The NBA Playoffs are in full swing, but two consecutive days of star injuries have many fans worried. Yesterday, the Heat’s Jimmy Butler went down in the middle of a game, and today, the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant took a hard fall and had to leave the game early. In the end, the Grizzly Bears in the case of 29-point lead by the Thunder to complete a shocking reversal, to 108-114 loss of the third game, the series is finalized.
The reversal of this game also became the second largest point difference flip in NBA playoff history, second only to the 2019 game, in which the Warriors led by 31 points in the third quarter, but were reversed by the Clippers. If Morant hadn’t gone down with the injury, would the Thunder have had a chance to complete the comeback? Judging by the first half of the game, that possibility is not great. As a result, Dort, the Thunder player who caused Morant’s fall, has become the center of controversy.
Just like yesterday after Butler’s injury, the Warriors lost to the Rockets, two consecutive games because of the star injured and retired to change the direction of the game, triggered the fans of “whether the malicious foul” heated discussion. So, Dort’s action, is it intentional or unintentional? We can look at it from three angles:
First, the possibility of intentional injury is unlikely
First of all, the possibility of Dort intentionally injuring Morant is not high.NBA, although confrontation is intense, but most professional players will not intentionally go to hurt the opponent, after all, we all rely on the game to eat, playing injured is a common thing, who do not want to be the next to fall down is their own. Although Dort is known for his defense, but there is no historical record of malicious fouls, his defense is more dependent on toughness and hard work, rather than dirty play.
Second, the defense is eager to get the action out of control to create consequences
From the video of the game, Morant’s injury occurred on a fast break. At the time, the Grizzlies were running a two-on-one counterattack, Morant followed with a layup, and Dort was originally chasing another player on defense. When he saw the ball go back to Morant, he immediately made an emergency change of direction to try to block it, a series of high-speed movements that caused his feet to slip and his body to lose balance. In this out-of-control state, he instinctively reached out to disrupt Morant’s layup, only to have Morant lose his center of gravity in the air and fall heavily to the floor.
In fact, as professional players, many of their actions are subconscious reactions. These types of reactions are sometimes not fully controllable during high-speed running and intense confrontations. Dort’s reach was not necessarily intentional, but more like a conditioned reflex – just that reflex at the wrong time and place.
Third, modern basketball is fast paced and has a higher risk of injury
Modern basketball relies more on speed and explosiveness than in the past, and players are more physically powerful. As a result, many confrontations occur in high-speed motion, increasing the likelihood of injury. Ball players like Morant, who are often in the air making extreme movements, are themselves vulnerable to injury. His “flying” style of play, very dependent on the body’s balance and landing control, once in the air by the interference, the consequences will be more serious.
Grizzlies this season’s playing style has also changed. In the past, they were known for their tough defense, but now they emphasize fast breaks and changing tempo, which is the tactical style implemented by new head coach Isalo. He has been developing this system since he was an assistant coach. After falling behind the Thunder in the first two games, especially in the 51-point loss in the first game, the Grizzlies returned home in the third game desperate to play with momentum. It was in this high tempo, high confrontation game environment that Morant suffered this misfortune.
It’s hard to judge action on the basketball court by “intentionality.”
The NBA rules themselves do not determine whether a foul is “intentional” or not. Rather, the referee relies on the result of the action and whether the action complies with the rules to call a penalty. For example, the rules clearly state that fouls above the shoulders are not allowed, and there are no unnecessary extra moves or abnormal basketball movements.
In this game, the referees, after repeatedly reviewing the video, ultimately gave Dort only an ordinary blocking foul instead of upgrading it to a flagrant foul, which also indicates that they believed Dort was not motivated by malice, but rather by a physical imbalance that resulted in an undesirable outcome.
In a game as fast-paced and confrontational as the NBA, some foul play is indeed inevitable. But we must also distinguish that “foul” is not the same as “crime. The former is the rules of basketball behavior, the latter has a clear motive and legal responsibility. Fans can’t just jump to the conclusion that a player or team did it on purpose just because they have a favorable or biased opinion of that player or team.
Another controversy surrounding Butler’s injury
The same controversy surrounded Butler’s injury the day before. He fell off the court during a drive, sparking a discussion among fans about Rockets player Amen Thompson. Many people tried to determine who made the “bad move” in that moment through slow motion and screenshots. But the problem is that everything on the basketball court is fast moving, often several players are involved, a small action can cause a chain reaction, it is difficult to say clearly who “dominated” the whole collision.
Especially in the case of a large number of people, mixed movements, the referee to clearly determine who is active and who is passive, who should be primarily responsible for, in fact, very difficult. Therefore, at the referee level, the referee can only make the “most probable and reasonable” judgment based on the final result, instead of trying to find a clear “murderer” like solving a case.
The emotions of the fans can easily influence the judgment, but rationality is more important
In these controversies, the emotions of the fans play a big role. Some people are fans of Morant, so when they see him fall and get hurt, they will naturally get emotional and point the finger at Dolt; while Thunder fans may feel they are being unfairly accused and defend their own players. This kind of behavior is very common and human, but it is also easy for us to lose our objective judgment of the facts.
In fact, watching a game is a lot like watching a movie. If you think of the players as characters and the game as a plot, it is natural to distinguish between the “protagonist” and the “villain,” and it is easier to create emotional resonance. But the game is real, and injuries are brutal. Not every comeback is lucky, and not every collision is malicious.
Bottom line: injuries are unfortunate, rationalize the game
For the Grizzlies, Morant’s injury nearly ended their playoff run this season. But for the Thunder, this upset, while exciting, is also a wake-up call – the playoffs are never easy, and unexpected situations can arise at any time.
Modern basketball is intense, fast-paced, and puts a lot of pressure on players, which can lead to injuries if they are not careful. While we enjoy the excitement of the game, we should also learn to look at fouls and collisions in a rational way and respect every player who is trying their best.
