NBA Playoffs 2011: James Harden Flop in Game 3 of Mavericks vs. Thunder

I love the NBA, and watching the playoffs has been one of my favorite evening activities over the past few weeks.  The NBA does have its flaws, as anyone who follows the league can attest to.  One of the biggest flaws lies in the officiating, and that has been on full display in the 2011 playoffs.

First off, this article is not meant to be just another rant about how the refs are terrible and can't do their job.  In general, they seem to do a good job at calling the rules the way they are written.

The two biggest problems currently present with the officiating in NBA games are inconsistency and what is known as "selling a call" or "drawing a foul."

The series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks has showcased the type of inconsistency that has become problematic, both for the players and also the fans.  It is difficult to really enjoy watching a game where foul calling seems to be biased, either one way or the other, when most of the time it only seems that way because teams can't count on a game or series being called in a consistent way.

The Thunder have shot more free throws in every game so far this series, which is reasonable since they normally get to the line quite often, and are a younger, more athletic team.  Last night the advantage was 36 to 18 in favor of OKC, and judging by the way Dallas jumped out to a double-digit lead, the Mavs were the more aggressive team for at least the majority of the first half.

Dirk Nowitzki only shot three free throws, a far cry from the 24 he shot in Game 1.  The interesting thing is that even he seemed surprised at all the no calls he was getting.  On more than one drive he got hit or pushed and the ball came loose, and while the announcers were quick to praise Nick Collison for his stellar defensive pressure, the forced turnovers and missed shots were also a result of the fact that this game was called differently than the previous two.

Some blame lies with the referees, to be sure, but not all of it can be placed on them.

The title of this article refers to a play that occurred midway through the third quarter.  For those unaware of what happened, Harden made a nice driving layup over Tyson Chandler, and then proceeded to run into Chandler as he was trying to inbound the ball.  Chandler moved his arms and Harden fell to the ground as if he had just been shot, clutching his face in agony.

The way he jumped up ready to play after just a few seconds on the ground was somewhat indicative of the true nature of the play, but the instant replay showed everyone watching what a bogus call it was. Chandler was called for a technical foul on the play, which replay proved to be unnecessary.

The problem isn't with the officials here; they can only call what they see and don't always have the benefit of watching replay during a game.  The problem lies with the players, at least those who see the intentional deception of the referees as a way to gain an advantage for their team.

Dallas, as with every team in the NBA, is probably also guilty of some similar plays during the course of the season, but it is everything that the NBA should not be about.  It's acting, and bad acting at that, selling it to the officials but to no one else.  It's putting the game in the hands of the refs instead of letting talent and performance dictate the outcome.

Jeff Van Gundy was right to question what these players work on during the offseason, after seeing that.  It is something that needs to be addressed on a league wide level, so that "flopping" ceases to become a sort of underhanded way to try and gain your team an unfair advantage.  As long as David Stern continues to hand out big fines to any owner, coach or player who dares to question the way that his league is officiated, it will continue to be an issue, and the fault will lie with him.