It happened with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter with the Grizzlies leading 51-38. Grizzlies forward Jake LaRavia was dribbling near the foul line with Shackelford defending him. LaRavia put his elbow up in an attempt to create some space and did make contact with the side of Shackelford's neck. Shackelford threw his head back in a desperate attempt to exaggerate the contact, but no foul was called. With Shackelford out of his way, LaRavia hit an easy uncontested 13-foot jump shot to extend the Grizzlies lead to 53-38.
At that point, the whistle blew to stop play, and the officials called a technical foul on Shackelford for the flop. Jacob Gilyard made the technical free throw, giving the Grizzlies a 54-38 lead.
For a long time, we have been calling for the NBA to do something about flopping. Marcus Smart has made a career out of flopping. The one concern we have in regards to the way the rule is being implemented in the Summer League is that the call is not reviewable. It should be mandatory to review the call, as that would provide 99% certainty whether the flopping call is correct or not.Taking a closer look at this particular play, we agree with the call on Shackelford. Although there was some light contact by LaRavia, Shackelford was a bit over the top with his acting.
In the end, the Grizzlies beat the Thunder 94-86 to win their second consecutive game to start the Summer League season. LaRavia led the Thunder with 25 points in 29 minutes, while Shackelford finished the game with 7 points and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
