NBA Weakness

Since I haven’t really interested in watching an NBA game wire-to-wire anymore, I turned on the TV to catch the last 8 minutes of the Bulls-Heat game on Tuesday night.

It seemed to be a hard-fought and physical game. Both teams were playing really hard and it was a close game. I’m writing this actually while it’s still going on. But the TV is off.

The Heat had the ball and Joakim Noah slipped and fell while guarding Chris Bosh. Bosh turned and drove to the basket and was fouled by three Bulls players. Carlos Boozer was the second Bull to get to Bosh and, arms raised above his head, made sure that Bosh wasn’t able to get a shot off. While arms were tangled, Boozer was clearly the stronger of the two and Bosh ended up sprawled out toward the baseline while Boozer stood where he landed, on his feet, with his arms raised.

After talking with his fellow officials, Joey Crawford went to the scorer’s table and called Boozer for a flagrant foul. My TV was off before Bosh could even shoot a free throw. The Heat were losing by three points (I think) at the time of the foul. I’m sure it won’t be for long…

This is the NBA I despise. Where there is espoused-only toughness. Where 6’10” athletes need protection from the refs. Where a hard foul turns into a flagrant foul and where the refs still don’t have control of the game.

This is the NBA, where Kevin Garnett can spout off a profanity-laced tirade and bully all he wants. Where Rasheed Wallace can call Vladamir Radmonavic “Borat” without repercussion.

This is a league that is all bark and no bite. Where a player’s acting tough is always rewarded and where a player’s actual toughness almost never is.

This is the NBA where a “tough” act that is actually related to the game – basketball warrior protecting his basket – is penalized most harshly.

Listen, I get it. When there are players whose athleticism and star power make them transcendent, you want to give them every opportunity to show that off. To market the game, it is important to have defining slam dunks and plays that maximize a player’s athleticism.

Tell that to Michael Jordan. Jordan was hacked harder than the Boozer foul at least a few times per game in the playoffs. Did we appreciate the game less then? Did it negatively affect Jordan then?

Tell that to Shaquille O’Neal. While he was the most difficult player to officiate, Shaq was fouled harder than Boozer fouled Bosh probably ten times per game. Since Shaq was typically the one left standing, the fouls were almost never deemed flagrant. Again, did it make me appreciate Shaq less? Absolutely not. How many more dominant years might Shaq have had if the NBA was as liberal with doling out flagrant fouls from 1997-2004 as they are now.

I’m not saying a league needs to allow a McHale-like clothesline. I don’t want to get back to the fighting times, when Kermit Washington almost killed Rudy T (for more, read The Punch – a great book).

What I am saying is that I’d love to see how LeBron would actually react when it wasn’t so assured that he’d be protected by the officials. I’d love to see whether Chris Bosh would go into a shell or change his takeoff point the next time he drove to the basket in order to absorb contact.

Unfortunately, today’s NBA doesn’t allow for or require these things from its players. Call it “Namby Pamby” or “weaksauce” or just overprotected, marketing-driven basketball. It doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s the way of the world now.

Miami’s BIG 3 will continue to roll. And I’ll continue to watch hockey — or maybe just keep the TV off altogether. I do live in California, and it is starting to get warmer…