This might be the only way Adam Silver can fix the NBA's flopping problem

Kendrick Perkins slammed NBA officiating during a recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He argued that current flopping penalties fail to stop players from faking fouls. Perkins called for much larger fines to fix the game. His comments come after a heated playoff match sparked new controversies about league rules.

His critique was followed by a contentious Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, in which the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 125–107 to take a 2–0 series lead.

The controversy started after the referee's calls were heavily criticized by both teams, especially the Lakers.

The OKC won their home game, with both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren scoring 22 points each to help secure the victory.

A pivotal sequence occurred in the third quarter when a foul on Gilgeous-Alexander was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 upon review. Despite the Lakers momentarily leading, OKC responded with a 32–15 run while SGA was on the bench, effectively sealing the game.

Following this win, the defending champion Thunder remained undefeated in the 2026 postseason (6–0), while the Lakers fell behind 0–2 heading back to Los Angeles for Game 3.

Kendrick Perkins' stinging fines argument

Perkins pointed out that the penalties for flopping in games, such as receiving a technical foul and only getting one free throw, are not strong enough to deter players. He believes the league should start giving higher fines that really affect players financially to discourage this behavior.

He then stated that Adam Silver needs to take action on the ongoing issue of players pretending to be fouled during games, as many fans are unhappy with the referees' calls.

Other analysts and fans have echoed this, suggesting Silver needs to "refresh" how match officiating is handled at the end of the season due to a perceived increase in "unethical hooping" and flopping.

The NBA had previously expanded flopping penalties for the 2025-26 season, allowing referees to call violations immediately and giving coaches the ability to challenge those calls. However, as Perkins noted, these in-game measures have yet to curb the behavior in high-stakes playoff environments.

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