The NBA playoffs are underway.
And LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in the middle of controversy.
Now LeBron James melted down after this humiliating performance.
James unleashes expletive-filled rant after Lakers blow a 20-point lead
The Denver Nuggets capped a furious rally to overcome a 20-point deficit and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven First Round series against the Lakers when Jamal Murray hit a buzzer-beater to give the Nuggets a 101-99 win.
But all LeBron James could fume about in his postgame comments to reporters was the NBA replay center overturning a foul call against Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. earlier in the game.
“I don’t understand what’s going on in the replay center, to be honest,” James fumed. “D-Lo clearly gets hit in the face on the drive. What the f*** do we have a replay center . . . it doesn’t make sense. It makes no sense. It bothers me.”
“What the fuck do we have a replay center [for]…makes no sense to me”
-LeBron James wasn’t happy with the officiating tonightpic.twitter.com/SZ5kDN0To1
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 23, 2024
Unless it’s in the final seconds, one foul call never decides a game.
What James is likely upset about is the fact that, at age 39, his window to win a title is about to slam shut and he may end up leaving the Lakers.
Murray’s heroics
Jamal Murray hit a 15-foot shot over 6’11 Lakers center Anthony Davis to give his team the win.
“I just lost my balance and fell. I think A.D. was in my way or somebody was in my way and I just heard everybody scream and that’s how I knew it went in,” Murray told reporters after the game.
Murray averages 21 points per game but missed 13 of his first 16 shots in game 2.
But Murray said his teammates told him to keep shooting because they had faith in his abilities.
“I told my teammates when I was struggling, ‘I’m gonna look for y’all,’ and every single one of them told me to keep shooting,” Murray added. “They told me to stay aggressive and keep looking for it, keep hunting and when I had the ball with two seconds left, I knew once I had made a couple, the next one should go down, as well.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone took the unusual step of not calling a timeout following LeBron James’ missed shot with 13 seconds left.
A time out advances the ball to half court while giving Malone a chance to draw up a play.
But Malone trusted his players and the Nuggets showed why they are the defending champs.
“That’s Jamal Murray right there,” Malone stated. “He can struggle, he can struggle, he can struggle. He sees one go in and he’s never shying away from the moment, the spotlight. And that was just an incredible play.”