look at what Jordan had to do to beat a defense more punishing than Lebron has ever seen in his life, and imagine how many Points Per Game Jordan would average if every basket he made was an And-1.

Lebron is the beneficiery of many favorable rules changes that has given him every advantage as a skilled and athletic offensive player in the NBA because the league seeks to promote their superstars.

Lebron is complaining about contact that was normal, routine, and expected during the playoffs in Michael Jordan's time. And what you also see is the Zen response that Jordan had for all that contact. He picked himself up, brushed himself off, and went to charity stripe and drained his free throws.

Lebron's response is just what the Bobcats want to see. When he cries about the physical fouls, his opponents now know that the hard fouls bother him, and you can sure as hell expect more plays like that because of his LeBiatching.

Rest assured, if this was the NBA of the past, the next game will be marked by a flurry of fouls called on the Charlotte Bobcats early on in order to limit their ability to play physical defense. The league of the past will do this because Lebron and the Heat have been crying all over the media.

Will any of this change under new leadership? Or will the Miami CHeat continue to get special treatment with officiating? One thing is for sure: "Earned, Not Given" is only a slogan, not the reality.

Miami cHeat vs. Chicago Bulls: LebronLeBiatch's Dirty Tactics On Display Again

CHICAGO, IL.  The Chicago Bulls went into the halftime intermission trailing 43-37. Not sure what was said in the locker room, but I can guarantee that one play was mentioned.

Shortly before the half, Lebron had leaked to cherry pick an easy basket, but Jimmy Butler was in position to strip the ball loose which was recovered by the Bulls.

"Hey Lebron! How's my dick taste?"

While on the floor after the play, Lebron purposefully pulled down Jimmy Butler to prevent the Bulls from having numbers while he wasn't hustling back.

As he pulled down Butler (in front of the NBA referee, mind you, without a foul call), Butler's feet ended up around Lebron's head area. Lebron continued to engage Butler, including swinging his own legs up toward Butler's head. Butler, without taking any swings or kicks at Lebron, made it clear that he wasn't going to give Lebron a single inch, and he emerged from the scrum smiling a confident smile.

Take a look at footage of the play and judge for yourself:

That play had to fire up Jimmy Butler. After going 0 for 5 with no points in the first half, he finished up with 16 pts, 11 reb, 4 stl, and 1 blk.

Meanwhile, Lebron, who had to have been frustrated and now embarassed by this unsportsmanlike play, went on to finish with only 17 pts on 8 of 23 shooting (38.2%), even below his season average against the Bulls (19.0 on 42.9% shooting).

Jimmy Butler added to his resume as the Lebron-stopper; while being defended by Butler, Lebron made only 2 field goals and had 3 turnovers.

The Bulls came back from an 11 point 4th quarter deficit to force OT. Then, led by Joakim Noah (20pts, 12reb, 7ast, 5blk), Chicago dominated Miami on the boards and suffocated the Heat offense, which only managed 2 meaningless points on a too little, to late layup by Lebron.

The Chicago Bulls sent the cHeat to their third straight loss in a week that began with Lebron piling on during a blowout of the lowly Bobcats with 61 points. Since then, Lebron has managed 58 points combined in the cHeat's three straight losses.


Beware of the Lebron Dick-Riders

Today, all the Lebron Dick-riders were all up in arms to say that Jimmy Butler kicked Lebron in the face, using very creative stills from the game footage to illustrate their opinionated articles.

We all know that at full speed, that was not a kick, and Lebron flinches like he's been shot in the head at any contact because he's used to getting something for all his acting.

But on the other hand, with video review, the NBA needs to start holding the players that instigate this type of contact accountable because players can and do get hurt from all the tangling of limbs that some players, particularly Miami Heat players, have initiated.

Case in point, a play from the 2011 NBA Playoffs that changed the entire dynamics of the Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics series:

Enough with the acting. Enough with double technicals. Make these situations reviewable by replay and make the penalty meaningful.

Instigators should be ejected from the game with potential for suspension pending the result of the play. This kind of unsportsmanlike play is unacceptable in a professional sports league.

Lebron did not injure Jimmy Butler on that play, but he could have the way Rondo was injured. But the referees should have viewed a replay of the contact. They should have ejected Lebron from the game. And if there was an injury, as there was with Rajon Rondo, there should be the potential to suspend the involved player for the rest of the series.

As it stands, the David Stern-led NBA basically awarded the Miami Heat for causing this injury. Hopefully, new NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is aware of this and many other flaws in NBA officiating and is actively working to rid his league of unsportsmanlike play such as this.

If you think Lebron's and the Miami Heat's unsportsmanlike contact should be banned from the NBA, please comment and share this article on your Facebook.