LeBron James blasts NBA for ‘missed’ foul calls in Lakers vs. Heat

LeBron James – Le Bron James (cropped 2) – CC BY-SA

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has expressed frustration over what he believes were continuous missed foul calls during the game against the Miami Heat on Monday, which ended with the Lakers’ loss by 107-108.

ESPN reported that one day after the game, the Lakers sent a formal complaint to the NBA’s league office concerning the repeated occurrences of missed foul calls.

Along with the complaint, the Lakers sent multiple video clips from the game to show moments when Heat players conducted what they viewed as illegal physical contact against James that the referees had not called out.

Even though James came out as the Lakers’ top scorer with 30 points, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said James should have been given more opportunities at the free throw line.

“I see Bron shooting four free throws. And the amount of times he attacked the rim, the amount of times he was slapped on the arm, which I could see plain as day, for that not to be called, man… he’s not flopping. I’m watching him go to the hole strong,” said Ham.

Instances of missed foul calls

James took an example of one drive when he tried to dunk over Heat center Thomas Bryant during the last two minutes of the third quarter. In one of the clips, Bryant can be seen elbowing his arm straight into James’ face.

After the incident, James said he had asked the referees for an explanation concerning the elbowing. However, the referees claimed they did not see any illegal physical contact.

Realizing that the referees did not make any foul call, Ham protested to the point he eventually earned a technical foul.

In another clip, the Lakers also showed a sequence in which Heat guard Duncan Robinson pushed James in the back during a ball transition.

“I mean, I don’t know what to [say],” said James.

“I’m going over to them respectfully and telling them what’s going on in the plays, and I consistently go to the line three or four times a game. Sometimes not even at all, which is weird.”

Including his four free throw attempts in the game against the Heat, James is averaging 5.7 free throws per game this season over seven games, a decrease from his career-wide average of 7.7 free throws each game.