The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night, but LeBron James believes there was some controversy over a last-minute shot that could have tied the game.
"It's obviously a [3-pointer]," James said after the 108-106 loss to the West-leading Timberwolves. "My foot was behind the line. You can see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. You can clearly see the wood on the floor. There's a space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line. Even Stevie Wonder can see that, champ."
The play came with 3.1 seconds left as James hit a long 2-point shot to cut the Timberwolves' lead to 107-106. The referees stopped the game to look at the play where, depending where you pause the replay, it appears that James's foot is behind the line.
NBA X (formerly Twitter) user Rob Perez also dissected the play, noting that the screenshot doesn't show when the ball left LeBron's hands, making a decision tougher for replay officials in Secaucus, New Jersey.
Ultimately, the call stood as a 2-point shot, which drew the ire of James and spawned a new meme.
NBA official Tony Brothers appeared to give James a quick explanation but also said "That's what [another referee] ruled, not me." James continued his rant over the play by taking aim at the replay officials who helped the call on the court stand.
"I talked to the other ref and they said it was out of their hands," James said. "Secaucus...whatever...over there in the replay center...whatever, somebody over there eating a ham sandwich or somebody made the call."
James's comment is even funnier when you consider an old photo of ESPN NBA analyst Steve Javie, who appears to be eating a ham sandwich in front of a replay monitor during an in-game interview.
James's frustration is understandable after the Lakers appeared to mount a last-minute comeback. Mike Conley's 3-pointer with 36 seconds to go gave Minnesota a 107-100 lead but James knocked down an and-1 to cut the lead to 107-103, and the Lakers made it 107-104 after Austin Reaves hit a free throw awarded after Jaden McDaniels was called for technical foul.
That led to James's controversial shot on his 39th birthday.
"It's super frustrating in the sense of what the hell we've got replay for," James said. "What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong? It's like, who is a part of the replay center? We've got robots in there that are making the decisions? Is that what's going on? If you don't see that, that is clear. ...It doesn't make sense and that's a tie game and we're fighting for our asses playing the No. 1 team in the West right now and that was frustrating."
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