The head referee for the match between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics admitted there was a missed shooting foul by Jayson Tatum against LeBron James in the final seconds of the game on Saturday. The Celtics went on to win by 125-121 in Overtime and Lakers talisman Anthony Davis lashed out at the referee for not calling the foul.
With four seconds remaining in the game, LeBron James drove to the hoop. He reached all the way and attempted a left-handed layup but he was stopped in his tracks by Jayson Tatum.
James quickly turned to the referee to indicate where he was hit on the arm by Tatum but it was to no avail.
“There was contact,” crew chief Eric Lewis said to a pool reporter after the game. “At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play.”
In fact, the Lakers have been hard-done by some harsh calls in the recent matches against Dallas, Philadelphia, and Sacramento.
“[Tatum] fouled him. He fouled him. Clearly. Clearly,” said Anthony Davis. “It’s bulls—. … It’s unacceptable. And I guarantee nothing is going to happen to the refs. We got cheated tonight, honestly. It’s a blatant foul. … It’s unacceptable, to be honest. The refs were bad. They were bad tonight.”
On the other hand, James feels they have been on the receiving end of poor umpiring in the recent past.
“It’s challenging,” said James, who scored 41 points on 15-for-30 shooting. “I don’t get it. I’m attacking the paint, just as much as any of the guys in this league that’s shooting double-digit free throws a night, and I don’t get it. I don’t understand it.”
“I watch basketball every single day,” he said. “I watch games every single day. And I see it happening to nobody else. It’s just weird.”
The Lakers will next take on Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.
