Thanks to the antics of one Vlade Divac, flopping became a scourge in the NBA as players would dramatically overreact to slight contact in order to draw a foul. The NBA addressed the issue though, fining players for egregious flops. Lo and behold, actually taking money from flopping players has curbed the number of flops that happen league wide.
However with the rise of flopping, the casual fan has become quite familiar with the tactic and have become eagle eye experts on what is and what isn't a flop. Like this courtside fan at a Drew League game in Los Angeles on Sunday, who decided to loudly speak his mind about James Harden, who was playing in the summer league exhibition. Wanting to defend his case, Harden decided to talk with the fan but that proved to be a failed endeavor as the man was not buying the Rockets All-Star's story about getting fouled:
Harden is often accused of flopping, mainly because he is an expert at getting to the free-throw line by initiating contact with drives and shot fakes. Whether or not Harden exaggerates contact is in all in the eye of the beholder but you can't deny Harden is a smart player and whatever he is doing is working. Especially since, Harden shot 86 percent from the line last season and led the league in free-throw attempts in three of the past four seasons.
Despite the fan's loud criticism, Harden simply dominated the game, finishing with 42 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals while leading his team to victory. Clearly, Harden didn't let the fan's disapproval throw off his game in the least bit.
