The Los Angeles Lakers was livid after match officers admitted they missed a foul on a possible game-winning lay-up from LeBron James in opposition to the Boston Celtics, which allowed their rivals to grab a 125-121 additional time win on Saturday.
With the sport tied at 105-105 and 4.1 seconds left on the clock, James tried to drive by the Celtics’ defence however was fouled by Jayson Tatum, denying the Lakers veteran two factors and free throws on the demise.
James and the Lakers had been left shell-shocked as appeals for a foul had been ignored because the clock ran down whereas Patrick Beverley even acquired a technical foul when he introduced a photographer’s digital camera on courtroom to indicate the referee proof of a foul.
“You saw my reaction,” James mentioned. “It’s challenging. I don’t get it.
“You’ve seen some of the games we’ve lost with late-game missed calls… I don’t see it happening to nobody else.”
The Celtics ultimately sealed victory in additional time on the TD Garden regardless of James’ 41-point effort which moved him to inside 116 factors of all-time chief Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“As much as you try not to put it on officiating, it’s becoming increasingly difficult… The best player in the NBA can’t get a call. It’s amazing,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham instructed reporters.
James’ crew mate Anthony Davis mentioned the non-call was “unacceptable.”
“I guarantee you nothing’s going to happen to the ref. We got cheated tonight. It’s a blatant foul… The refs were bad tonight,” he mentioned.
Crew Chief Eric Lewis, the lead official, later admitted there was contact.
“At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play,” Lewis mentioned
