LeBron James is a 6 foot 8 inch tall, 250 pound, 40 inch vertical leaping point guard. Not to mention from end to end he might be one of the faster players in the entire NBA. But something has become apparent since winning his first trophy, and it looks like it’s only beginning.
When LeBron gets going full speed, there are only two options for about 99% of human beings in the world. First option: Let him get to the rack, finish with some monstrous dunk, and keep your body in tact. Second option: Try to grab him before he takes off in the hopes that it won’t result in an “And 1” like many of his plays in the paint do. 
Option one is the smart option, but for those brave men who want to take on the challenge of the second option how are they supposed to stop him? It’s become clear that the normal amount of force needed to stop a man doesn’t apply to Mr. James. As a result, we’ve seen the number of hard fouls on Lebron increase. But can you blame them?
Obviously no one wants to hurt anyone on the floor…kind of. With how hard defenders need to hit LeBron in order for him to stop, you would think that every intentional foul was malicious. I don’t think that LeBron should be forced to water down his game, because it’s obvious his size and athleticism give me an advantage. But, what else are defenders supposed to do?
I can’t help but think about when The GOAT would go up against the Pistons and get demolished on the floor. The thought was if you rough up Michael, you can get into his head a little bit. Most players were intimidated by Jordan, but the Pistons wanted to send a clear message that he’s just a man. 
The NBA back then didn’t have the same fouling system that it does now, which probably would have increased Jordan’s career PPG average a point or so due to free throws and extra possessions. A hard foul was a hard foul, and all the referee needed to worry about was it turning into a fight.
These days players don’t foul as hard, but they do foul as much. The determination system on how to properly call these fouls has changed the game. Yet, LeBron is still getting put in a headlock on the way to the hoop.
“Maybe I’ve got to protect myself a little more too,” James said when asked if a hard foul from the Cavs after a hard foul on him might curb opponents’ behavior.
We’ll see if players continue to go after LeBron in the hopes to rattle the cage a little bit, but expect it to lead to fines, extra possessions for the Cavs, and free throws. Back when Jordan was around the fouls didn’t cost that much, that’s why they were so frequent. These days fouls are used appropriately because the cost is so high. So what are the rules?
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