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The battle for the Lakers vs Nuggets in the NBA playoffs has entered a white-hot stage. In the fierce confrontation in G2, the Lakers fell behind the Nuggets 0-2 and faced the danger of being eliminated by the "straight four".
In this game, the referee's decision once caused strong dissatisfaction among the Lakers players, especially James, who was most angry that he did not receive a penalty point for his key layup.
The official referee report released by the NBA after the game confirmed that James did not receive an obvious foul on the layup, and the referee was not at fault for the penalty.
But the report also revealed that the referee also made a glaring omission in this game: failing to blow Jokic's defense for a three-second violation in time.
Maintaining the fairness and impartiality of the competition on the field is the sacred mission of the referees in every game. Just like this fierce clash between the Lakers and Nuggets, the referee's eyes will inevitably be confused by the figures of the players on the court, and the whistle will inevitably escape subjective cognitive bias.
When the disparity in strength between the two sides is not large, it is not uncommon for one or two missed judgments or misjudgments to be made, and they should not be overly pursued. However, in the high-intensity battle in the playoffs, every penalty often has a huge impact, and the fairness of the referee is questioned by players and fans at any time.
In this game, James's strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decision is a vivid example. James made a strong layup in the fourth quarter, but the referee didn't award him an extra free throw.
After the game, James bluntly said that he was obviously fouled, and even publicly questioned the referee's ability to make a penalty. The subsequent NBA referee report did not support James's questioning, confirming that he did not receive an obvious foul on the layup.
James' strong displeasure with the decision may stem from the frequent collisions he had suffered in the penalty area. In this game, James made a total of 15 two-pointers, but only got four free throws.
In contrast, Nuggets guard Murray made 13 two-pointers and made 12 free throws. James clearly felt the unequal treatment in the box, which also led to his growing dissatisfaction with referee Graham Potter Jr.
Although the referee's report confirmed that James was not visibly fouled on the layup, we can understand the source of James' emotions. After all, in front of the referee who pursues perfection and fairness, every player's body will feel unvalued.
Another glaring mistake by the referee in this game came in the three-second violation. With 1:53 left in the fourth quarter, Nuggets center Jokic stayed in the restricted area for more than 3 seconds, which is a typical defensive 3-second violation.
But the referees didn't blow the penalty in time, causing Jokic to escape a mistake. This undoubtedly gave the Nuggets an extra offensive opportunity and weakened the Lakers' resolve to defend the restricted area.
While the three-second penalty alone would not have had a decisive impact on the game, it still highlights the referee's omission in the dense alternating defence.
In contrast to the slight touches that were difficult to identify when James made a layup, Jokic's three-second violation clearly exceeded the referee's reaction limit. In the high-intensity competition of the playoffs, referees need to maintain a higher level of focus and judgment to avoid these kinds of misjudgments that can affect the game.
The clash between the Lakers and the Nuggets in this game can be described as strange and changeable. At one point, the Lakers led by as many as 20 points, with James and Davis scoring as if no one was in a no-man's land.
But in the fourth quarter, Nuggets Murray led the team to launch a crazy counterattack, and Commander Tajokic wreaked havoc on the inside, and finally reversed the tide of the game. Although the impact of several errors in the referee was limited, it more or less fueled the Nuggets' counterattack.
James said after the game that the Lakers will never give up and will fight back with all their might in the next game. Let's wait and see if the Lakers can pull one back in G3 and chase the score to 1-2. After all, in the brutal arena of the NBA, failure is always a thought.
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