Bets are now being placed for the size of fine that LeBron James will receive from the the office after his comments following the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, 110-94.
After the game, James told reporters that he was sick of the officiating with reference to his drives. In particular, LeBron pointed out that he felt that shooters were being better protected than some of the more powerful drivers like him.
LeBron recorded a near triple-double in the loss to San Antonio, scoring 33 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists. That still wasn’t enough for the Cavaliers to push past their Western Conference rivals as LeBron & Co. lost by 16.
Via Twitter:
LeBron was frustrated with the officiating in today's game. #Cavs pic.twitter.com/tT817YD7tM
— clevelanddotcom Cavs (@PDcavsinsider) February 25, 2018
We saw quite a bit of complaining about officiating to start the season as the NBA has rotated in some less-experienced referees. Gregg Popovich got his fill. Kevin Durant went off. Steve Kerr blasted the refs. James Harden had strong words about an officiating setup. Patrick Patterson got fined $10,000 for criticizing the refs.
Fans and players alike were pushing for the league, NBRA, and NBPA to meet, which they were supposed to have done. We’re only a few days out from the All-Star break, so we still have yet to decide whether a change has taken place on the floor.
How he has been officiated has been a complaint of LeBron’s all season long, and so it’s not great news that he is talking about it just a week away from the All-Star game. James has posted the second-lowest FTA per 100 possessions of his career in 2017-18, trailing only his rookie season.