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Did LeBron James Blame the Referees for LA Lakers' Latest Loss Against the Phoenix Suns?
LeBron James hates losing a game of basketball and the King wasn't happy as Lakers lost against Phoenix Suns. However, he criticized the decision that went against his team throughout the game.
LeBron James wasn’t a happy man as the LA Lakers suffered their 28th loss of the campaign against the Phoenix Suns and dropped to 10th position in the Western Conference.
The four-time NBA champion was in no mood to let it go and hinted that referees are getting influenced by the statements from rival coaches.
The LA Lakers average 24.3 free throw attempts per game, ranking sixth in the NBA. Despite this, they only got eight free throws against the Suns when they could have definitely earned more.
It's common knowledge that the Lakers, led by players like LeBron and Anthony Davis, attack the paint for most of their points. Due to their ability to draw fouls at will, they have historically been able to outshoot their opponents in free-throw attempts.
With a free throw differential of +355, LA outperforms all other teams. This has led several coaches and teams to criticize the referees for favoring the Lakers.
What did LeBron James say?
Reacting to the Lakers' eight free throw attempts, LeBron said, "A lot of coaches, lot of teams were like, 'That's all the Lakers do, is get to the free throw line,' there's like this narrative out there that's all we do" (Via Spectrum SporstNet).
"Well, we do have attackers, that's for sure. We're not that team, and we're not making 40–50 3-pointers every game."
LeBron James continued, "Having eight free throw attempts is definitely not us."
Coaches statements affecting decisions against the LA Lakers?
On January 27, after the Lakers defeated the Warriors 145-144 in double overtime, head coach Steve Kerr took issue with LA's 43-16 free throw advantage. Steph Curry only made three free throws during that game, which infuriated him.
Kerr stated: "I might comment on the free throws they made, but I want to behave myself because my mom is here right now, so I won't talk about the 43 free throws they made compared to our 16."
Darko Rajakovic of the Toronto Raptors had a long rant about the Lakers winning 23-2 in the fourth quarter and 36-13 overall in free throws.
"Shame on the referees and shame on the NBA for allowing this to happen," declared Rajakovic.
With coaches criticizing the referees for favoring the LA Lakers with the free throws, the numbers have gone down. The Lakers aren’t getting whistles in their favor and some decisions are favoring the other teams.
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