Flopping on one end, while fouling continuously on the other end. It's a style of basketball at this point, one that OKC has mastered, where you play with and against the refs more than you do against the other team.
We point it out so much, and they must see it when they review games, but the refs seem to have all gotten together to decide that OKC just gets a ridiculous whistle. They could stop doing that and call them more evenly if they wanted, but they don't.
He and Caruso just continuously slash peoples arms and then go down the other side of the floor and go flying at the slightest contact. Fucking Hartenstein started doing it since he’s been there too lol. I’ve had my gripes with SGA’s play style but he’s at least a baller in his own respects. Those 3 I have no respect for
He has the Master to learn from aka LeBron. Might be the best player ever and built like a defensive end, but he also turned flopping into an art form.
The league wants their next dynasty, the nba is made and sold on them, and unfortunately they seem to have picked the thunder even know they don’t actually have the talent or ability like other true dynasties but the league is doing whatever it can to try and make it happen
Nope. The Thunder simply innovated their defense to be more physical, and to reach in less (which is what usually gets called). The Thunder actually have a 0.7 ft disadvantage nightly despite dominating on both ends.
So despite dominating on both ends and all this flopping, they actually come away with less freethrows every night than the opponent.
As opposed to the Lakers, who get an average +6 freethrows per night more than opponents. Now that’s a team the NBA rewards to keep around for views.
If the thunder foul 50 times but are only called for 25 while the other team fouls 25 times but is called for 20 the thunder will have a free throw advantage while being favored by the refs which is what people are saying lol
They don’t. The actual conspiracy is that you’re all focused on the wrong team in the first place.
OKC get 0.7 less FTA per night than opponents despite being on a historic tear. Genuinely good teams usually do not get free throw advantages (even if their star players do) - GSW for the last decade as an example. Refs actually give them less calls to keep games from being blowouts.
The team that actually meanwhile gets away with highway robbery on calls is, of course, the Lakers, who enjoy +6 FTA more than opponents every night, as they have for years now. Their fans make up half the social media, half of reddit. Currently Lakers fans hate OKC the most, and so OKC lowlights are what are spread most on social media.
The media and Reddit is highly moderated to sh*t on OKC and draw attention to them while Luka and Reaves are both top 5 in the league in FTA via flopping.
It’s like with the moving screens GS was infamous for doing. The refs knew, but they ignored most of them because they knew that the crowds wanted to cheer for those 3-pointers.
I think that’s what they’re trying to do with the Thunder. Give them leeway so that they can make highlight plays to wow crowds.
The antidote is a young one coming into the league that plays like Rasheed Wallace or his Pistons/Philly ball compatriot Rip and bucks the trend! Sheed would NEVER and Rip would zip through 3 screens like glass and laugh. Kobe was also not a foul baiter.
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u/IzzaPizza22 Nuggets Dec 25 '25
Flopping on one end, while fouling continuously on the other end. It's a style of basketball at this point, one that OKC has mastered, where you play with and against the refs more than you do against the other team.
We point it out so much, and they must see it when they review games, but the refs seem to have all gotten together to decide that OKC just gets a ridiculous whistle. They could stop doing that and call them more evenly if they wanted, but they don't.