The No.1 Anti-Fans in Basketball-Chapter 382: Article 201 Jones Clause

After the opening game, the Thunders officially announced James’ injury status.

Due to a Grade 3 ankle sprain, James would be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks.

Jones, after all, is a professional; his impact was even more damaging than James’.

The League also announced the punishment for Jones. Jones was fined 25,000 US Dollars and suspended for two games.

This punishment was not severe, but it sparked strong dissatisfaction from Hansen.

After the team’s public practice, he channeled his questions to the League through the press, "Why wasn’t LeBron suspended for tripping Granger and me? No one advocates for this dangerous action, but how come he got away without punishment?"

Indeed, Hansen’s remarks were quite pointed.

Because acts like tripping persist primarily due to the leniency of the punishments.

Everyone knows the story of "Bowen tripping Carter," and even the fans relish the scene where Carter chased Bowen down to confront him.

But in reality, Bowen was never punished for tripping Carter. freёweɓnovel.com

The only time Bowen was suspended for tripping was back in 2008 when he tripped Paul and got a one-game suspension.

Hansen was also aware of Pachulia tripping Leonard, which likewise went unpunished.

Hansen’s remarks caused quite an uproar.

There’s an old saying, "comparison is the thief of joy." James has both tripped others and been tripped himself, making it hard not to attract attention.

LeBron fans on social media went to great lengths to argue "When I trip it’s accidental, but when others trip me it’s deliberate," which only fueled more discontent.

However, one comment clarified why tripping is a recurrent issue.

"You can’t define whether someone trips on purpose or by accident; in fact, accidental tripping happens much more frequently than intentional tripping."

This sparked further heated debate among fans. Some agreed with this stance, arguing that when you’re defending, you’re looking at the opponent’s head or at most their shoulders to gauge their offensive intent, not staring at where they’ll land their feet.

But others disagreed, believing that tripping usually happens when the opponent is taking a jump shot, and if you consciously pull your feet back, it can be completely avoided.

In the wake of the continued public outcry, the League implemented a new rule a few days later.

The rule stipulated that if a defender was too close to a shooter and did not leave enough space to land, the referee could call a technical or flagrant foul depending on how egregious the action was.

Similar to other clauses, this new rule was dubbed by fans as the "Jones Clause."

If we examine the rule closely, it doesn’t set the punishment for tripping but instead aims to control it from the source.

Regardless if it’s passive or active, if there’s a situation that could lead to tripping, at the very least, it’s a technical foul.

Technical fouls at that time were still penalized with one free throw and possession change, meaning a call would result in a turnover.

Inevitably, this would greatly reduce the instances of passive tripping, forcing players to be more careful about where they place their feet on defense.

After such examination, tripping was essentially an active action.

Given Jones’ suspension and following this standard, other players who tripped would also face penalties.

So, from a regulatory standpoint, it was a significant step forward in punishing tripping.

This was good news for Hansen, as jump shooters are the most susceptible to being tripped; Kobe even forcefully trained himself to land on both feet to prevent it.

With the League’s new rule, the issue seemed to have reached a temporary resolution. However, LeBron fans seized the Grizzlies’ wrongdoing to begin chronicling "How the Grizzlies won the championship by playing dirty."

The Grizzlies were starting to resemble the San Antonio Spurs of that era.

But looking on the bright side, such an infamous reputation might not be a bad thing.

After all, fans have only heard about the Spurs playing dirty, not other teams doing it to the Spurs.

In this way, LeBron fans’ campaign indirectly gave the Grizzlies a shield.

Amid the controversy, the Grizzlies defeated the Thunders, and then went on to beat the Blazers, Rockets, Jazz, Clippers, and New York Knicks in succession, achieving a 6-game winning streak to start the season.

They not only seized an advantage in the hellish season but also were one win away from creating the best season start in team history.

Last season, they had a chance but unfortunately lost it when Randolph was severely injured against the Bulls.

Now, the opportunity was back in their hands.

And their next opponent was the Warriors.

The last time the Warriors made it to the playoffs was the 2006-07 season, famously known as "the Mavericks let the Warriors into the playoffs and got knocked out as the eighth seed themselves."

That Warriors team made headlines for their upset but wasn’t particularly competitive.

"Only knows how to play a disorganized game," "lacks defense" were the labels attached to the Warriors.

Last season, Mark Jackson moved from the commentator’s seat to the head coach’s position of the Warriors, injecting a defensive ethos into the team.

The management also gritted their teeth last season when they traded away Monta Ellis, who they had nurtured for years as their perimeter core, in exchange for the defensively notorious Australian first overall pick, Bogut.

This season, they achieved an unexpected 4-2 record, securing a spot among the powerhouses of The West.

Undoubtedly, this changed the outside world’s perception of them, and Curry specifically had proven the experts wrong.

Initially, when the Warriors renewed Curry’s contract for 4 years for 44 million, the experts deemed it a highly risky deal.