Last night, the war on terror finally came to a just end. If you haven’t been paying attention to the NBA playoffs, you might not be aware of how egregious the play from the Oklahoma City Thunder has been. It’s hard to recount an instance in which the entire basketball world has been so united around hating a singular team.
With my local San Antonio Spurs advancing to the Finals (to take on Matt’s Knicks), Victor Wembanyama and company managed to put a stop to the flop and foul-baiting factory that has been the Thunder. Here are just a couple of the worst instances you were able to see on a nightly basis. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
This might be the craziest SGA FLOP I’ve ever seen?! 😭 pic.twitter.com/XVXC4ij3gi
— Fliff (@fliff) May 31, 2026
SGA flopped twice in 6 seconds and didn't get the call either time 😭 pic.twitter.com/RTj6EyJFC3
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) May 29, 2026
Refs not calling SGA flops
— Jacob (@Jacobtheclipper) May 31, 2026
SGA crying to the refs
I used to pray for times like this 🙏 pic.twitter.com/dwwSRH4GaX
Shai flopped on every single shot attempt. pic.twitter.com/EGsbp3dUbT
— House of Lowlights (@HouseLowlights) May 21, 2026
Does SGA really fall on every shot? 🤔@tomhaberstroh tracked over 1,000 shot for Shai, James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Victor Wembanyama to find out who falls the most
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 22, 2026
Full details on what the numbers say 🔗 https://t.co/947x5DGaoR pic.twitter.com/X0lqX9OVsO
The Thunder didn’t just game the refs either. The play they exhibited was some of the dirtiest in recent memory. Alex Caruso, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Lu Dort showed that they'd be able to take up a career in martial arts after their retirement from basketball.
Flagrant or nah?
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) May 31, 2026
Refs said common foul on Caruso pic.twitter.com/TAGkKm9YOg
this is not basketball pic.twitter.com/Dy480o834V
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) May 31, 2026
Lu Dort meets Victor Wembanyama underneath the rim.
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 31, 2026
Wemby goes down, has a word with the officials. No foul called.pic.twitter.com/5qKozgPVlr
There's really only one person that I could think deserves the blame for this and that's NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. It feels hard to understate just how hard the league has become to watch under his leadership. Flopping has been an issue for as long as I can remember, but the Western Conference Finals (and really the Thunder's entire playoff run) was something I don't think that anyone had previously seen. Fans, players, and commentators alike were resolute that there is a major problem from the playstyle of one of the most prominent contenders, but Silver wants to act like everything is above board. Instead, he's focusing on further breaking the draft lottery instead of fixing the on-court product.
Anyway, I’m pretty confident that the Spurs can take home a championship, but if that isn’t the case I’m willing to settle for knowing that the bin Laden of the NBA isn’t going back to back.
