Despite losing 22-2 at the start of the first quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers secured their seventh consecutive win on Friday night, beating the Memphis Grizzlies 115-105. As usual, LeBron James helped to lead, finishing with 28 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in another stellar performance.
But he didn’t just excel at basketball against the Grizzlies. He also gave an excellent acting show, which was so good that he ended up getting a warning from the league for violating the anti-flop rule.
At the end of the second quarter, LeBron struggled for a position under the basket while Anthony Davis pulled up for a 3-point attempt from the side. When Davis’s shot resonated on the edge, LeBron made minimal contact with Dillon Brooks and fell to the floor, waving his arms dramatically as he descended. The mistake worked, and Brooks was cautioned for a missing ball foul.
A stunned Brooks laughed as he turned and his companions were equally confused. But the best reaction came from the Grizzlies broadcast team, who simply couldn’t believe that LeBron had escaped with impunity.
“Are you serious? Are you kidding me, man? … That’s awful, awful, any other words you can come up with are synonymous with those. That’s what it was.”
Sorry to kick the Grizzlies while they’re down, but the way the announcers get around anger and go straight to discouragement is so funny. It was the NBA broadcast equivalent to Jesse from Breaking Bad saying “He can’t go on with this!”
Unfortunately for the Grizzlies and the rest of the league, he will probably continue to get away with it because he is the best player in the world. A warning is just that: a warning. There will be no real punishment unless the league determines that he failed again, at which point there would be fines. And yet, what is $ 5,000 for LeBron James?