Controversial call under fire
OAKLAND, Calif. — Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue did not mince words.
“To do what he did tonight and come out robbed, it’s just not right,” Lue said of a controversial call against LeBron James that was perhaps the deciding moment in the Warriors’ 124-114 overtime NBA Finals Game 1 victory here Thursday.
James, who ended with a career playoff-high 51 points, had put the Cavs up 104-102 then stood his ground on a driving Kevin Durant. A charge was called. Then overturned. Durant hit two free throws to tie the score and the momentum shifted.
“I thought I read that play just as well as I read any play in my career defensively,” James said. “I seen the drive, I was outside the charge line, stepped in and took the contact. It’s a huge play. A huge play.”
Official Ken Mauer, the crew chief, told a pool reporter James did not establish proper position.
“The reason for the trigger is that we had doubt as to whether or not James was in the restricted area. When over at the table, we then are allowed to determine whether or not he was in a legal guarding position,” Mauer said. “It was determined he was out of the restricted area but he was not in a legal guarding position prior to Durant’s separate shooting motion. So we had to change it to a blocking foul.”
Durant thought the refs were fine of course.
“The blocked charge thing, last year in the regular season same play happened to me. It was a block. They called it a block, and they went and reviewed it and changed it to a charge,” Durant said. “So I knew once it was 30 seconds to go that they could review that situation. There were a couple, like goaltending and block/ charge a couple years ago. They put those rules in that you could review them. Just like you can review out-ofbounds calls. So I knew that. I knew he was late on the drive, and I knew I had my man beat and he came over a little late.
“So when they called the charge, I was surprised, but I’m glad they reviewed it.”