How the NBA has gone soft

Apr 22, 2009, 12:00 AM

If you watched Game 1 of the Cavs-Pistons series on Saturday, you saw LeBron James do his thing, and the Cavs romp at home, and Detroit wither late like everyone thought it would. And if you were paying close enough attention, you saw something that would have made old-school NBA players cringe. James bolted down the floor on a fast break, like he always does, caught a pass just before the free throw line and exploded for one of his patented, rim-rocking dunks - like nobody was even there. Except Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey was there. And all it would have taken was a hard, clean foul, and James would have had to take two free throws to get his points. But Stuckey was too scared making contact with the NBA's prodigal star, and instead, ended up a footnote to yet another ESPN-worthy LeBron jam. Something tells me Erick Dampier would have handled the situation differently. More on that later. Fast forward to Game 2 of the Spurs-Mavericks series, when Jason Terry sent his hip into Tony Parker as Parker drove to the hoop. Parker flopped like a wounded salmon. Whistle. Flagrant foul. Two free throws and the ball. For a hip check? What happened to this league? Guys are afraid to commit hard fouls on superstars, even if they're being murdered in a playoff atmosphere. And when there is some contact on a play that would otherwise yield a ferocious dunk or easy-transition bucket, everyone wants a flagrant foul called. So that's why yesterday's news that Dampier called out Parker shouldn't make you shake your head and shouldn't make you mutter things like "thuggery" and "bush league" under your breath. This is good for the league. Trust me. Regarding Parker, Dampier told The Dallas Morning News: "Every time he drives the lane, we have to put him on his back. The first foul has to tell him he's in for a long night." Parker, mind you, torched the Mavericks for 38 points in Game 2, and he made six lay-ups, four of them in the first quarter. If a guy is killing you like that, it's frustrating. Especially if it's a 6-foot-2-inch guard who is operating in the paint like he owns it. So why not knock him on his ass once? Nothing dirty, just let him know that he's not getting anything easy around the rim - make him think twice about driving the lane. There should be no such thing as a breakaway dunk with a man back on a fast break. Stuckey could have easily hacked LeBron at the free-throw line, sent him to the line, and sent the message that even superstars don't get free points in this league. And Terry did the right thing by bumping Parker onto his backside. Officials need to let these guys play and let them defend their basket with a little more aggression - within reason, obviously. But the way these games are officiated hasn't been within reason for years. We'll see how they handle Dampier if he chooses - as he should - to play the game the way it should be played. Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

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