When the NBA released the L2M report of the Christmas day matchup between the Warriors and Cavaliers, Warriors fans’ complaints were legitimized. The NBA announced that the referees missed two critical late-game calls: A technical foul on LeBron James for hanging on the rim after a dunk, and a common foul on Richard Jefferson for tripping up Kevin Durant on the final play of the game. Kevin Durant isn’t accepting any of this as excuses, though, he told reporters Tuesday:
“The refs didn’t lose us that game. We lost that game… I think it’s bullshit that the NBA throws the refs under the bus like that.”
While the L2M reports can be nice from a fan’s perspective, Durant has a point. These reports don’t actually accomplish anything. They give fans more justification in saying “told you! We should have won that game!” That’s about it. These reports don’t change the outcomes of games, and all they’re doing is making the referees look bad. At some point the NBA needs to ask whether the L2M reports are more harmful than they are helpful.
Besides, the refs can’t be entirely blamed for the loss. The Warriors had a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Like Durant said, they lost that game.
