James Harden and Trae Younger aren’t having fun with the NBA’s latest rule modifications. The remainder of the league appears to really feel very in another way.
On Saturday evening, after the Golden State Warriors shellacked the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder by a rating of 103-82, each Draymond Inexperienced and Steph Curry took a while throughout their postgame interviews to laud the numerous discount in foul calls the place offensive gamers initiates contact with defenders.
That idea is not new, however over the previous few years, it is plagued the NBA. Gamers like Harden and Younger routinely racked up dozens of free throw makes an attempt per sport utilizing savvy — if unnatural-looking — maneuvers. And now? The NBA has instructed referees to swallow their whistles when these maneuvers are employed.
Inexperienced specifically is blissful in regards to the new-look NBA, which is sensible given his outsized function on protection.
“Can I say how satisfying it’s to look at the sport with out all these horrible calls? Guys dishonest the sport and grabbing guys and getting the foul,” Inexperienced mentioned. “I have been actually having fun with watching basketball this 12 months.”
He went on to say that he truly stopped watching NBA video games the previous few years due to the “flailing and flopping and guys dishonest the sport and getting free throws.” All truthful, although followers of different groups may object to Inexperienced complaining about “flailing.”
Inexperienced truly known as out Harden by identify throughout his postgame commentary, however extra in a complimentary approach, noting that Harden was the “grasp” of drawing sometimes-dubious fouls.
Curry was a bit of extra understated than Inexperienced — what else is new? — however he too complimented the drop in “egregious performs.”
“I have been watching across the league, and for probably the most half I would say about 9 out of 10 calls that used to go the opposite approach will not be, for good motive,” Curry mentioned. “There’s most likely some which can be nonetheless in that grey space the place they’re going to get extra constant, but it surely’s nice for the sport. I do know numerous followers are loving it.”
Inexperienced concurred: “The sport is flowing higher. And I feel you are seeing a lot better basketball.”
It most likely helps come to that rosy conclusion once you’re 5-1.
