On Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns got the best of the Cleveland Cavaliers in a tight game.
The Cavs fought hard, but the Suns came away with a 120-115 victory.
In the fourth quarter of the contest, Cleveland was in the midst of a big run. Momentum seemed to be completely on the Cavs’ side. They had trimmed a double-digit deficit to just five.
After forcing a turnover, the Cavs had a chance to inch even closer with a bucket, so Cedi Osman pulled up from deep in transition and seemingly knocked down a triple. Unfortunately, it didn’t count. That’s because a foul away from the ball stopped the play before Osman got the shot off.
The foul was on JaVale McGee, and it was clearly a calculated decision by him to try to stop the play. Some folks on Twitter weren’t happy with the play. McGee made it clear that he doesn’t want to hear about it, however.
Shut up https://t.co/DMldWRF2yv
— Javale PIERRE 3Xs McGee (@JaValeMcGee) November 25, 2021
There has been a lot of chatter about the idea of the NBA eliminating fouls like that one in the near future. Earlier this month, Shams Charania offered some insight into that possibility.
Sources: The NBA Competition Committee today discussed the uptick in transition “take” fouls this season and encouraged the league office to develop a rule change that would eliminate incentive to utilize the tactic in future.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 2, 2021
There’s no telling how Wednesday’s game between the Cavs and Suns would have unfolded if McGee’s foul hadn’t been called. Although it was arguably a smart play by the veteran, many fans dislike the fact that the NBA’s rules allow for a situation like that to occur.
Cleveland is continuing to prove that it can hang around with some of the league’s best teams. Although the team has lost five straight games, the Cavs are showing a lot of fight on a nightly basis.
