The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors last night for the third time in four games. Now, they’re faced with the nearly impossible task of winning three straight games –including two in Oakland– vs. a team that has only lost two consecutive games one time this season(Western Conference Finals vs. OKC). Tyronn Lue, head coach of the Cavs, was not pleased with the game’s officiating. From Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue might face a fine for complaining about the officiating following his team’s 108-97 loss Friday night to the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Lue was upset LeBron James took just four free throws despite repeated drives to the basket. The officials generally allowed both teams to get away with contact during the game.
“He never gets calls,” Lue said. “I mean, he attacks. Outside of Russell Westbrook, he’s one of the guys that attacks the paint every single play. And he doesn’t get a fair whistle all the time because of his strength and because of his power and guys bounce off of him. But those are still fouls, and we weren’t able to get them. But we’ve got to play through officiating.”
…
“It’s been like that all year, for the most part,” James said. “I’m not quite sure what I can do personally to get to the free throw line, but I’ve got to continue to be aggressive for our team.
“I’m getting hit, but the refs are not seeing it that way on my drives. … It’s tough playing 46 minutes and only going to the line four times, as much as I attack the rim. So it’s just a tough situation for our team.”
James is probably right that refs are hesitant to call fouls due to his size and strength. He’s 6’8″, 250 pounds of muscle, and without fouling, he’s near impossible to stop when he drives. Regardless though, a foul is a foul, and should be called fairly. On the other hand, refs make mistakes. Lue and James both need to realize that. There were plenty of missed calls that favored the Cavs in last night’s game as well. LeBron will need to understand that he’s not going to get every call, deal with it, and play on. Look for Lue to receive a fine for complaining about the officiating.
