Nets guard Joe Johnson really, really dislikes flopping.
Following Brooklyn's Game 4 loss to Miami, Johnson complained about Heat forward LeBron James' propensity to oversell contact:
Joe Johnson called LeBron a flopper. Joe Johnson is now the favorite to be the next Governor of Indiana.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) May 13, 2014
So Joe Johnson actually said LeBron James' flop threw him off on that shot.
— Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) May 13, 2014
Joe Johnson said Lebron flopped on his last shot attempt. #nets
— Dexter Henry (@NetsDailyVideo) May 13, 2014
Joe Johnson on LeBron: "He flopped. .. I should have known they wouldn't have called that."
— Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) May 13, 2014
The play in question came with 4:39 left in the fourth quarter, as Johnson's nine-foot field goal attempt clanked off the rim. Johnson's contention is that James flopped, which affected his shot. Johnson finished the game with 18 points, while LeBron poured in 49.
If this feels like deja vu, it's because it is. In Johnson's first-round series against the Raptors, he complained about flopping on the part of the Raptors after a Game 5 loss. He also went on to lament that "he never gets calls", further attributing it to the fact that he's "not a flopper."
Look for Johnson's complaints about flopping to subside in the event of a Game 5 victory for the Nets. If the Heat capture the win instead, look for Johnson to toe the line singing the same old tune.