Despite falling behind 22-2 early in the first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers recorded their seventh consecutive victory Friday night by taking down the Memphis Grizzlies, 115-105. As usual, LeBron James helped take the lead and finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in another beautiful performance.
But he didn’t just excel in basketball against the Grizzlies. He also presented an excellent play, one that was so good that he finally got a warning from the league for violating the anti-flopping rule.
Late in the second quarter, LeBron struggled for a position under the basket, while Anthony Davis pulled up from the wing for a three-point effort. As Davis’ shot climbed off the edge, LeBron made minimal contact with Dillon Brooks and fell to the floor, swinging his arms dramatically on the way down. The deception worked, and Brooks was whistled for a loose ball.
A stunned Brooks laughed as he turned away, and his teammates were equally confused. But the best response comes from the Grizzlies broadcast figure, who simply could not believe LeBron got away with it.
“Are you serious? Are you kidding me, man? … It’s awful, awful, whatever words you can think of are synonymous with that. That’s what it was.”
Sorry to kick the Grizzlies while they are already down, but the way the broadcasters circumvent anger and just go straight discouraged is so funny. It was Jesse’s NBA broadcast from Breaking Bad that said, “He can’t get away with it!”
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies and the rest of the league, he will probably get away with it because he is the best player in the world. A warning is just: a warning. There will be no real penalty unless the league determines he will flop again. At that point, there will be fines. And even then, what’s $ 5,000 on LeBron James?