Finally the NBA is catching up with the rest of the world’s basketball rule book, as the days of watching players exaggerate contact in orden to get a foul call might soon be over. It has been reported that the Competition Committee is discussing an in-game penalty for flopping that would result in a technical free throw.

According to insider Shams Charania, athletes will stop trying to manipulate the officials by trying to entice a whistle in their favor after this new rule is set in stone in the league. The reporter announces that a “trial is possible at Summer League in July.”

Flopping has been a problem in the NBA for years now, as players are constantly trying to trick the referees. At the beginning of the month, coach Steve Kerr begged the league to punish flops during their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Lakers.

This wasn’t the first time that Kerr has pushed on the matter, as he’s suggested that the NBA should imitate how the rest of the world deals with these situations.

“I think, to me, what I’ve learned coaching in FIBA… There’s a flop rule,” Kerr told the press. “If a referee deems a player has flopped, they just call it a technical foul, and it’s pretty penalizing. And so the flopping has basically been eliminated from FIBA, and we have the ability to do the same thing in the NBA if we want.

“I think we should address it, because the players are so smart, and the entire regular season is about gamesmanship and trying to fool the refs. And this is how it’s been for a while, and it’s up to us as a league. Do we want to fix this?,” he kept at it.

“These are all things that are my personal plea to the NBA. I think we can do better in terms of cleaning up the flopping. In the meantime, I give the Lakers credit for the plays that they’ve been able to sell.”

Just as Kerr wanted, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has imposed a flopping rule that results in a technical free throw, just what the NBA is developing.

Even though the league does have its set of punishments for flopping, none of them have an in-game consequence. Most of them require a postgame video review that eventually fines the players directly.

The Lakers had been under criticism lately for alledged flops throughout the playoffs

“We don’t teach flopping. We teach our players to play downhill and attack the paint and be forceful,” coach Darvin Ham said after numerous questioning from the press.

Take a look at what ESPN’s “Around the Horn” panel thinks of the NBA finally admitting they have a flor problem:

The all-time scoring leader in the league, LeBron James, has been one of the most criticized players this season. “I just know that we, our coaching staff and us players, we don’t work on flopping. That’s not even part of our game. Our game is to attack, attack the paint. We don’t mind physical contact, we actually like the contact, we don’t shy away from it,” he answered when his integrity was in question.

“We’re just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities. That’s just not us. It’s actually never been any team that I’ve played on in 20 years where we’ve been a flopping team,” he concluded.

Despite their struggles this postseason, the Boston Celtics have been perfect in the postseason when facing elimination. They were down 3-2 to the Sixers and found a way to win that series. Now, they look to be the first team in NBA playoff history to come back from a 3-0 deficit. With their win in Game 5, Joe Mazzulla became the 3rd rookie head coach in NBA history to win 4+ games when facing elimination. 

Obviously, the Celtics would rather be ahead in this series, but they’re playing the hand they were dealt. Miami has the chance to close things out at home on Saturday night. Boston wants to spoil their party and force a Game 7 at the TD Garden.

Joe Mazzulla has faced some backlash this postseason, but he’s got the Celtics in the position to make a historic comeback. Despite being on the road for Game 6, NBA betting sites have the Celtics at (-146) to win.

Joe Mazzulla is the 3rd rookie head coach in NBA history to win 4+ games when facing elimination, joining Paul Westphal in 1993 and Joe Mullaney in 1970. pic.twitter.com/gd600201hC

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 26, 2023

Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics are 4-0 in elimination Games this postseason

The Boston Celtics have had their ups and downs this postseason, but momentum is on their side now. As a team, Boston is now 4-0 in elimination games this season and that dates back to their series with the 76ers that went a full seven games.

In Game 6, the Celtics were down 3-2 in the series and were playing Philly on the road. Jayson Tatum scored 16 fourth-quarter points to lift the Celtics to a win and force Game 7 at home. Boston won Game 6, 95-86. The Celtics would destroy the 76ers at home in Game 7, 112-88 backed by a 51-point performance from Tatum.

After falling down 3-0 in the Conference Finals, the Celtics have won two more games in a row while facing elimination. Boston took Game 4 from Miami on the road Tuesday night, 116-99. The Celtics won again last night facing elimination, 110-97. They’ve outscored their opponents 433-370 through four elimination games in the 2023 postseason.

The Miami Heat might have the panic button out after a loss in Game 5 on the road last night. After winning the first three games of the series, Boston has rattled off two wins in a row. Boston was quick to strike on the Heat and had a 35-20 lead after one quarter. For the entire game, the Celtics had four 20-point scorers, and Miami had no players record at least 20 points. 

In a number of Boston’s wins this postseason, it’s required a big offensive performance from Jayson Tatum. That wasn’t the case in Game 5 vs the Heat. Four of Boston’s five starters had at least 20+ points last night. Duncan Robinson led Miami last night with 18 points off the bench.

Tatum and the Celtics are looking to do the impossible. No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in the postseason in NBA history. Teams are 150-0 all-time. The Celtics’ two wins in a row have put them on the right track to making history.

The Celtics had 4 20-point scorers. The Heat had 0.

This is the 5th time in NBA postseason history a team had 4 20-point scorers and their opponent had 0 in a playoff game. It is the first time since 2013. pic.twitter.com/Rk0z0Fkxvo

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 26, 2023

Boston routed the Heat in Game 5 last night with a 110-97 win

In Game 5, the Celtics were able to put together one of their better team performances this postseason. The win did not require Jayson Tatum to take over the game. Boston was able to jump out to an early lead and the Heat never recovered. By halftime, the Celtics had a 61-44 lead.

Miami scored just 20 points in the first quarter of Game 5. Gabe Vincent was out last night with an ankle injury and that played a factor into why their offense did not flow the same. Jimmy Butler did not play in the fourth quarter and head coach Erik Spoelstra might have done that strategically.

The Heat need to win Game 6 at home if they want to win this series. After their performance in Boston last night, it’s hard to see Miami winning Game 7 on the road. Miami gave Boston the life they needed in this series to make a historic comeback. Game 6 on Saturday night is going to be electric.