The NBA rules are clear - if you connect with a closed fist it's an automatic ejection and a suspension should follow
I agree that it should have been flagrant foul. I'd characterize it as indicative of a "do whatever it takes to win, no matter who I run over in the process" attitude rather than a "I want to hurt this person" attitude. The latter seems incongruous with his overall personality, but the former is definitely something I've observed from him over the years. The distinction is subtle, and it's a dirty play either way.
At this point you are just arguing for the sake of arguing. Enough is enough just admit what Paul did was wrong and intentional.
I've never seen a guy with the skill level of Chris Paul resort to this kind of bull **** so routinely. Guys like Draymond, Zaza, Bruce Bowen, Reggie Evans, etc all lack talent and couldn't compete based on their skill, so they resort to childish tactics to stay competitive.
Honestly, I think it's because he's only 6'0". He's trying to find that edge to make up for his diminutive status (NBA-wise). He's got that classic "feisty little a-hole" personality.
I’m not arguing. You can believe it was intentional, if you like. I will admit that I’m less convinced it was unintentional now than I was earlier. That clip of CP3 trying to trip up Harden shows that he’s trying to, at the least, be an irritant a la Dennis Rodman. Maybe I’ll see the light by game 4, haha.
How can you think that a closed-fist swung up into the groin area with a straight arm is unintentional is beyond me.
My reading would be that he felt Harden was intentionally running back through him after the score, and so he reflexively stuck out the leg as a passive aggressive response to that.
Watch the video frame by frame - when Cp3 takes his hand off the ball he closes his hand into a first and then swing his army in a way to have upward momentum on the fist into his crotch. It should result in a suspension. Any kind of closed fist strike is an automatic ejection.
I watched the reply 2 or 3 times. Straight arm, closed fisted? That’s not how I remember it. Isn’t the arm motion more like what NBA players sometimes do to push off a close defender to get separation for a step back?
That is NOT a normal basketball motion. Push off is horizontal arm position, not swinging vertically from low to high between another players legs. C'mon Durv.
He’s starting from a crouched position and going directly to the push off. From that position you’d have to swing the elbow up to make sufficient contact with the body. But I’m going off of my memory now, maybe I’m misremembering what exactly the motion was.
CP3 should be suspended, but it won't happen . He will be warned about the next time he will be suspended if it continues. Or maybe they give him a fine. The NBA protects the ones they like.
I looked at it frame by frame and you can see Paul makes a fist as soon as he takes his hand off the ball and then swings it into his crotch. You can see his fingernails out and then fold in as he makes his fist.
You have sharper eyes than me. So you think it was a punch because of the fist? Wouldn’t you naturally make a fist anyway to protect your fingers from getting dislocated as the arm is swinging away from the body? I see contact with the forearm, but it’s not clear to me that there is contact with the fist.
