Lost In All The Chaos Last Night Was One Of The Best Flopping Attempts Of Kyle Lowry's Career

Nathaniel S. Butler. Getty Images.

My favorite team didn't even play on Monday and I'm still buzzing after what we saw in both the Knicks and Nuggets wins last night. That's the beauty of playoff basketball, even when it's not your team you can still enjoy the chaos and last night for sure delivered.

But one thing that might be getting lost in all the drama is Kyle Lowry unleashing a HOF level flop, perhaps one of the best of his career. Now, I know a thing or two about flops seeing as how I am a Marcus Smart guy after all, so I feel qualified to weigh in on this. This is as textbook as it gets and the exact way they teach something like this in Grifting School

I knew I had seen this type of attempt or flopping approach before, and this play immediately came to mind

Sure it's a a little different since Embiid was the one who pushed Lowry and he wasn't going up for a rebound, but his flopping like a fish out of water looked pretty much exactly the same. The scream, the way they threw their body toward the baseline, it being the 4th quarter of a game in the 1st round, nobody taking the bait etc. To anyone who has watched Kyle Lowry over the years, this is why he's so annoying to go up against in a playoff series. He is most certainly not above trying to pull one over the refs by flopping, especially in big moments like that

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While a funny moment to look back on, it does suck that Lowry appeared to mess up his knee on that play, sort of like we've seen with Embiid at times when he tries to flop. That's always going to be the risk when you try stuff like this. To be fair it does look like DiVincenzo is also trying a flopping attempt of his own, which is probably why the refs let things go. It was like a new-age version of the Raja Bell/Ginobli double flop

At that point everyone is just trying to bait a whistle, so credit the officials (wow that feels weird as hell to say) for not taking the bait and letting the players actually decide the outcome.

Anyone who has watched their favorite team go up against the Sixers knows this is just part of the gig. Embiid is going to flop every chance he gets, Lowry is going to flop, Maxey is going to embellish on drives, it's a part of how they play that you have to be prepared for. Not in a sense that you can stop it, but in a sense that you cannot let it mentally get under your skin. With all the complaining we heard from PHI after last night's loss, I think we all expect a much different whistle in Games 3 & 4 which is going to be the #1 thing the Knicks will have to be ready for. The flops will be there, and the whistles will be there, but you have to still find a way to play through it and execute. The second you start focusing on the calls is how the Sixers bury you, especially at home. 

That flop may not have worked at MSG, but something tells me it's most likely going to be a little different once this series shifts over to Philly. If Lowry is OK and ends up playing, don't be surprised if you see him up to his old tricks now that the Sixers season is on the line.