Celtics' guard Sam Cassell doesn't understand why the NBA is protecting Cleveland's LeBron James with favorable foul calls, according to The Boston Globe.

Cassell was called for a flagrant-1 foul during Game One on Tuesday after fouling James from behind during a layup attempt.

"Wow. It's just different right now," said Cassell Wednesday. "They gave me a flagrant-1 foul, and no way in the world was it a flagrant-1 foul. I'm going to call [NBA vice president] Stu [ Jackson] and see what he thinks about that. That's not a flagrant-1 foul at all. Back in the day, a flagrant-1 was bloodshed. Now, you can just grab somebody...It's the new NBA."

Cassell claims that James receives even more favorable attention than Michael Jordan did during his heyday.

"I know Jordan is sitting at home right now pouting because they didn't protect him. There wasn't no bigger star than him, and he took some banging. But he got through it. That's why he got considered the best player to pick up a basketball," Cassell added.

Via The Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers

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