The most critical game of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves was undoubtedly Game 4 as they desperately tried to tie the series up. One of the final plays saw LeBron James seemingly strip the ball from Anthony Edwards that would’ve given the Lakers the ball down just one point with 10 seconds left.
However, the call was reviewed with officials ruling that James actually fouled Edwards on the strip and awarding the Timberwolves star two free throws. LeBron argued against the call following the game, believing that the hand was part of the ball and that play happens hundreds of times throughout the season. But something else that stood out to the Lakers star was the camera angle used to ultimately overturn the call.
On the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James remained in awe at that camera work, claiming that he has never seen that view used in a game with Nash agreeing that he didn’t know that camera even existed in the NBA:
A new episode of Mind the Game drops tomorrow morning on our YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/6zGALzwCCX
— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) May 26, 2025
With cameras now looking better and more clear than ever, the fact that this play was caught on what looked like lower resolution cameras really did stand out. Whether it should’ve been called a foul or not, that was far from the reason the Lakers lost that game, and ultimately the series, but the fact that LeBron was surprised that the view even existed says a lot.
In this day and age, with the technology present, the league really should have the means to get any calls right from any angle. And no matter which way the call goes there will always be someone unhappy with the ruling.
Lakers’ LeBron James likes increased postseason physicality
Basketball as a whole seems to become almost a different game when the playoffs begin and much of that is due to the increase in physicality allowed in the postseason. Things that were called fouls in the regular season aren’t always called in the playoffs, and this is something LeBron James enjoys.
The Lakers star called the increased physicality of the playoffs fun and wishes they could play like that all year long, while also acknowledging he has the physical makeup to thrive in that situation. James added that he also wishes they could use the last month of the regular season to begin officiating games like that and giving players time to adjust to the different style.
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