They just play boring basketball and their best player gets his buckets in large part from unaesthetic herky-jerkiness, foul baiting, or a combination of the two. This is the real reason why people don't like them, they're not fun to watch.
What do you mean by boring? They literally play the most athletic and high-energy basketball that's ever existed + have that half-court mid-range game that we've all been pining after since the r3volution.
The thing that gets me about the Spurs being "ethical basketball" to OKCs "unethical basketball" is that they are only here because three years ago OKC decided the point of basketball was to win the game and the Spurs decided the point was to lose the game to draft Wemby. It's beyond annoying to see some of the most aggro tankers in league history be held up as paragons of virtue.
I don’t think it’s crazy to expect an MVP guard to display fortitude through contact, not just land on his ass half the time the ball leaves his fingertips. It’s not awe-inspiring spectacle - it’s “results”-driven bullshit. A “smart” player is one who makes the right pass or sets up the right play, not the best ref milker on rulebook technicalities and loopholes. I don’t care who does it - I HATE it, and the fact that it’s a two-time MVP doing it visibly and blatantly night in and night out is bad for the game, regardless of how many other ancillary pieces are guilty of it around him on the court. He’s at the top of the mountain and should act the part.
Surprised you haven't made the connection between declining NBA ratings and how unappealing the OKC Thunder are to watch. When the Warriors were dominating the league fans tuned in to see Curry and to see if they can be beaten. Does any fan outside of Oklahoma actually enjoy watching SGA flail on every shot?
I am a Premier League soccer fan and even I find the level of theatrical flopping in the NBA to be embarassing. They need to call simulation (or in NBA parlance, non-unsportsmanlike technical fouls) far more often. Combine that with actually allowing players to play tight defense all season long, and you may actually get someone like me, who used to love the NBA but has drifted away from its most recent form, back in the fold.
Shai has the highest FTA in the league. No one calls everyone on the thunder a free throw merchant. Only one of them is a basketball terrorist. The comparisons are Luka (gets more FT's) and Harden. But Shai takes the acting to Chris Paul levels of performance. Making him somehow pass a guy who was widely referred to as "basketball hitler" in unfavorables at their peak.
Of course Wemby is going to get physical. They're getting physical with him, as anyone with sense would have coached the Thunder to do. I like that about the Thunder. That is not why they're hated. It's the combination of Shai's oscar worthy acting with a hard edge that drives people nuts.
It is rather reminiscent of Golden State. Where a guard gets babied but the people around him are allowed to be rougher than the opposition. So i see why you would like this. To the rest of us though...Disgusting. Imagine if the refs let people treat Curry or Shai the way they treat Wemby.
Great article, i hated it
Edit - Luka still had more cumulative FT's too, so I was wrong on that thought Shai won the race this year. He was third. Avdija also beat him on average per game
If they had done what happened to Wemby he would have lived at the FT line. CUrry would be a role player when we were growing up. I could defend him. Just put my feet beneath him
I’m a casual NBA fan who mostly gets his impression of other teams when they play the Knicks, and I tend to just tune a lot of rumor mill/conspiracy content out, but I know of the “flopping” nonsense because Wemby spouted off about “ethical basketball”. Then, he made that hands on hips pose at the end of Game 1 after an admittedly impressive performance (which was almost “the Alex Caruso game”). Wemby is basically Jean Girard, the Sacha Baron Cohen character from Talledega Nights, brought to life. I’m impressed, but also: Fuck that guy!
But given that Wemby exists, how do you stop him? By having a team of defensive maniacs like OKC does. *That’s* what’s so compelling to me about this series, and it’s enthralling to watch!
PS: Caruso has played so well I’d take him over Josh Hart, and I fucking love Josh Hart!
They just play boring basketball and their best player gets his buckets in large part from unaesthetic herky-jerkiness, foul baiting, or a combination of the two. This is the real reason why people don't like them, they're not fun to watch.
What do you mean by boring? They literally play the most athletic and high-energy basketball that's ever existed + have that half-court mid-range game that we've all been pining after since the r3volution.
I am surprised Ethan hasn't mentioned this in any of his NBA ratings discourse.
The thing that gets me about the Spurs being "ethical basketball" to OKCs "unethical basketball" is that they are only here because three years ago OKC decided the point of basketball was to win the game and the Spurs decided the point was to lose the game to draft Wemby. It's beyond annoying to see some of the most aggro tankers in league history be held up as paragons of virtue.
I don’t think it’s crazy to expect an MVP guard to display fortitude through contact, not just land on his ass half the time the ball leaves his fingertips. It’s not awe-inspiring spectacle - it’s “results”-driven bullshit. A “smart” player is one who makes the right pass or sets up the right play, not the best ref milker on rulebook technicalities and loopholes. I don’t care who does it - I HATE it, and the fact that it’s a two-time MVP doing it visibly and blatantly night in and night out is bad for the game, regardless of how many other ancillary pieces are guilty of it around him on the court. He’s at the top of the mountain and should act the part.
Surprised you haven't made the connection between declining NBA ratings and how unappealing the OKC Thunder are to watch. When the Warriors were dominating the league fans tuned in to see Curry and to see if they can be beaten. Does any fan outside of Oklahoma actually enjoy watching SGA flail on every shot?
This is emerging? It's been an on-going narrative of basketball for over two seasons now.
I am a Premier League soccer fan and even I find the level of theatrical flopping in the NBA to be embarassing. They need to call simulation (or in NBA parlance, non-unsportsmanlike technical fouls) far more often. Combine that with actually allowing players to play tight defense all season long, and you may actually get someone like me, who used to love the NBA but has drifted away from its most recent form, back in the fold.
Shai has the highest FTA in the league. No one calls everyone on the thunder a free throw merchant. Only one of them is a basketball terrorist. The comparisons are Luka (gets more FT's) and Harden. But Shai takes the acting to Chris Paul levels of performance. Making him somehow pass a guy who was widely referred to as "basketball hitler" in unfavorables at their peak.
Of course Wemby is going to get physical. They're getting physical with him, as anyone with sense would have coached the Thunder to do. I like that about the Thunder. That is not why they're hated. It's the combination of Shai's oscar worthy acting with a hard edge that drives people nuts.
It is rather reminiscent of Golden State. Where a guard gets babied but the people around him are allowed to be rougher than the opposition. So i see why you would like this. To the rest of us though...Disgusting. Imagine if the refs let people treat Curry or Shai the way they treat Wemby.
Great article, i hated it
Edit - Luka still had more cumulative FT's too, so I was wrong on that thought Shai won the race this year. He was third. Avdija also beat him on average per game
Steph had the worst superstar whistle of all time. Try again.
Of course no one would do that...Because he was just a little guard who wasn't all that important outside shooting.
If they had done what happened to Wemby he would have lived at the FT line. CUrry would be a role player when we were growing up. I could defend him. Just put my feet beneath him
He actually doesnt have the highest FTA in the league.
Oh you're right, i thought Luka only won the average. He still won both even with injuries hahahaha
Love this article. Terminally online people are insane.
I’m a casual NBA fan who mostly gets his impression of other teams when they play the Knicks, and I tend to just tune a lot of rumor mill/conspiracy content out, but I know of the “flopping” nonsense because Wemby spouted off about “ethical basketball”. Then, he made that hands on hips pose at the end of Game 1 after an admittedly impressive performance (which was almost “the Alex Caruso game”). Wemby is basically Jean Girard, the Sacha Baron Cohen character from Talledega Nights, brought to life. I’m impressed, but also: Fuck that guy!
But given that Wemby exists, how do you stop him? By having a team of defensive maniacs like OKC does. *That’s* what’s so compelling to me about this series, and it’s enthralling to watch!
PS: Caruso has played so well I’d take him over Josh Hart, and I fucking love Josh Hart!