Los Angeles Lakers registered their 27th loss of the season against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The match ended on a dramatic note in overtime. Boston emerged victorious with a final scoreline of 125-121. However, the matchup was filled with drama, rage, emotions, and a lot of yelling!! Moreover, LeBron James, the leading scorer of the game (41) for the Lakers, was the center of the entire controversial event.
During the end of the regulation time, Boston’s center forward, Jayson Tatum, made illegal contact with LeBron James, which foiled the latter’s attempt to close the game. LeBron James, along with the entire Lakers, appealed, which was bluntly turned down by the referees. The no-call decision raged a frustrated James, who looked to close the game for his team. Moreover, post the game, King James took to social media to express his disappointment towards the referees and Jayson Tatum.
If kids ever ask if LeBron James was better than Michael Jordan, show them this. Michael never carried on histrionics like this. @KingJames, you’re a terrible role model. You didn’t get the call, and be honest, you didn’t deserve it. Also, you traveled. pic.twitter.com/OAjeKhC47e
— mattman (@MatthewPorter) January 29, 2023
LeBron James Calls Out Jayson Tatum For The Illegal Foul
The final moments of the Lakers vs. Celtics saw it all, rage, anger, emotions, tears, and disappointment. After the foul on LeBron James was flagged no-call, James immediately screamed, jumped, and banged the court in anger. King James, along with his teammates, appealed relentlessly and literally pleaded with the referees for the foul. However, the officials stood adamant and refused to reverse their decision. Further, after the investigation, the NBA issued a statement saying that it was indeed a foul, and the refs failed to pick it up.
After the loss, LeBron James looked emotional with teary eyes. Furthermore, James used his social media profiles to hit out at the referees and Jayson Tatum, respectively. Firstly, LeBron re-posted a tweet that showed four instances wherein the referees failed to spot a foul. James commented, saying he truly does not understand the logic behind the no-call decisions. Further, James called out Jayson for his deliberate foul attempt with a video posted on his Instagram story. The video displayed a clear foul attempt from Jayson, and LeBron sarcastically wrote, “Good Block.”
Anthony Davis, Patrick Beverley Joins The Protest
Patrick Beverley really brought a camera out to the floor 😅 pic.twitter.com/7hMugg7BaN
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 29, 2023
Apart from LeBron James, Anthony Davis strongly opposed the referees’ no-call decision. Davis used strong words to express his displeasure. He termed the referee’s decision unacceptable and said the Lakers felt cheated. Moreover, AD added the referees go home peacefully, but it’s the affected team that bears the brunt of their mistakes. AD also advised the NBA to start issuing fines to the referees for such mistakes in order to increase their vigilance.
Furthermore, Lakers point guard Patrick Beverley, too, joined the protest in a hilarious way. During the protest against the no-call decision, Patrick pulled up a DSLR camera, brought it in the face of the referee, and yelled,” FOUL.” The referee immediately asked Patrick to stand down. However, the point guard kept shouting “FOUL” while pointing at the camera on his way back. As a result, a technical foul was called on Patrick for his on-court antics.
