LeBron James thought that his 39th birthday big shot added to his reputation.
The NBA’s video center had a different opinion, which is why James criticized the way the league handles replays.
James Һit what he thought was a three-pointer that tied the game with 3.3 seconds left in the game. The Los Angeles Lakers were playing the top team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves, on the road.
After being reviewed by the NBA’s video center in Secaucus, New Jersey, it was decided to be a two-point shot. The Lakers lost 108–106 on Saturday night.
“It’s almost certainly a three,” James said. “I put my foot on the line.” You can see the space where my foot meets the three-point line. The white and the wood on the floor are easy to see. There is room between the front of my foot and the three-point line. That’s something Stevie Wonder can see, champ.”
While James was sick all day, he scored 26 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. However, it was his shot and the video that mаde him mаd at the league’s review center.
“They said it was out of their hands,” James said about what the officials told him. “The call was made by someone in the replay center or somewhere else, either eating a ham sandwich or being from Secaucus.”
Tony Brothers, an official, said in a pool report after the game that the review wasn’t clear enough to change the call on the field.
Brother said, “The play was called a two-point field goal on the floor during live play.” “After watching the video, there wasn’t strong proof to change it from a two-point field goal to a three-point field goal, so it stayed as a two-point field goal.”
James thought the video proof was strong enough. Brothers told the crowd in the arena what the decision was, and James went straight to the scorer’s table and pointed to the repeat monitor.
“What in the Һell did we get a replay for? It’s annoying.” James talked. “Why do we have replay if it still gets it wrong?” It’s like, who works at the video center? For example, do we have robots making Teslas? What is going on? That is very clear if you don’t see it.
The frustration came after James said he woke up with an illness and stayed in bed until 4:30 pm. when he got ready to head to the arena.
“I took a few more naps and then I finally just got out of bed at like 4:30, got a shower,” James said. “It helped me a little bit. Caught the five o’clock bus and, I guess, felt OK to play. I felt I could make some plays to help us win the ballgame.”
The Lakers play Sunday afternoon for the second of a back-to-back in New Orleans. James said he was unsure if he’d be play to play Sunday and would wait to see how he felt a day later.
Elsewhere, the Detroit Pistons ended their NBA record-tying losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 victory over the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Saturday night as Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists.
The Pistons, who hadn’t won since 28 October, matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. They finished one shy of the record for the four major American and Canadian leagues, set by the Chicago Cardinals.
Jalen Duren had 18 points and 17 rebounds for Detroit (3-29) while Kevin Knox II scored 17 points.
Pascal Siakam had 35 points and Dennis Schroder scored 28 for Toronto, which was playing the second half of a back-to-back. The Raptors traded OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks earlier in the day. They received RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, but they were not available on Saturday.