LOS ANGELES — The Lakers left Game 2 angry, and Austin Reaves made that plain at center court after Oklahoma City beat Los Angeles 125-107 on Thursday in the Western Conference semifinals.
Reaves confronted crew chief John Goble after the final buzzer, while coach JJ Redick had already picked up a technical foul with 1:26 remaining in the first quarter. The frustration was rooted in how LeBron James was being treated at the rim and on drives. James finished with 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting and six assists, but he went to the line only five times through the first two games. That is far below the 5.3 free throw attempts he averaged during the regular season.
Redick did not hide his anger. He said James has the worst whistle of any star player he has ever seen, adding that the forward gets clobbered and rarely sees those hits rewarded with calls. He said he had already joked earlier that Oklahoma City was the most disruptive team without fouling, but then argued the Thunder foul on almost every possession and should be called for it. James said only, “We’re down 2-0,” when asked about the officiating, and later, “I don’t know.”
The specific plays backed up the complaint. James absorbed contact from Jaylin Williams on a layup with 4:52 remaining in the first quarter and no foul was called. He was whistled for an offensive foul against Alex Caruso with 9:26 left in the second quarter. Later, with 5:39 remaining, a foul on Cason Wallace was called on the floor instead of producing a three-point play for James. Reaves also said the officials altered a loose-ball foul on Jaylin Williams into a double foul on Williams and Jaxson Hayes before the timeout with 6:06 remaining, and he said he had been respectful all night even though he has said worse in the past.
The bigger picture is clear enough. The Lakers are down 2-0, and the argument over the whistle has become part of the series itself. Redick said the issue is not unique to this crew or this matchup, and that James has been getting hit this way for a long time. Until Los Angeles gets cleaner possessions and better calls around the basket, the noise around the officiating is likely to keep following them.
