LeBron James and the Lakers will feel their 3-4 start to the season is unfair, given the missed foul calls during the Lakers’ loss to the Miami Heat last night. After the Lakers submitted a highlight package of missed calls to the league office, the office responded by saying there were no missed calls. This prompted LeBron to share a message of dissatisfaction on social media.
“The game isn’t won or lost in the last 2 mins! If you know the game things happen throughout the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and first 10 mins of 4th that has a major impact on outcomes.”
The game isn’t won or lost in the last 2 mins! If you know the game things happen throughout the 1st, 2nd. 3rd and first 10 mins of 4th that has MAJOR impact on outcomes. https://t.co/ReW6r43Wax
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 8, 2023
The Lakers can’t get the result back, but they’ll hope for better treatment from the refs going forward. People had similar complaints about the referees after LeBron shot zero free throws against the Nuggets on opening night.
He’s averaging 5.7 free throws per game, which is a decent number but could be higher given the amount of no-calls he receives.
Darvin Ham Was Upset At Officiating After The Game
James’ current comments are in response to the league saying there were no fouls in the clutch moments of the game after the Lakers made a complaint about a lack of calls. Head coach Darvin Ham used his post-game interview to also criticize officiating.
He defended his superstar, imploring officiating to improve when he drives to the rim due to the no-calls especially because James hasn’t been flopping as much either.
“I see Bron shooting 4 free throws and the amount of times he attacked the rim, the amount of times he was slapped on the arm, which I could see plain as day, for that not to be called man. He’s not flopping. I watch him go to the hole strong.”
There are quite a few clips from the course of the game that show the calls that were missed, including plays where James got hit in the arm or even the face on drives.
BRON GOT SMACKED IN THE FACE… NO FOUL. pic.twitter.com/oAWg2tPBR6
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) November 7, 2023
Maybe the lack of calls also influenced James’ decision to pass the game-winning shot to Cam Reddish instead of finishing in a contested paint because he could’ve gotten fouled and not gotten a call. He knows how that feels from last season.
LeBron James Was Part Of One Of The Biggest Referee Controversies
Last season, a missed call on LeBron James started the downfall of veteran referee Eric Lewis. Lewis ignored a clean slap by Jayson Tatum on James’ wrist on a game-winner last season, a decision that cost the Lakers the win and led to the end of Lewis’ referee career. The no-call was so egregious that fans started investigating if Lewis has any specific ties to the Celtics for ruining the game by missing that foul. The league also issued a public apology to LeBron, the Lakers, and the fans.
To everyone’s surprise, a Twitter/X burner account was discovered that allegedly belonged to Lewis and showed he was a Celtics superfan. Pictures of his family were leaked onto social media as well that showed his entire family were massive Celtics fans. The league was forced to investigate Lewis after all this information came out.
Before the investigation could be completed, Lewis announced his sudden retirement. Many claim Lewis was made to retire before the league made its findings public, but all we know is that missing that one call due to his alleged biases led to his entire career falling apart.
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