The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics starred one of the most dramatic games in the NBA this season, in a 114-112 victory for the Purple and Gold on Sunday. The greatest rivals in the league surely put up a show, but the end of the game wasn’t as good as fans would have expected.
Once again the referees were the subject of criticism for their actions in the last moments of the game. With Boston clinging to a 110-108 lead in the final minute, LeBron James went up for a layup, getting a foul from Jaylen Brown. That contact apparently warranted enough evidence for the officials to make the call in that situation. But, that wasn’t the end of it.
James missed the free-throw attempt and multiple players touched the ball as it bounced out of bounds when the officials ruled Lakers’ ball on the court. High-definition replays appeared to show that the ball last touched the pinky of Lakers’ big man Anthony Davis, but the call wasn’t changed.
Clear as day pic.twitter.com/tWvi9ySdXt
— Dan Greenberg (@StoolGreenie) February 23, 2020
Bron drained a fadeaway mid-range shot on the ensuing inbound pass to make it 111-110 Lakers.
After that, the Celtics continued to turn the ball over, and even Brad Stevens received a technical foul after the play for voicing his displeasure to the officials.
Once the game was finished, people took to social media to show their disagreement with the game officiating, including Bill Simmons, who took a shot at the Purple and Gold.
This is why the Lakers have to be the favorites no matter how well Milwaukee is doing – if they’re getting every call they’re unstoppable.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) February 23, 2020
“This is why the Lakers have to be the favorites no matter how well Milwaukee is doing – if they’re getting every call they’re unstoppable,” he wrote.
How the hell can you call a tech in a 1 point game at the end of the ball game. These refs need to maintain their composure. Horrible tech call.
— Jay Williams (@RealJayWilliams) February 23, 2020
https://twitter.com/Jaden_3x/status/1231722945371832321
The Celtics fell short despite Jayson Tatum tying his career-high 41 points, but the decisions they made in the last minute of the game also affected the final outcome. Unfortunately, the end of the encounter was affected by those calls, and the Lakers improved their record to 43-12.
