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05/08/26 10:27:00
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05/08 00:50 CDT Lakers criticize officiating after Game 2 loss to Thunder in
West semis
Lakers criticize officiating after Game 2 loss to Thunder in West semis
By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) --- Lakers coach JJ Redick criticized the way LeBron James
is officiated and guard Austin Reaves complained about treatment from the
referees after Los Angeles lost 125-107 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on
Thursday night.
A number of Lakers players gathered around the referees at midcourt after the
game and Reaves voiced his frustration to crew chief John Goble. He felt that
while players were jockeying for position during a jump ball during the game,
Goble crossed the line.
"At the end of the day, we're grown men and I just didn't feel like he needed
to yell in my face like that," Reaves said. "I told him that. I wasn't
disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would've gotten a tech.
I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech was because he knew he was in
the wrong. I felt disrespected."
Reaves, Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes all finished with five fouls. The Thunder
took 26 free throws to 21 for the Lakers. The loss sends Los Angeles home
facing a 2-0 deficit heading into Game 3 on Saturday.
Redick doesn't think a team with the No. 1 seed and the reigning MVP in Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander needs extra help from the officials.
"They're hard enough to play," Redick said. "They're hard to play, and you've
got to be able to just call them. They foul. They do foul."
James, still effective at attacking the rim at age 41, has attempted just five
throws in two games in the series.
"LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen. 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," Redick said.
"They get clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch."
On several occasions, Lakers players were incredulous after calls --- or
no-calls --- from the crew. While the Lakers talked to the officials during and
after the game, the Thunder players stayed calm. Redick believes that might
have helped them.
"I think some of the reason that they're officiated the way they are is because
they don't show emotion," Redick said. "And that's a credit to them. I mean,
they really take the emotion out of the game. They're super tight-knit. They
don't complain to the officials, and maybe they're the beneficiaries of that, I
don't know."
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
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