Darvin Ham Slams The Refs After LeBron James Only Shot 4 Free Throws Against The Heat
The Los Angeles Lakers narrowly lost 108-107 to the Miami Heat on Monday night, and after the game, their head coach, Darvin Ham, blasted the officials for LeBron James only getting four free throws.
"I see Bron shooting 4 free throws," Ham said. "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."
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LeBron was indeed driving a fair bit during the game but didn't have too many calls going his way. This game really showed how he isn't getting a lot of protection from the officials.
The first was when LeBron was called for a foul, even though it was clear as day that Jimmy Butler had clamped his arm. The officials should have spotted it, but they didn't.
Secondly, we get to what Ham was talking about. James drove to the rim on one instance and clearly was hit in the face by Thomas Bryant, but there was no foul call.
It has really been the story of the season so far for James, who is averaging 5.7 free throw attempts per game in 2023-24, which is tied for the lowest of his career.
Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo currently lead the league with 9.7 free throw attempts per game, and the Lakers would feel James deserves to be up there with them as well. Despite not getting those calls, the 38-year-old is still performing at a high level.
In this game against the Heat, LeBron had 30 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. He attempted to mount a fourth-quarter comeback despite the absence of Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell, but he and the Lakers fell just short in the end, as Cam Reddish missed a potential game-winner in the closing moments of the contest.
LeBron James Had A Lot Of Complaints About The Refs Last Season
This season is really panning out quite similar to the last one in terms of LeBron and the officials. He had called them out numerous times in the 2022-23 campaign, with the most notable one being when they missed a clear foul on him in a game against the Boston Celtics earlier this year.
LeBron strongly questioned the referees about not getting foul calls after that, as he stated he didn't understand why he wasn't getting calls. James continued to fire shots at the officials for days after the incident to make it clear he was not happy.
His complaints don't seem to have done much, however, as he still isn't getting the calls. That isn't stopping him from putting up great numbers, however, as he has averaged 25.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game this season.
The Lakers Dropped Below .500 With This Loss
With this loss to the Heat, the Lakers dropped to 3-4 on the season. It has really been a disappointing start, although injuries have played a role in it. The latest to go down was Davis, which, unfortunately, wasn't much of a surprise.
The Lakers have been so reliant on him, which led to Davis being second in the league in minutes per game heading into the clash with the Heat. It seemed inevitable that his body would start to break down, but, fortunately, Davis stated that he would be available for their next game.
The Lakers will be on the road against the Houston Rockets next on Wednesday, and while you might think of it as a game they could win without him, it's not. This loss to the Heat dropped them to 0-4 on the road this season and the Rockets have been strong at home, going 3-1. It's going to take everything the Lakers have to win that one.
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