Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick sharply criticized the officiating following his team’s 125-107 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Thursday.
Redick, who received a technical foul in the first quarter for arguing with referee Ben Taylor, expressed frustration over what he viewed as inconsistent foul calls, particularly those involving LeBron James.
“LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen,” Redick said, via ESPN. “I mean, I’ve been with him two years now. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it’s hard for them. He gets clobbered. He got clobbered again tonight, a bunch.
“And that’s not like a new thing. That’s not specific to this crew or this series. He gets fouled a lot and it doesn’t [get called]. The guy gets hit on the head more than any player I’ve seen on drives, and it rarely gets called.”
Austin Reaves, who scored a playoff career-high 31 points, confronted crew chief John Goble late in the game, citing what he felt was disrespectful treatment during a disputed double foul situation. Reaves emphasized he had remained respectful throughout but felt the official overstepped.
The Lakers were assessed 26 fouls compared to Oklahoma City’s 21, with the Thunder earning more free throw attempts.
“I sarcastically said the other day, they’re the most disruptive team without fouling,” Redick said. “I mean, they have a few guys that foul on every possession. … They’re hard enough to play. They’re hard enough to play, you’ve got to be able to just call them if they foul, and they do foul.”
Redick acknowledged the emotion displayed by his players while praising their composure amid the challenges. The series now stands at 2-0 in favor of the Thunder.
