Frank Vogel Calls for the NBA to 'Look Into All the Flopping Lu Dort Does'

The Phoenix head coach did not hold back when discussing Friday night's loss in Oklahoma City.

Mar 27, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives down the / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma City took down the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in dominating fashion. The game was expect d to be much closer with the Thunder’s MVP candidate ruled out, but the offensive firepower from Mark Daigneault’s squad was simply too much to overcome.

With or without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it seems like Oklahoma City has Phoenix’s number. The Thunder are a perfect 3-0 against the Suns this season, and none of the games have been particularly close. OKC’s average margin of victory in three games is 15 points, and the Thunder have scored more than 110 points in every contest. The fast pace that Oklahoma City plays with has proven too much for Phoenix to slow down.

Considering none of the games have been close, and the Thunder’s style has overpowered the Suns in three straight matchups, it would be easy to assume that Oklahoma City is just a bad matchup for Phoenix. But Suns head coach Frank Vogel has another reason for why his team can’t beat the Thunder.

“The league has got to look all the flopping that Lu Dort does cause it's ridiculous how he gets calls,” Vogel said. “If they're going to get calls like that, then you're going to have an advantage. You can't just fall down every time there's contact and get a whistle."

"The league has got to look all the flopping that Lu Dort does cause it's ridiculous how he gets calls. If they're going to get calls like that, then you're going to have an advantage. You can't just fall down every time there's contact and get a whistle." Frank Vogel. #Suns pic.twitter.com/totj43OfW3

— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 30, 2024

According to StatMuse, Dort has drawn the ninth most offensive fouls in the NBA this season at 210. That math adds up to be 2.87 offensive fouls drawn per game for Oklahoma City’s lockdown defender. He’s one of the NBA’s best in drawing hip check fouls off of ball screens and being a smart defender to get the whistle.

This is something that Dort has always used to his advantage and the first time an opposing coach has publicly complained about it. 

However, Vogel deserves some credit for praising Oklahoma City after getting his point across. He went on to compliment the Thunder’s roster in a big way, even without Gilgeous-Alexander.

“We missed another opportunity last night,” Vogel said. “Different vibe, to me, because we lost to the best team in the league. It’s not like you lost to the worst team in the league. That’s not to disrespect the Spurs, the Spurs are playing really good basketball. But OKC, even with their top guy out, is one of the deepest teams in the league, most talented teams in the league. The team that was on the floor last night is one of the most talented teams in the league.”

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