It started under Stern, but Silver's time as commissioner really saw the league turn into entertainment that masquerades as a competitive sport. If a decision can be made to make the game more attractive to new viewers, that decision will almost always be taken. Such decisions usually fall on the side of promoting more offense and higher scoring games.
However, if we look back 5 or 10 years , I think the league has actually improved somewhat in not rewarding foul baiters. Especially on the perimeter, we see more instances where the offensive player initiating contact is a) only rewarded with a foul on the floor or b) not given anything.
It's more challenging in the paint, and the league still has work to do there. I'll admit that refs have a tough job. If a tiny guard lowers his shoulder into a sturdy 7 footer to create space for a layup, it's a tough call to make if the guard embellishes the contact while the big man appears to have stood his ground.
Harden in the first half is the player this team needs. His passing is great, but we need him to be aggressive and look for his shot. He should be top 3 in FGA every single night. Kawhi's game spoke for itself.
On the other side, Fox was awesome. He saw how Reggie Jackson had run circles around our defense in pick and roll actions, and he took full advantage of our weak points. A better game from Sabonis (and/or a worse game from Zubac) and this game could have ended up being very close.