LeBron James expresses frustration with the NBA’s replay center due to calls; the Lakers suffer a loss on a buzzer-beater, and are now trailing Denver 2-0
LeBron James was highly displeased following the missed opportunity by the Los Angeles Lakers. His frustration did not arise from squandering a 20-point lead, his late 3-pointer miss, or allowing Jamal Murray’s buzzer-beater which led the Denver Nuggets to secure a 101-99 win in Game 2 of their first-round series. Rather, James directed his anger towards the NBA’s replay center in Secaucus, New Jersey. He was particularly agitated about a foul called on Michael Porter Jr. in the second half, which was later overturned. The league claimed that Porter had only made minimal contact with D’Angelo Russell.
“I genuinely fail to comprehend what occurs in the replay center,” James expressed. The Lakers now return to Los Angeles for Game 3, trailing 2-0. “D-Lo was clearly struck in the face during the drive. Why do we even have a replay center? It doesn’t make sense. It makes no sense. It irks me.”
During the postgame interview, James was less talkative than usual after witnessing the Nuggets mount a comeback from a 20-point deficit, securing their 10th consecutive victory over the Lakers. With approximately 16 seconds remaining, James had an opportunity to give the Lakers the lead with an open 3-pointer. “It rimmed out,” lamented James, who concluded the game with 26 points and 12 assists. Porter grabbed the rebound, setting up Murray’s game-winning fadeaway jumper over Anthony Davis as time expired.
Following the game, James swiftly addressed several points:
– On Denver’s comeback, despite being outscored 32-20 in the fourth quarter: “We missed shots. We still had great looks, but we just missed them. And they made theirs.”
– On Russell’s improved shooting performance, hitting seven 3-pointers after going 1 for 9 in the series opener: “We never lost faith in him. D-Lo is D-Lo.”
– On whether the Lakers can learn anything from this game for Game 3 in L.A.: “Each game presents its own challenges.”
– On the difficulties after a devastating loss: “Of course, it’s a heartbreaking game, and you never want to lose in that manner.”
It was during this discussion that James expressed his frustration with the replay center. Earlier in the game, Murray was called for a foul when James drove to the basket, but the Nuggets successfully challenged the call, resulting in the foul being overturned.
In his critique of the replay center, James referred to a previous game on Monday, where the New York Knicks rallied in the final 30 seconds for a thrilling 104-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Knicks scored a go-ahead 3-pointer from Donte DiVincenzo with 13 seconds remaining, a possession that began with a steal from Tyrese Maxey. Joel Embiid claimed that Maxey was fouled and stated that coach Nick Nurse and some players had attempted to call a timeout before the Knicks gained possession.
“What are we doing?” James concluded his postgame interview.
News Source:APnews