The Oklahoma City Thunder are constantly accused of flopping, but apparently the San Antonio Spurs can be guilty of doing the same exact thing.
During the late stages of the Western Conference Finals, Spurs guard Stephon Castle voiced his complaints about the NBA's officiating. He claims the refs let the Thunder get away with a very physical brand of basketball.
“Trying to play through it is tough. I just think the way they guard, how physical they are, we don’t get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times,” Castle told reporters, via Bleacher Report. “Offensively, I think we do a good job of screening and playing through it. I think we create a lot of advantages, but I think we missed a lot of open shots tonight."
Clearly, the league's officiating didn't prevent the Spurs from winning the West and booking a spot in the NBA Finals.
© Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images.
With the NBA Finals set to begin this week, Stephon Castle was asked if his team is "leaving gamesmanship on the table" by not flopping.
Castle admit that he occasionally tries to sell a foul call, which didn't exactly sit well with NBA fans.
"I don't really know how to answer that. I mean, I sell calls too sometimes. I mean, I can't lie. But I mean, it's really just a field thing, especially in the playoffs, you know. If it's too egregious, the refs aren't going to bail you out. They're going to make the two teams, they're going to make the better team win," Castle said. "I think just taking it game by game and not trying to put yourself at a disadvantage. I don't really think it's about selling calls or not trying to sell calls to make yourself look a certain type of way. You know, I think we talk to the refs a lot, especially me in particular, but most of the times they're right. So, I mean, just having a short term memory. I mean, whether you fall down or not, if you get the call or you don't get the call, it's not really something you can change. So, I think for us, just playing the game and seeing how the refs are calling it."
Fans will be keeping a close eye on Castle during the NBA Finals, that's for sure.
Who has the edge for the NBA Finals?
Although the Knicks are well-rested heading into the NBA Finals, the Spurs are favored to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy when it's all said and done.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson certainly doesn't mind being an underdog in the championship series. After all, he's been doubted throughout his career.
"We've been doubted a lot," Brunson said. "There's been a lot of noise from the outside that we could talk about, complain about, do something about - but we've always gone back to the gym and worked on our game. We can't be satisfied just because we're here."
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
