There's a new growing polarizing trend in the NBA that is only going to shed the playoffs in a bad light if it continues.
If it wasn't for the New York Knicks blowing a 14-point lead with 2:51 left in the fourth quarter, and Tyrese Haliburton hitting another outrageously impressive buzzer-beater again, we'd be having a pretty different conversation at our respective water coolers this morning. That's because there may be a new foul-baiting trend that may be arising across the league.
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, it once again surfaced. Jalen Brunson was at the center of the controversy this time around as he grabbed the defender's arm to hit himself in an attempt to get a whistle. This adds to the critique of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was equally under fire after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals when he was accused of doing something similar with his "foul-baiting" tactics.
The NBA has most recently battled back against the "flopping allegations," and this most recent trend, if that's what it is and if it continues, is only going to give the league's PR machine that much more work to do moving forward. It may not feel like it now, but this could potentially be a big issue for the league as a whole. Not only in the playoffs, but also moving forward.
Why this is a big issue for the NBA
The reason why this is a big issue for the NBA is pretty clear. First, we must understand how the NBA is ingested in the modern era. And it's through clips on social media and highlight reels. The NBA ratings may be down, but the hype and visibility of the league isn't. It's because young people are watching television differently today. At least in my opinion, that's why ratings are now what they used to be.
Assuming that is accurate, and that people are watching basketball mainly through clips and tidbits now, they're going to see a viral clip of this type of foul-baiting and immediately going to think this is the norm across the league. In reality, it's not. But that's the way viral clips make waves. We live in the generation of virality.
Thankfully, the game ended in the most absurd way possible, in which the Knicks blew a huge lead during the final few minutes, because if that hadn't happened, there was a chance that this clip was going to be one of the most memorable moments from this game.
Nevertheless, if this trend does continue, this is a big problem for the NBA as a whole. There's already a running joke that there's too much "flopping" in the NBA. This is the last thing that the League needs when we're seeing some really good basketball being played between both conference finals.
The League quickly needs to get ahead of this latest trend before it becomes something that permanently marks their reputation in an unnecessarily bad light.