Lakers voice frustration with controversial no-call in loss to C's originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Resiliency, and perhaps some help from the officials, propelled the Boston Celtics to a thrilling overtime victory vs. the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night.
With the game tied, Jayson Tatum appeared to foul Lakers superstar LeBron James at the rim in the final seconds of regulation. But instead of letting James attempt to seal L.A.'s win at the free throw line, the refs sent the game into OT. James' meltdown after the play says it all.
Lakers guard Patrick Beverley received a technical foul for bringing a camera to veteran ref Eric Lewis, presumably showing him a photo of the missed call.
The NBA determined in its postgame review that officials missed the call, but that didn't make the Lakers feel any better about what had transpired. Anthony Davis didn't mince words about the situation after the game.
"It's bulls--t," Davis told reporters. "It's unacceptable. And I guarantee nothing's going to happen to the refs. We got cheated tonight. It's a blatant foul. ... It's unacceptable, to be honest. The refs were bad tonight."
Celtics-Lakers takeaways: Jaylen Brown gets redemption in wild OT win
Lakers coach Darvin Ham took a more measured approach during his postgame press conference, but his frustration was clear.
"As much as you try not to put it on officiating, it's becoming increasingly difficult," Ham said. ... "The best player on Earth can't get a call. It's amazing."
James said enough with his stunned reaction, but he added after the loss that blatant missed calls are becoming a trend for his team.
"You saw my reaction," he said. "It's challenging. I don't get it. I'm attacking the paint just as much as any of the other guys ... It's been building. You've seen some of the games we've lost with late-game missed calls ... I don't see it happening to nobody else."
Celtics star Jaylen Brown acknowledged the missed call, but it's safe to say he doesn't feel any sympathy for the other side.
"Looked like they might have missed a call on their end towards the end of the game," he said. "But that's life. They'll be alright."
Tatum had a humorous reaction.
"The last two minutes and overtime was a blur. I don't really know what happened," he quipped.
Brown dropped 37 points, including 11 in OT, to lead the Celtics to a wild 125-121 victory. After snapping their three-game skid, the C's will have three days off before hosting the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
