Lebron James Lakers Get Robbed In Boston But Its Set Up Once Again By Darvin Hams Late-game Coaching

and the have not gotten an accurate whistle down the stretch in a handful of games this season. That trend burned them again Saturday night in a brutal 125-121 overtime lo s against the in Boston. With the score tied 105-105, the Lakers had a frontcourt sideline out of bounds with 4.1 seconds to play in regulation. LeBron curled around the top for the inbound pa s and continued directly downhill, getting all the way to the rim for a game-winning layup attempt.He didn't even draw iron, and for an obvious reason. He was clearly fouled by , who hacked clear as day straight acro s LeBron's left forearm. LeBron James was clearly fouled with a chance to win the Lakers-Celtics game, but the refs didn't call it. He was not happy. The Comeback (@thecomeback) Here's a NFL New York Giants Jersey closer look. Stop *** on these clearly rigged games. LeBron obviously fouled. Tony Clements (@TonyCMKE) Never mind the rigged comment in the tweet. These games are not rigged. They just mi sed the call, plain and simple. Per multiple reports, the league didn't even wait for its usual next-day Last Two Minute Report to admit that they mi sed the call. The NBA has already determined in its postgame review that the officials got the call wrong on the Lakers last po se sion of the 4th Q and a Jayson Tatum should have been called for a shooting foul on LeBron James, league sources told ESPN. Dave McMenamin (@mcten) You can understand LeBron's frustration reaching a boiling point. This isn't the first time this has happened to him or the Lakers this season. Heck, it's not even the first time it's happened this month. LeBron James on the final po se sion: You saw my reaction. Its challenging. I dont get it. Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) Indeed, James was burned by a no-call on another potential game-winning layup attempt in a double-overtime lo s to Dallas on Jan. 12; the Rhett Ellison Jersey Last Two Minute Report confirmed that indeed hacked LeBron with the score tied and the final seconds ticking down at the end of the first overtime. The play referenced in the L2M from last nights Lakers-Mavs game, for those who mi sed out. Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) So, yeah, this is another tough beat for LeBron and the Lakers, who don't have the error margin to absorb multiple late-game robberies. That said, in both the examples referenced, the Lakers never should've been in a position to be wronged by the officials in the first place.After the lo s to the , Darvin Ham admitted he was "kicking himself in the butt" for not double-teaming with the Lakers up three at the end of regulation, instead letting him play one on one and ultimately hit the game-tying 3-pointer. But that wasn't Ham's first or biggest mistake on that po se sion. He should've had the Lakers foul Doncic before the shot to keep him or anyone else from even attempting a game-tying 3.I've said it a hundred times, and I'll say it again. Being allowed to intentionally foul, an act that, in spirit, is supposed to be a detriment to your chances of B.J. Hill Jersey succe s, when you're up by three late in a game is stupid. But until the league figures out a way to enforce its own rules with integrity, there is no statistical justification for allowing an opponent to attempt a game-tying 3-pointer over sending them to the free-throw line for two shots.Yet there are still coaches, like Ham, who are either too stubborn to accept basic math or too afraid of fouling in the act of shooting -- these are profe sionals, they should be able to figure it out -- to do the smart thing. You would think that after watching Doncic burn the Lakers with a game-tying 3 a few weeks earlier, Ham wouldn't make the same mistake again. But he did. On the po se sion before James was robbed of potential game-winning free throws, the Lakers had a three-point lead with the clock winding under 10 seconds. L.A. had multiple chances to foul and keep the Celtics from a game-tying attempt, beginning with . and having double teamed at the top of the key.Instead, they let Brown swing the ball to Tatum, who swung it to , who had a wide-open 3 in the corner. That's the shot defenses try to guard against all game, and the Lakers willingly let the Celtics shoot it with the game on the line when they had multiple opportunities to foul instead.Horford mi sed, but that's not the point. That's awful coaching being bailed out by good luck ... at least initially. See, the other problem with letting teams attempt game-tying 3s is that they are far more likely to generate an offensive rebound than a free throw, and sure enough that's exactly what happened. swooped in to grab Horford's Cody Latimer Jersey mi s and finished a layup ... plus the foul on Beverley. He made the free throw to tie the game, and you know what happened from there. Jaylen Brown is everywhere JB secured the board and bucket plus one in tonight's Play of the Game Boston Celtics (@celtics) To be clear, Beverley made a dumb play by fouling Brown. You're up three. Let the guy lay it up. Trying to contest that shot is a catastrophic error. But things happen in chaotic situations. Clock winding down. Tight game. Loose rebound. Instincts and emotions take over. Again, that scenario never should've played out. Ham has to instruct the Lakers to foul.These are not the only late-game mistakes Ham has made this season. You can very much question his super-small closing lineups. On Saturday, he didn't play the entire fourth quarter (smart), only to throw him into the fire in the middle of overtime (not smart). Westbrook made some good plays in overtime and he made some bad plays. Again, not the point. If he's not trustworthy enough to be on the floor in the fourth quarter, it's a prayer to randomly throw him into overtime, especially as part of a tiny three-guard lineup that collectively can't shoot.A couple weeks ago, Ham let Westbrook absolutely botch the game's final po se sion with the Lakers trailing the Sixers by one rather than call timeout and ensure that LeBron get to at least touch the ball in such a crucial moment. This is an indescribably bad po se sion. Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) Ham said after that lo s that he never considered calling a timeout because he liked the Westbrook vs. matchup. "I'll take that scenario every day of the week and twice on Sundays," Ham said.As I wrote at the time, and as I will write again, that comment is nothing more than Ham trying to have Westbrook's back and perhaps protect his own by rationalizing a bad decision. That po se sion was a wreck, and you could see it happening damn near in slow motion.Even if Phil McConkey Jersey Ham initially liked the matchup, once Westbrook fumbled the ball, there was no way that was going to work out. Had Ham called timeout at that moment, with still roughly seven seconds on the clock, he could've designed a play to get LeBron the ball and ensure the Lakers get a good look at the basket. These are horrific decisions, and they are costing the Lakers crucial wins that they cannot afford to lose. It happened again on Saturday, when the officials stole a game from the Lakers that Ham should've finished one po se sion earlier.
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