LAKERS FEEL ‘CHEATED’ OVER MISSED FOUL CALL
NBA admits refs’ mistake at end of Celtics game that likely cost L.A. win
Anthony Davis sat in his chair in a quiet and disappointed Lakers locker room, a towel over his shoulders, his ire about the officials coming out very strong. The normally low-key forward was unafraid to bash the referees on a night when the Lakers were sure they came out on the wrong end of calls Saturday night against the rival Boston Celtics.
The no-call on LeBron James’ drive to the basket at the end of the fourth quarter was the most upsetting aspect for Davis and the Lakers in a 125-121 overtime loss.
The score was tied at 105-105 when James got the ball with 4.1 seconds left. He drove to the basket, getting to the left side for a potential game-winning layup. But then it appeared as if Jayson Tatum fouled James, hitting him on the arm, but no foul was called and the game went into overtime, where the Lakers lost.
“He fouled him. He fouled him. Clearly. Clearly,” said Davis, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds in his second game back from injury. “It’s bulls---. But at the end of the day, like, it’s unacceptable. And I guarantee nothing is gonna happen to the refs . ... It’s not fair. And I guarantee that if the refs started getting fined for missed calls, it’d be a lot better.
“We got cheated tonight, honestly. It’s a blatant foul. Pat Beverly got all ball on I think Brown — Jaylen Brown. They call a foul. And Bron gets smacked across the arm and they don’t. It’s unacceptable, to be honest. The refs were bad. They were bad tonight.”
Aw, yes, there was also the delayed foul called on Beverley. Brown scored, pulling the Celtics to within 105-104. But after a few seconds, the referees called a foul on Beverley, to the dismay of the Lakers. Brown made the free throw to tie the score.
That’s when it came down to the no-call on James.
Late Saturday night the referees told a pool reporter, “There was contact. At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play.”
The NBA office confirmed Sunday for the second time that a foul should have been called.
“Like everyone else, referees make mistakes,” the union wrote in its tweet. “We made one at the end of last night’s game and that is gutwrenching for us. This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.”
James got the ball about 35 feet from the basket, with 4.1 seconds remaining in what was a tied game at Boston on Saturday night. He split two defenders as he got into the lane, then went airborne and got past Jayson Tatum as well.
James laid the ball up with his left hand, Tatum clearly made contact with James’ shooting arm, no foul was called and the game went to overtime. Had a foul been called, James would have gone to the freethrow line with an opportunity to put the Lakers ahead with 1.8 seconds remaining.
James took just six free throws, making five.
Tatum and Brown, on the other hand, shot a combined 23 free throws, making 20.
“They’re not gonna do anything next game,” Davis said. “It’s gonna be over with. ‘Talk to the refs. Yeah, it was a foul.’ And then it goes on . ... But nothing will be done.”