Rockets’ Corey Brewer fined $5,000 for flopping during Game 2 vs. Clippers
The NBA announced Thursday that it has fined Houston Rockets swingman Corey Brewer $5,000 for violating the league’s anti-flopping rules during the Rockets’ 115-109 Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Clippers at Toyota Center on Wednesday.
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The flop in question took place with 1:03 remaining in the first quarter on Wednesday, as Brewer defended an inbounds pass after a fast-break dunk:
Clippers guard Lester Hudson seems like a pretty strong guy. He does not seem that strong, Corey.
Hudson was called for an offensive foul on the play, giving Houston possession of the ball and an opportunity take a 10-point lead late in the first quarter of a must-win game. The 30-year-old point guard, whom the Clippers signed late in the season after he’d starred in the Chinese Basketball Association and to whom Doc Rivers has turned for spot minutes with All-Star Chris Paul nursing a hamstring injury, got revenge on the ensuing possesion, blocking Josh Smith’s shot and helping the Clippers grab a stop. In this case, the ball didn’t lie, and clearly, the NBA though it was important to tell the truth and shame the devil after the fact.
Brewer finished with 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting with two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes of playing time in the Rockets’ win, which tied their best-of-seven second-round matchup at one game apiece with the series heading to Los Angeles for Friday’s Game 5.
Brewer is the second player to be fined for flopping during the 2014-15 playoffs. His teammate, Rockets guard Jason Terry, received a $5,000 fine for simulation during Game 2 of Houston’s opening-round series against the Dallas Mavericks.
The NBA introduced a system to penalize flopping prior to the 2012-13 regular season. Players receive a warning after committing a first violation, while a second confirmed flop costs $5,000, a third $10,000, a fourth $15,000 and a fifth $30,000. A sixth flop would subject the player “to discipline reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension,” according to the guidelines. The league also introduced increased postseason penalties before the ’12-’13 playoffs postseason, eliminating the first-flop warning and levying a $5,000 fine after the first violation, a $10,000 fine after the second, a $15,000 fine after the third, a $30,000 fine after the fourth and additional discipline for any subsequent punishable flops.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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