NBA referee admits LeBron James was fouled by Jayson Tatum - "At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul"
LeBron James and the LA Lakers had the opportunity to win the game over the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. However, this did not happen since the referees once again made poor decisions near the end of the game. The Lakers set up a play for James in the dying moments, which involved LBJ driving in the lane for a potential game-winning layup.
With 4.1 seconds to go, Dennis Schroder was able to inbound the ball to LeBron James. As James attacked the basket, three Celtics players attempted to stop the potential game-winner. Jayson Tatum then swooped in from behind and fouled James as he tried to block the shot. However, Tatum was never called for a foul, which is the main reason why the game went into overtime.
LBJ and the Lakers were furious as everyone saw contact in the final play. LeBron could've been sent to the line to bring the game within one or two and potentially win the game. After the game concluded with a 125-121 Celtics victory, one of the referees admitted that there should've been a foul call.
“There was contact," NBA referee Eric Lewis stated. "At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play.”
Ref Eric Lewis in pool report on the missed Jayson Tatum foul on LeBron James that sent the game to OT: ““There was contact. At the time, during the game, we did not see a foul. The crew missed the play.”
While it's great that the referees own up to their mistakes, it doesn't really matter once the game is over. This is why many NBA players and basketball fans have been indifferent to the officials as of late. Poor decision-making by the refs has greatly affected a plethora of games. Even LeBron himself is fed up and expressed his frustrations on social media earlier this month.
LeBron James' brilliant performance ends up in a disgusting loss
LeBron James put the LA Lakers on his back once again in an attempt to defeat the Boston Celtics. While the Lakers fell to a hard-fought loss to the Celtics at TD Garden, many fans believe that LA would've won the game had the referees called a foul on Jayson Tatum, who swatted James' arm in the final play of the fourth quarter.
As many expected, LeBron James had another magnificent night as he added 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. James shot efficiently on Saturday, shooting 50% from the field and 50% from behind the arc. Everything seemed to be going LBJ's way until the referees let an obvious foul call slip, sending the game into overtime.