The end of Saturday’s contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors was rather chaotic. One of the many talking points to come out of it was the referees going back to take away a LeBron James three-pointer while reviewing an out-of-bounds challenge that the Lakers had called 17 seconds later. James was not too pleased with the referees over that.
“I’ve never seen that be called before like that, in that particular time,” James said. “That was kind of weird.”
LeBron James on his 3-pointer that was taken away after a subsequent review on another play: “I’ve never seen that be called before like that” pic.twitter.com/yi2JJSuvN7
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 17, 2024
It was an incredible shot from James to seemingly cut the Warriors’ lead down to 124-120 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter. If you missed it, you can check it out below.
LEBRON MF JAMES. 🔥🔥🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 17, 2024
The referees, however, deemed that he had stepped out of bounds but some disagreed with their decision.
His foot doesn’t even touch the white line @NBA pic.twitter.com/I3eiacqWl3
— LeBron__legacy 👑 🐐 (@LeBron__legacy) March 17, 2024
Whatever the case, those three points were taken away and the Lakers never really managed to get close after that. They would end up losing 128-121 to fall to 36-32 on the season.
LeBron had 40 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block on the night, but with Anthony Davis exiting the game due to an eye injury, it wasn’t enough to get the win. Davis’ status for Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks is up in the air.
This result also meant the Warriors overtook the Lakers in the standings and now have a 2-1 edge in the season series. Having the tiebreaker might well be crucial come the end of the season, with just how close these two are in the table. The last regular season meeting between the Lakers and the Warriors is on April 9, and it might well decide who finishes higher.
Steve Kerr Is Also Not Happy With The Referees Going Back To Take Away LeBron James’ Three-Pointer
Opposing head coaches often have little sympathy in these situations, but Warriors head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t too happy with the officials either. Kerr stated he does not like the rule which allows the referees to go back and look at an out-of-bounds call.
“I also don’t like the rule that you can go back and look at an out-of-bounds,” Kerr said. “LeBron’s three, that seems to happen once or twice a year. Love to see that rule go away. I think we’re trying so hard to get everything just right at the expense of the flow of the (game).”
(starts at 0:32 mark):
Steve Kerr details the “bizarre” ending. He said he doesn’t like the rule that allowed referees to go back and disallow the LeBron 3. pic.twitter.com/H5tktcZOXP
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 17, 2024
Kerr and the Warriors had dealt with something similar themselves earlier this season. The referees had gone back a couple of plays while reviewing an incident and issued what ended up being a second technical foul on Draymond Green, which led to his ejection.
Kerr wants the NBA to stop the officials from going back. NBA commissioner Adam Silver would also not have been happy with how that game ended, as the reviews and the shot clock issue ruined the flow of the game. We had witnessed some incredible action prior to that, but all the hype for the end was gone thanks to all the stoppages.
The fans in the arena and those watching at home were just fed up with how long it was dragging out. While the shot clock issue wasn’t on the NBA, all the time taken for the reviews was, and it wasn’t a good look. Silver might have to consider making some changes to the rules.
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