Getty LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
LeBron James is not letting his January 29 loss to the Boston Celtics go, as he continues to blame the referees for the Los Angeles Lakers failure to close out the game in regulation.
When speaking to the media following the Lakers’ January 31 overtime victory over the New York Knicks, LeBron once again took a shot at the result in Boston, noting how the referee’s dictated the result.
“They made plays, and you know, Jalen Brunson took a charge, we got a stop. The game was decided by the players. In Boston, the game was decided by the refs. So, it was more demoralizing…What happened in Boston was what happened. Tonight the game was decided in the end of regulation by the players,” LeBron said.
LeBron’s comments come after he felt he was found in the dying moments of regulation against the Celtics, but the referee didn’t call a stoppage, and so the game went into overtime, where Jayeln Brown took over and handed the Lakers another defeat on their already shaky record.
Anthony Davis Feels Lakers Were Cheated
Sitting in the Lakers locker room following their overtime loss to Boston, Davis gave a candid interview, where he shared his belief that the Lakers had been robbed of victory on their opponent’s home court.
“It’s tough, you saw how Bron reacted, how the team reacted, tough pill to swallow” @AntDavis23 on the mentality of the team after the last play of the regulation.
“It was bull***. At the end of the day, it’s unacceptable. And I guarantee nothing’s going to happen to the refs. We got cheated tonight, honestly. It’s a blatant foul. Pat got all ball on Jaylen Brown, called a foul. LeBron gets smacked across his arm. It’s unacceptable, to be honest; they were bad tonight…To miss a call when the ref is sitting right there on the baseline, it’s tough…It wasn’t even a touch foul; I mean, the ball didn’t even move; he clearly smacked his arm,” Davis said.
Still, Davis will likely be pleased with his team’s ability to bounce back against the Knicks, which came about in similar circumstances, especially with his team being on the second night of a back-to-back.
LeBron James Rues Consistent Missed Calls
Following Los Angeles’ loss to Boston, LeBron also spoke with the media from the locker room, noting how the Lakers seem to be getting the short straw when it comes to close calls from the game officials.
“We had an opportunity to literally win the game. I mean, that’s… This is the second one in the last few weeks for myself. Against Dallas, [we] had an opportunity to win the game if the foul was called. K-Nunn the other day had an opportunity to tie the game if the four-point play is called. I don’t understand. I don’t understand what we’re doing and I watch basketball every single day. I watch these games every single day and I don’t see it happening to nobody else. It’s just weird,” LeBron told CLNS media.