"The illegal screening in our game is crazy!! Needs to be a point of emphasis" - LeBron James questions excessive physicality on screens and its refereeing ignorance in Boston vs Miami series, fans say, "Celtics been getting away with a lot of BS all playoffs"
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James may be supporting his former team the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, but his reaction to the nature of the calls regarding screens may stand in contradiction to that.
Calling out the nature of physical play and illegal screening to run an offense, LeBron had this to say:
The illegal screening in our game is crazy!! Needs to be a point of emphasis
"The illegal screening in our game is crazy!! Needs to be a point of emphasis."
Referring to the way both teams run their offense, LeBron James directly called out the refereeing as players on the floor consistently ran plays around illegal or moving screens.
Illegal screens have become more or less commonplace in the NBA at this point. The most notable offenses based on illegal screens are probably the ones based out of the Golden State Warriors' playbook.
As talented as they are THIS is why the Warriors are unbeatable. When @NBAOfficialRef decide to consistently call moving screens, their dominance will end. Don't get me wrong, they still win championships with KD. But without KD and illegal screens, NO. https://t.co/QdsEZsnY3t
Given their identity as a constant, free-flowing offense, the Dubs used to get away with a lot of moving screens in their heyday. While the league has adapted to the situation since, playoff basketball has always been different.
Unfortunately, the Heat did not enjoy the same success as the Warriors would have with the same tactics.
Having faced a 102-127 blowout loss against the Boston Celtics in Game 2, the Heat lost their first home game of the 2022 NBA playoffs. After giving up a huge lead in the first-half itself, Miami struggled to recover over the course of the rest of the game.
A short run spurred by Heat superstar Jimmy Butler saw things move in Miami's favor in the third-quarter. Unfortunately, Miami saw very little contribution from the remainder of their roster. With Marcus Smart also returning to the lineup, the full capability of the Celtics' defense was put on display.
Marcus Smart did everything in his return.
24 PTS
9 REB
12 AST (1 TOV)
3 STL
5 3PM
He was +32. No other starter was higher than +16. https://t.co/G35vkm3rwi
While both teams have engaged in some degree of "rule-bending" to their advantage, there is a way to explain why this may have been overlooked.
Understanding LeBron James' comments on the Miami-Boston series
Although LeBron James speaks from a place of experience with regard to illegal screens, there is some room to explain the nature behind the no-calls.
Considering that Miami usually plays small-ball, the size difference often benefits them when it comes to calls of this nature. With PJ Tucker practically getting away with holding a defender on screens, Miami benefits from playing an undersized 4, which in turn marginally skews referee perception and judgement.
Another issue to be noted here are the fake screens run by both teams. By virtue of having athletic big men, Miami and Boston tend to use their bigs as false picks, which forces the defense to commit to switches a lot faster.
While this isn't illegal by any means, the physical nature of the game may have was suggestive of some illegal actions such as holding the defender. However, this wasn't always the case for Game 2.
In this regard, Game 1 had a more noteworthy no-call as Jimmy Butler got away with an illegal screen on Grant Williams on the fastbreak.
Stripped, stolen, slammed 😤 https://t.co/A3hiEhJL8E
LeBron James' tweet generated a fair amount of traction as several fans also reacted to his comments on the game.
@KingJames Seriously like Celtics don't even set their feet dawg. Like Celtics been getting away with a lot of bs all playoffs. I think it's narrative for the league though to sell tickets because ain't no way haha.
@KingJames I definitely agree. I’m not even close to having Lebron’s eye for the game and I saw it the entire Atlanta vs Miami series. Miami did it all series long. And for him to say it while Miami is playing another team that possibly does it better then Miami is saying something.
The series has been hard-fought to say the least. While Game 2 may have been a physical one and resulted in a loss for Miami, it seems unlikely that either team is due to take their foot off the gas.