The Lakers‘ 108–107 loss to the Heat on Monday dropped Los Angeles below .500, and set off alarm bells up and down coach Darvin Ham’s team.
In response to the defeat, Ham criticized the officials postgame and the Lakers reportedly sent a video to the league depicting myriad instances of Miami fouling forward LeBron James without getting called for it.
Per Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel in South Florida, the NBA confirmed every call in the last two minutes of the game was correct. James, however, took issue with that characterization on social media Tuesday evening.
“The game isn’t won or lost in the last 2 mins!” James wrote. “If you know the game things happen throughout the 1st, 2nd. 3rd and first 10 mins of 4th that has MAJOR impact on outcomes.”
The game isn’t won or lost in the last 2 mins! If you know the game things happen throughout the 1st, 2nd. 3rd and first 10 mins of 4th that has MAJOR impact on outcomes. https://t.co/ReW6r43Wax
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 8, 2023
After the game Monday, Ham expressed his belief that the Heat were treated differently by officials on account of their style of play.
“I’ve been around this league a long time, man,” Ham said. “You have a crew chief, supposedly along with his counterparts, who has this game under control. All I want is an explanation sometimes. … Miami plays a physical brand of basketball. We’re not complaining about how physical they are. We just want balance and consistency.”
