Antonio McDyess Ejected for Flagrant Foul Early in the LeBron Game (2007 Playoffs)

May 31, 2007 - Before anyone gets too up in arms regarding Steve Kerr's take on this Antonio McDyess foul, let the record show that the threshold for what constitutes a Flagrant 2 has evolved over time and by 2007, we were in a bit of a fuzzy grey area. The league had moved well beyond the rough-and-tumble days of '90s Knicks & Pistons basketball while at the same time, things hadn't quite progressed toward the 2024 interpretation of flagrant fouls. That's all to say, contact above the shoulders did not always result in a Flagrant 2 designation in 2007. Though never officially legislated, NBA officials formerly often took intent or perceived malice into account when considering a Flagrant 1 or Flagrant 2 designation. An incidentally hard foul was thus more likely to draw a Flagrant 1 designation than a perceivably malicious approach. In the case of McDyess' foul on Anderson Varejao, without the benefit of video review, officials gathered and deemed McDyess' contact as excessive to the point of ejection, much to the surprise of McDyess and consternation of the Palace faithful. McDyess' absence would prove particularly consequential. With McDyess out of the picture and four-time Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace having left Detroit for Chicago the previous summer, the Pistons were left with few defensive reinforcements inside, paving the way for LeBron James to score his team's final 25 points (and 29 of his team's last 30) in a 109-107 double overtime win in what is often considered one of the greatest individual performances in NBA playoff history. James' full highlights: https://www.seevid.ir/fa/w/LpAJYrY-lJ8 Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/200705310DET.html

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