Los Angeles Lakers teammates LeBron James and Anthony Davis both felt cheated after losing to the Boston Celtics in overtime Saturday at TD Garden thanks to a missed call to end of regulation.
James, 38, was slapped on the arm by Jayson Tatum as he drove to the basket in the final play of the fourth quarter.
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After the game, James expressed that frustration has been building this season, explaining his fit of rage after the blown call.
“I watch these games every single day,” James said. “I don’t see it happening to anybody else. It’s just weird.”
James said he does not know how the NBA can fix bad officiating, but stated that the Purple & Gold have no room for error.
Anthony Davis feels ‘cheated’ after Celtics loss
“It’s bulls–t,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, it’s unacceptable and I guarantee nothing is gonna happen to the refs. We got cheated tonight.”
The pool report on the final seconds of regulation proved that James was fouled by Tatum.
Crew Chief Eric Lewis explained that they did not see contact in real time, but admitted there was a missed foul call on James, confirming Davis feeling “cheated.”
The NBA official also touched on why Patrick Beverley received a technical foul when he showed him a picture of the foul on a camera.