LeBron James Fumes at Officials As No Calls Cost Lakers Game 2 to OKC

LeBron James was left frustrated multiple times over the officiating in Game 2 against the OKC Thunder.

LeBron James Fumes at Officials As No Calls Cost Lakers Game 2 to OKC

LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • LeBron James expressed frustration over officiating during the Lakers' 125-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2.
  • James received only four free throw attempts despite scoring 23 points, contributing to concerns about his treatment by referees.
  • Lakers head coach JJ Redick defended James, stating he has the worst whistle of any star player he's seen.

Things are not looking good for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers at the moment. After an 18-point loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, they started off well in the first half of Game 2. But unfortunately, they couldn’t keep up for the rest of the game and suffered a 125-108 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center.

During the game, James was left frustrated multiple times over the officiating in Game 2. He was seen arguing with the referees as calls went against his team more often than not.

There is no doubt that the defending champions are the heavy favorites in this series. However, it becomes a lot more difficult when calls or no calls go in their favor. That is exactly what seemed to happen with LeBron James and his teammates on Thursday night.

This is not the first time that James is calling out officials in the playoffs this year. Over the last two years, the Thunder have cemented themselves as the best defensive team in the league. While they do play elite and physical defense, many players and coaches have gone on record to say that OKC do get away with a lot and often get calls in their favor.

With Luka Doncic still sidelined due to a hamstring injury, it was James carrying the workload of the Lakers’ offense. James led them to an impressive first round victory in six games over the Houston Rockets. However, the Thunder present a whole different challenge altogether.

Even with Austin Reaves back in the lineup and putting up a strong performance in Game 2, the Lakers suffered another 18-point defeat. The Lakers will be under immense pressure as the series now moves to Los Angeles. The Thunder remain the only team undefeated so far in the playoffs.

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Fans react to LeBron James getting heated at the officials in Game 2

While the Lakers did play a lot better than they did in Game 1 despite the score line, the officiating has been a concern for them. They are heavy underdogs in this series, but it was not just LeBron James who fumed at the referees. Even head coach, JJ Redick, was seen having a heated exchange during a timeout and was given a technical foul for his outburst.

James lost his mind as he struggled to get any calls in his favor. His heated exchanges with the referees on Thursday went viral and fans were quick to react to them across social media.

Fans sided with James as many believed that the officials were poor in Game 2, while some said that the referees favored the Thunder throughout the playoffs this year.

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LeBron James has the worst whistle of any star player 

LeBron James was seen arguing with the referees from the first quarter till the fourth. While James scored 23 points, he got just four free throw attempts. In Game 1, he scored 27 points but went to the free throw line for just one attempt. Hence in total, James has had just five free throw attempts in the first two games.

LeBron James arguing with the referee
LeBron James arguing with the referee (Image credits – Underdog NBA/X)

After the game, JJ Redick was left absolutely livid with the officiating and defended James for not getting calls in his favor.

LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen. I’ve been with him two years now. There’s the smaller guys because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it’s hard for them. He gets clobbered, and he clobbered again tonight a bunch.

JJ Redick said in his post-match press conference

The Thunder had 26 free throw attempts compared to Lakers’ 21 in Game 2. James and the Lakers will be hoping to see some calls go in their favor as Games 3 and 4 will take place at the Crypto.com Arena.

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