Shaquille O’Neal was never one to be excited about a trip to the free-throw line, but he understands the frustrations from players regarding late-game no-calls recently. The Diesel gave his take on two calls that lost the game for the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Detroit Pistons.
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Shaq lambasted officials for not doing their job when it matters most. He understands the lax nature of regular-season officiating, but once the postseason comes around, Shaq expects referees to be at their best, just like the players.
Instead, both the Lakers vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks vs. the Pistons first-round series are shrouded in controversy due to questionable officiating. Players are already under immense pressure playing for the NBA championship. Obvious officiating errors only add more tension to an already emotional environment.
“At this time of the season, everyone’s expected to play at a good level, towards championship level,” Shaq said.
“We expect the same from the referees. I can understand missed calls, but when you’re this close, Ernie [Johnson],” he added, pointing at his colleague sitting nearby, “I don’t wanna hear missed calls.”
The controversial no-call after Josh Hart slapped Tim Hardaway Jr.’s shooting shoulder, preventing him from getting a good look on the final shot in Game 4, was the main officiating gripe for most of the discussion. But late-game officiating again became the topic after an overturned call against LeBron James during the Lakers-Wolves Game 4.
Shaq criticized the refs for confidently calling the ball out of bounds off Anthony Edwards, only to reverse it into a foul on James. He believes officials look like they don’t know what they’re doing in real time when such a massive call can be overturned with ease after seeing the replay.
It makes matters even worse when officials make a public statement apologizing for their errors, especially following two games that likely decided the two series. Shaq believes that when officials come out and admit their failures, it only directs more anger at them from players and fans.
The Lakers have been vocal about officiating mistakes
Both JJ Redick and LeBron have been open about their issues with officiating throughout the first-round series. James was upset about the overturned call against him on Edwards, while Redick’s focus was on a missed call that would have sent Luka Doncic to the free-throw line.
“Let us just start with Luka got tripped. That was a blatant trip. He doesn’t just fall on his own,” Redick said concerning the missed foul call on Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels.
“We watched it. He gets tripped. So we should have been at the free-throw line. It’s not an excuse for why we lost, but he got fouled,” added the coach.
Redick made it clear that his team couldn’t afford to make excuses at this point in the season. The coach’s words turned ominous after LA crashed out, putting an end to a very underwhelming first playoff run for the franchise’s newest dynamic duo.
