There has been a lot of (relatively justified) criticism about the application of the new anti-flopping rules that have been instituted by the NBA, with the calls against Jaylen Brunson and Luguentz Dort being clear examples where the rule was either incorrectly or overly harshly enforced. However, I think the rule is more than justified and should be continued for the entirety of the NBA season.

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Firstly, the enforcement of these new rules would be good solely for their deterrence effect. Instead of having the worst case scenario of slightly embarrassing themselves, now NBA players risk increasing thier foul count, giving up a free throw, and incurring a 2000$ fine. While the latter two consequences have been discussed, I don’t see the foul issue being talked about as much. Players will have extra reason to avoid flopping for the sole reason that it can put them into foul trouble.

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Secondly, reducing flopping in basketball is an intrinsic good. Personally, I would rather have the team i’m rooting for lose on a blown flopping call then a flop from an opposing player, as its frustrating to see people deliberately acting in an unsportsman-like way and getting rewarded for it. Flops are degrading the integrity of the game and I would take a slightly less entertaining product to eliminate them any day of the week.

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Thirdly, the flopping miscalls are a self-correcting issue. The longer the rule is in place, the better and more selective referees will get at calling flops. All new rules are tough to call at the beginning (because nobody has experience with them) but as time goes on refs will learn from their mistakes and norms will be developed as to what truly counts as a flop vs an attempt to shield oneself from injury.

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Fourthly, just don’t fall down lol. NBA players are professional athletes and you can be expected not to collapse on the floor. Its not like players are tackling each other on the court, so if you do get incorrectly called for flopping its still kind of on you. And yes, falling down can prevent injury in certain scenarios, but I don’t think players need to fall after every jumper.

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Finally, many people are saying flops are arbitrary, and they are technically correct, but so are illegal blocks and charges to an extent. The NBA defines flops as “an attempt to either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call by exaggerating the effect of contact with an opposing player” (Source), which I think is a reasonable definition. We all know flops when we see them on replay, at the very least.

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TLDR:

For the reasons of deterrence, self-correction of referees and players, and the position that the frustration stemming from flopping far exceeds the frustration stemming from a blown call, the new anti-flopping rules should be thoroughly enforced throughout the entirety of the upcoming NBA season. Debate me in the comments.