LeBron James’ Lakers Lost OKC’s Respect After Referee Meeting, Says Stephen A. Smith

LeBron James' Lakers have a tough task of avoiding a sweep if they cannot get a handle on how to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

LeBron James’ Lakers Lost OKC’s Respect After Referee Meeting, Says Stephen A. Smith

LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • LeBron James' Lakers faced criticism for their conduct towards referees during Game 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
  • Stephen A. Smith noted that the Thunder were laughing at the Lakers, indicating a lack of respect for the team.
  • Kendrick Perkins expressed concerns about the inconsistency in NBA officiating, highlighting fan dissatisfaction with the calls made during the game.

Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals between LeBron James‘ Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder proved that the NBA’s officiating has never been this worse.

Fans and analysts noted how the home team got away with incessant flopping, whereas the away side did not get enough foul calls even when they were manhandled.

The game saw James, his teammates, and head coach JJ Redick going at referees for missing obvious calls. But what made most of the noise was the post-game interaction between Austin Reaves and referee John Goble.

It was not a random flameout, but rather a confrontation after the undrafted guard and the official had a heated discussion during the game. That time, he was alone. This time, LeBron James and the rest of the Lakers were there alongside him.

When you are seeing at the end of the game, huddled against the officiating like that, and the opponent who knows they are the superior team… are literally laughing at you… They have no respect. What they are viewing you as is a team that’s whining about getting your a** kicked.

Stephen A. Smith said

This was the ESPN analyst talking about how the Oklahoma City Thunder were seen laughing at the Lakers when that middle-of-the-court argument with the officials was going on.

Stephen A. Smith believes that those laughs were an indication of how the defending champions look at the men in purple and gold.

That is, they were whining about the officiating since they could not do anything to win a game that was in their hands at the end of the first half.

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Stephen A. Smith details how OKC managed to overwhelm LeBron James’ Lakers

This was an impromptu appearance for Stephen A. Smith on NBA Today. But the discussion was fruitful as the First Take host managed to give his opinion on how the Oklahoma City Thunder managed to overwhelm the Lakers.

Alex Caruso defending LeBron James
Alex Caruso defending LeBron James (Image via Hoop Central/X)

Collectively, they are like a pack of piranhas. They come at you. They defend, and they are in you all game long.

Stephen A. Smith said

The 58-year-old was answering a comparison made by former WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike with the Golden State Warriors. Smith pointed out that the latter would kill teams in the 3rd quarter with their lights-out behind-the-arc shooting.

But in the Thunder’s case, they collectively defend like they are possessed. That is why LeBron James and his teammates saw the game slip away in the third quarter.

That defensive pressure changed the game, as not only did the home team force the Lakers to commit turnovers. But they also ensured that not having enough offensive production from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be a problem.

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Kendrick Perkins agrees Game 2 officiating was a mess

Game 3 is at the Crypto.com Arena. That means LeBron James and his teammates will be preparing to ensure the Thunder do not get a 3-0 lead. But they cannot do it unless the NBA fixes its officiating.

We have a serious problem right now, and that game last night highlighted it… He’s going to have to listen to the people. They have a lot of upset fans… that didn’t like the way the game was called last night. I didn’t like it either.

Kendrick Perkins said on The Pat McAfee Show

The NBA champion made it clear that everyone is unhappy with the NBA not taking a stand against the inconsistency in calls issued to both teams. He is worried fans might start labeling the league as being rigged.

In seasons past, the league has mentioned that they were not worried about the officiating. But in this instance, the situation has become so blatant that celebrities and companies are trolling the NBA.

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