In the opening game of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, the conversation on social media should have been centered on Julius Randle's knockdown 3-point shooting or the Thunder's stifling defense, but it wasn't. Instead, the conversation was centered around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's foul-baiting, and Jalen Brunson was tossed into it once again.
First of all, fans will find a reason to complain about anything, and social media is not a microcosm for real life. Fans will take to the streets with pitchforks, yelling about how the NBA has become "soft" and no one plays defense anymore, and then take to the streets with torches, bellowing about how Alex Caruso gets away with fouling every possession.
Does anyone enjoy watching basketball?
Yes, SGA got some calls in Game 1 that might have been favorable to him. He also weaves his way through opposing defenders like water flows down a stream. Can't we appreciate that?
Brunson has the best footwork in the league, he has the balance of a cat and the ability to get a shot off when it seems physically impossible, especially when his size is factored into the equation. But instead of appreciating that, all of the energy diverts to him, flailing his head on a few possessions.
If you want to get made, don't target the players
SGA ranks 16th in the league when it comes to the percentage of his points that are scored at the free throw line, among players who have averaged at least 10 minutes played per game in the playoffs. Brunson, on the other hand, ranks 30th. If you want to beat your chest and scream at them through the TV, then you should have the same energy for all of the other players that rank above them.
Or, perhaps your energy would be better spent directed elsewhere. The players' jobs are to win, they would be doing a disservice to both their teams and their fans if they didn't try their best to do so. There is no better shot in basketball than a free throw, it is quite literally counterintuitive not to try to get to the line.
If you are upset with how the game gets called, which is your right to do so, take it up with the league itself. Write a letter, start a petition, hold a march against flopping! But do not spend your time yelling into the abyss about players who are simply doing their job.