LeBron James better never complain about the NBA officials’ conspiracy against the Lakers again. At least, if you ask Tyrese Haliburton, anyway.
The Pacers’ newly minted All-Star point guard subtly called the officiating crew for Thursday’s Lakers-Pacers game out after Indiana didn’t shoot a single free throw in the 4th quarter.
The Pacers had a poor quarter overall. They only scored 15 points and had an offensive rating of 65.2. Normally, they’ve got one of the best offenses in the league — especially when Haliburton is in the driver’s seat. So what happened?
Reporters asked the Pacers’ point guard about it in the post-game press conference and his explanation was incredible.
Basically, he blamed the lack of foul calls as the reason why the Pacers’ offense was bogged down. He also hilariously brought up the completely ridiculous “sleepless nights” tweet from the NBA Officials‘ Twitter account that still makes me cackle when I think about it.
This man is already an All-Star in the post-game press conference.
"I think we didn't get our first foul in the 4th until the last 30 seconds. I'm not going to say anything, but what was the tweet? Sleepless nights?"
Tyrese Haliburton brings up the NBA referees "sleepless nights" tweet after the loss to the Lakers 👀pic.twitter.com/eUHAOqhjfH
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 3, 2023
“Yeah, I don’t know, man. Some missed shots. I think there was a lot of stuff that went into it. Poor 4th quarter all around. I think we didn’t get our first foul until the last 30 seconds.”
Then, he made THIS face. And you know the vibes that come with this face.
Haliburton said he wasn’t going to say anything, but that face says it all. Then he finishes with “What was the tweet? Sleepless nights?” And it’s just perfect.
For those of you who don’t get it, this is the tweet Haliburton is referencing.
Like everyone else, referees make mistakes. We made one at the end of last night’s game and that is gut-wrenching for us. This play will weigh heavily and cause sleepless nights as we strive to be the best referees we can be.https://t.co/WyN8QVuTOl
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) January 29, 2023
This happened after LeBron James and the Lakers complained for essentially an entire day after the officials missed a game-changing foul call at the end of their matchup against the Celtics. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. At least, according to Haliburton.
For what it’s worth, Haliburton said the Pacers didn’t get a foul call “until the last 30 seconds” of the game, which is incorrect. The Lakers were called for 3 fouls in the quarter, but none of them actually led to free throws for Indiana. So his point still stands, sort of.
CONSPIRACY. He’ll definitely get a fine for this one. But I’m sure LeBron James, of all people, will appreciate it.
