Is it okay to target an opposing player's injury?

[Greenbean]

I really don't think it's Lebron's elbow that is injured, it's more than likely something to do with his neck causing his arm to go numb & experience "pins & needles" pain.

Tests confirmed a bone bruise and a strain

[BudweiserCeltic]

Cross-Face Chicken Wing is all that needs to be said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uc7jplfyzc

[papa shuttlesworth]

It seems like the Celtics opponents have been going after Garnett's knee all season.  Not physically trying to hit it, but taking advantage of the fact that he's lost a step.

I don't advocate totally taking an injured player out, but I also don't advocate taking a healthy player out.  If your injury doesn't let you play the game in a normal way, including the incidental bumps and hard fouls that come with it, you should not play.  Or at least you should not cry about it.

I can see Davis or Perkins getting ejected in the first couple games of the Cavs series after a routine foul because they will come close to touching LeBron's elbow.

[rutzan]

this is a pre-emptive strike and the cavs taking advantage of the situation so stern and his cronies can babysit the queen...the cavs are still upset about shaq's thumb and you know they already talked to the league office about this...this is gamesmanship...with millions of dollars on the line and the queen bolting cleveland...you can bet on it...

[ACF]

No.

[Roy Hobbs]

I find the early results of this thread to be interesting.  There's really no denying that the Celtics are a bit of a "dirty" team; they're one of the more physical teams in the NBA, and they absolutely clutch, grab, throw elbows, etc. 

Can it be inferred from some of the responses that folks aren't in love with a style of basketball that isn't necessarily "legal", even if it's often not called?

[Mr October]

Lebron has an injured elbow.  Does anybody on here think it's unethical / dirty to target that elbow with screens, arm hanks, directed elbows to the injury, etc.?

I think it's dirty.  I also think it's smart basketball, and don't care much about the ethics of it.  There's no doubt in my mind that every team in the NBA (or any other professional sport) would target an opponent's weakness, even if they didn't acknowledge it publicly.

Any disagreement?

Yup, target away. Every good team does it to some extent. You have to encourage James to play protectively. 

[pumpfake]

sometimes if you concentrate too much on something small like a player's injury, it takes away from your ability to play the rest of the game at your best. you might work extra hard just to create those situations where you can take advantage of that weakness, and along the way, miss many of the other opportunities you may have had. hopefully i'm making sense.

but it would also be a mistake to not take advantage of an opposing player's weakness. we have weaknesses that they will take advantage of. injuries are part of the game.

[LooseCannon]

I don't advocate totally taking an injured player out, but I also don't advocate taking a healthy player out.

I do.

There needs to be more illegal contact to the groin.

[Hoops]

Sports (and games, like chess) that involving competing directly against an opponent (basketball, football, tennis, etc.) are all about exploiting your opponent's weaknesses. If the opposing team has a slow PG, you exploit it. If you're playing tennis and your opponent has a terrible backhand, you exploit it. The exploitation of weakness is what makes these sports so great, in my opinion.

Injuries are no exception. But you have to draw a line somewhere, which is what you're asking, I guess. Intentionally trying to aggravate an injury doesn't seem quite right. But you can't go easy on a guy either. I say play your game and do what you always do and don't worry how it might affect the injured guy - let him deal with it. If the result is that you cause further strain to a bad elbow, so be it.  

[Bankshot]

As long as its either Kobe or Lebron on the receving end,its ok.

I agree with this.

[angryguy77]

Don't know if I would want our team to do it.....what the hell... its leroid....go for it.

[angryguy77]

I don't advocate totally taking an injured player out, but I also don't advocate taking a healthy player out.

I do.

There needs to be more illegal contact to the groin.

You mean like this?




I believe this guy is fair game for anything.

[makaveli]

Absolutely no, but don't give him a discount either.

[hpantazo]

I find the early results of this thread to be interesting.  There's really no denying that the Celtics are a bit of a "dirty" team; they're one of the more physical teams in the NBA, and they absolutely clutch, grab, throw elbows, etc. 

Can it be inferred from some of the responses that folks aren't in love with a style of basketball that isn't necessarily "legal", even if it's often not called?

well, I for one, fully support their style of play and I would be dissapointed if they do not attack lebron's injury. In pro sports, it should be do unto others before they do unto you. The cavs, lakers, and the rest of the league had zero sympathy for KG's injury, or for anything bad that has ever happened to the celtics for that matter. Think of it as a way to combat all of the bad calls we get.