ESPN’s Jay Williams said last week that he can’t root for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder due to their rampant flopping and “foul-baiting.”
On Friday, he turned his disdain into a segment pointing out just how often it happens.
The Thunder got blown out by the San Antonio Spurs in Thursday’s Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, forcing a do-or-die Game 7 for Saturday. On the day between games, Williams crunched the footage to point out all the ways SGA and his teammates failed to draw fouls. Specifically, he led a segment on Get Up called “Life Alert with SGA” that highlighted all the times the two-time NBA MVP hit the ground unnecessarily.
“Help me, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up,” Williams said, introducing the segment, a reference to the infamous Life Alert commercials that used the iconic phrase.
Williams and Mike Greenberg then ran through various clips from Game 6 in which SGA attempts to make something happen, then flops to the ground without getting a foul call. Williams also slowed down the moments where it appears that Gilgeous-Alexander and other Thunder players appear to foul-bait, but to no avail.
Last week, Williams scorched SGA and the Thunder over this style of play and how it makes them unlikable.
“When you watch OKC play, every single call, every single time they shoot, SGA is landing in somebody’s region, he’s falling down,” Williams said last Friday. “And you’re just like, ‘How do I root for that? I see why I can root for [Victor Wembanyama]. I can’t root for that.’
“As a fan of the game, I just want to see the game respected. And there are times when I watch OKC play, I don’t feel like they respect the process of the game.”
The ESPN NBA analyst also mockingly walked off the set on Thursday when Michael Wilbon suggested that if Oklahoma City wins another title, little kids all across America will start learning how to flop.
Not everyone at ESPN is on board with the Thunder flopping narrative, but for those who do buy it, Friday’s segment was some delicious schadenfreude.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.