Flopping – what began as a downright insulting act in the NBA, soon became a key part of the players’ belt of tools. In the last few years, Marcus Smart has arguably leveraged this the most on defense, receiving unreasonable criticism for his tactics. However, the former Boston Celtics star recently took a stance against this slamming, garnering the attention of the NBA world in the process.
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The 30-year-old openly admitted to intentionally flopping during the defensive plays to gain foul calls. Yet, Smart highlighted how he was one of the several players to do so during a game, downplaying the skepticism around it. Shortly after, he even jokingly called out the critics on the Run Your Race podcast, mentioning,
“That’s how I feel when I’m guarding offensive players or I see other offensive players fall. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’. The only difference is I’m doing it on defense. There’s no difference. I gotta tell everybody ’cause they say, ‘You a flopper’. I’m like, ‘Listen, you’re just mad ’cause I flop better than your favorite player’. That’s it”.
Amidst the mockery, his words aided in normalizing the act of flopping in the modern NBA. The players have understood its importance in turning around the game’s momentum in their favor. At the same time, when executed to perfection, this can lead to the opposition getting in foul trouble, increasing their on-court miseries.
As a result, antagonizing Smart for this seems uncalled for. Still, while the former Celtic’s confidence is heartening, this is unlikely to change the perception around him and his flopping.
Marcus Smart has become infamous for flopping
Since his early Celtics days, Smart has made a name for himself through his acts. For instance, during a home game against the Houston Rockets in 2017, the Texas-born’s inclination to flop turned the game’s tide. Despite trailing for a lengthy part of the clash, his consecutive flops in the crunch moments while squaring off against James Harden paved the way for the hosts’ 99-98 victory.
Smart has repeated this trick against several opponents ever since. His cunningness to block an attacker’s path at the right time has often resulted in them earning an offensive foul.
However, there are also times when his endeavors don’t yield the desired results. Additionally, the opposition has gotten accustomed to his acts, prompting them to maintain an adequate distance from Smart while driving past him. The game officials also no longer respond to the Grizzlies star’s appeals as much as they used to.
Yet, Smart is unwilling to give up on this antics. Despite becoming infamous amongst fans for flopping, the NBA star remains open to trying this tactic to gain an advantage. So, the viewers may see several annoying yet hilarious instances from him in the future.
