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.
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| One of many images that, even selected for effect, show McRoberts' elbow only grazed Lebron. |
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.
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| Lebron writhing on the floor after Serge Ibaka looked at him funny, resulting in a broken nose. |
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.
