12:45 PM Tue, Apr 22, 2008 | Permalink
Carleton Cole
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Flop
1. to fall or plump down suddenly, esp. with noise; drop or turn with a sudden bump or thud (sometimes fol. by down).
The dictionary couldn't be more succinct. The sound heard late in the fourth quarter last night was Andrie Kirilenko yelling as he flopped in front of official Tony Brothers.
The call couldn't have come at a worse time for the Rockets. Trailing by three, the whistle for a foul against Luis Scola ruined a comeback attempt. Now the Rockets are down two games to none in their best of 7 series, with games three and four set for Salt Lake City.
Flopping is an art, and members of the Utah Jazz have been perfecting the skill for years.
Karl "The Mailman" Malone earned his nickname because he "delivered."
His big 6'9" 250 lbs frame was a powerful force in the lane. Yet when a 6'1' 175 lbs guard brushed into him, Malone would do a swan dive worthy of an Olympic score.
Flopping is something not unique to basketball. NHL players have been known to step on a stick to look like they've been tripped, often drawing a man advantage penalty in the process.
Flopping has become such a culture in soccer, that FIFA, the sports governing body, has been forced to take action. Did you ever wonder why at a soccer game guys are carted out on stretchers, only to have a miraculous healing on the sideline?
After the game Scola made it clear to reporters he did not believe the call cost the Rockets the game. However he did admit he did not think it was the proper call. Tracy McGrady says he likes Brothers, but thought he blew the play. Television replays show the official looking in a different direction, yet blowing the whistle as Kirilenko "fell" past him.
In the end it's all part of the game, but sadly it's tough for Rockets fans to swallow the loss when a referee failed to swallow his whistle.
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