The Golden State Warriors usually leave the dirty work to Draymond Green.
But on Tuesday, it was Stephen Curry who got called for a flagrant foul in the first quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It marked a career first in Curry’s 1,190th NBA game.
Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the flagrant foul was the first of Curry’s career.
As might be expected from Curry, it wasn’t a flagrant of the physical variety. Instead, Curry landed under a jump shooter on a closeout.
The foul took place with 1.3 seconds remaining in the quarter. Isaiah Joe attempted to beat the buzzer with a 3. Curry closed out on defense with his left foot extended in Joe’s landing zone. Joe’s right foot landed on Curry’s extended foot, and his ankle twisted.
Officials called it a personal foul on the floor.
But upon review, officials upgraded the infraction to a flagrant foul. Referee John Goble delivered Curry the bad news.
“Curry closes out from a distance with an extended leg,” Goble said. “Joe lands on Curry’s foot, creating a potential for injury as a result of the contact. Therefore the foul has been upgraded to a flagrant foul, penalty 1.”
Joe went on to hit three free throws to extend OKC’s lead to 34-25 at the end of the quarter.
Curry shook his head in disbelief on the bench at the explanation. But he didn’t have much of a case.
It may not have looked like a flagrant foul in the traditional sense, but by the NBA’s reckless closeout standard, Curry’s flagrant foul was textbook. If you extend your foot under a landing shooter who lands on your foot, you will get called for a flagrant foul. Or you should, at least.
Curry’s got a long way to catch up with his longtime teammate. Per ESPN, Green has 27 flagrant fouls over the course of his career 19 in the regular season and eight in the postseason.