Steve Perrin at Clips Nation writes that when you look at the black letter law definition of a flagrant-2 foul call, it seems pretty obvious that this is what Serge Ibaka did:
The question remains, was it excessive? Did his action go "beyond the usual, necessary, or proper limit or degree"? Honestly, if the answer to that question is anything other than "yes" for NBA officials Dan Crawford, Kevin Cutler and Derrick Collins then remind me not to accept any dinner invitations from any of them, who clearly have no idea what is usual, necessary or proper. Let's face it, hitting a guy below the belt is not usual; it is not necessary; and it certainly isn't proper. Ever.
Furthermore, he asks this very pertinent question, which I believe makes a strong comparison between the NBA's flagrant foul rules and the arbitrariness of the NFL's excessiveness rules that keep getting them in trouble.
I am frequently baffled by the NBA's decisions regarding flagrant fouls. There is little if any consistency from one to the next, even though the calls are all reviewed by a presumably small subset of eyes in the league office. I would not be surprised if this one is upgraded upon review by the league, but that won't help the Clippers.
Ibaka's play will likely be ruled by the league office. We'll keep you posted as to whether the action warrants further discipline.
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