One of the biggest stories over the weekend was the controversial ending to the Los Angeles Lakers’ contest against the Boston Celtics. Patrick Beverley’s shocking top-jam was matched by a Jaylen Brown three-point play to tie the game, but LeBron James would drive the ball with four seconds remaining and despite clearly being hit in the arm by Celtics star Jayson Tatum, no foul was called and the Lakers would ultimately lose in overtime.
The Lakers were understandably upset at the non-call with LeBron reacting in a way that no one has ever seen before. Beverley also reacted strongly, bringing a camera onto the court to show the referee his missed call, picking up a technical.
Beverley went on his podcast, The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, after the game to express his thoughts after the Lakers lost another game due to controversial officiating:
“We were cheated. We were cheated…It’s like the fourth game. Bamboozled. Hoodwinked. All of it.”
The frustration was at an all-time high, especially when Beverley actually grabbed the camera to show the officials the contact that they missed. Beverley discussed what went into that reaction while also being happy he didn’t do any damage to the equipment:
“I was like, does anyone have that? And I ain’t talking about like on the iPad where it’s playing live. I was like does anybody have a photo of it? I took somebody’s camera and I was so nice with it, I was like can I see the photo please? They said sure, here… The photo was literally like [LeBron] layup, hand on arm, like a still shot. Foul! Foul. [And then they gave me a] tech. So what? Foul though… I’m happy I didn’t drop the camera because like that motherf*cker was kind of heavy.”
Not only are those cameras heavy, but also expensive so Beverley was wise to ensure no damage was done. Unfortunately, nothing changed the fact that the officials blew the call, even admitting so after the game. LeBron was absolutely incensed and even Beverley told the man himself that he had never seen him do what he did:
“I told him in the locker room like I’ve been around you 13-14 years, bro. I ain’t never seen you react like that. He was like ‘Pst, I ain’t gonna lie man, I almost lost my sh*t.’ And with all due respect, he should’ve though. He should’ve done more. That hurts, that was the vibe in the locker room, the vibe on the plane, like damn, that game hurt. Because we won that game, like we won. We got the best player on the planet at the free-throw line with 0.7 seconds left shooting two free-throws.”
The Lakers have very little room for error as they fight to make the playoffs and every single game counts. To go on the road against the team with the best record in the NBA and put yourself in position to win only to have it taken away is beyond frustrating. But Beverley, LeBron and everyone else have no choice not but to move on.
Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis voice their displeasure with officiating
James was openly upset about the officials after the Lakers’ loss in Boston with neither he nor Anthony Davis holding back.
LeBron noted how he attacks the basket as much as others who find themselves at the free-throw line far more often while also noting other recent missed calls that hurt the Lakers in recent losses to Dallas and Sacramento. Davis added that he felt the Lakers got cheated while noting that nothing will happen to the officials, but he will likely be fined for his comments.
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