NBA Playoffs: LeBron James refutes Steve Kerr’s ‘flopping’ remark after loss in Game 5

LeBron James was confronted with the much-hyped question about Los Angeles Lakers being prone to flopping, following their loss to Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday night. As the Warriors forced the conference semifinals into Game 6 with a 121-106 win, James scored 25 points in a losing effort for his team. Following the game, a reporter asked James for his reaction to the ‘flopping’ remark made by Warriors coach Steve Kerr after the Lakers won Game 4.

“The conversation in the last 48 hours from the Warriors' point of view has been gamesmanship in your team and flopping. Do you think that had to anything with the game was dealt with tonight on the court,” the reporter questioned LeBron James. In response, the 38-year-old refuted the claim and said Lakers never go out looking for ‘flopping’ opportunities. 

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"That's not even a part of our game"

“I just know that we and our coaching staff and us players we don't work on flopping, that's not even a part of our game," James said. "Our game is to attack, attack the paint. We don't mind physical contact and we don't shy away from it. [We're] just not a team that goes out there looking for flopping opportunities, it's not us. It's never been,” he told the reporters.

"It's actually never been (for) any team that I've been on in my 20 years where we've been a flopping team. It is what it is, they have a right to say what they want to say, but the game is always won between the four lines. We gotta be better on Friday for sure,” the highest point-scorer in NBA Playoffs added. Earlier in Game 4, the Lakers earned a 104-101 win at their home 

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'They took some flops and were rewarded': Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr

Following the away loss, Golden State Warriors coach Kerr told reporters that the home side received favorable calls due to flopping. "The Lakers — they're a team that plays with a lot of gamesmanship," Kerr said. "They understand how to generate some calls. I thought they took some flops and were rewarded."

Coming back to Game 5, Stephen Curry scored the most points in the game, picking up 27 points, eight assists, and three rebounds for the defending champs. On the other hand, James scored  5 points, made three assists, and gathered nine rebounds but couldn’t lift his team toward a winning sweep.