The Los Angeles Lakers are headed home facing an 0-2 deficit after a 125-107 loss to Oklahoma City on Thursday night, but the final score tells only part of the story. Coach JJ Redick spent his postgame comments not praising the Thunder's execution, but questioning how his star player LeBron James is treated by officials.
James managed 23 points despite getting few opportunities at the free throw line. Through two games, the 41-year-old has attempted just five free throws total. That disparity stood out to Redick, who painted a stark picture of what he views as an unfair pattern.
"LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen," Redick said. "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. They get clobbered, and he got clobbered again tonight a bunch."
The free throw disparity extended beyond James. Oklahoma City shot 26 free throws compared to Los Angeles' 21, and three Lakers players, including guard Austin Reaves, finished with five fouls. Reaves didn't hold back after the game, confronting crew chief John Goble at midcourt over what he described as disrespectful treatment.
"At the end of the day, we're grown men and I just didn't feel like he needed to yell in my face like that," Reaves said. "I told him if I did that to him first, I would've gotten a tech. I feel like the only reason I didn't get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong."
Redick noted that Oklahoma City, despite being the top seed with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, doesn't need additional help. He offered a theory about why they may be receiving favorable treatment anyway.
"I think some of the reason that they're officiated the way they are is because they don't show emotion," Redick said. "They really take the emotion out of the game. They're super tight-knit. They don't complain to the officials, and maybe they're the beneficiaries of that, I don't know."
The Thunder were clinical in Game 2. Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren each scored 22 points, with Ajay Mitchell contributing 20 and Jared McCain adding 18. Oklahoma City improved to 6-0 in the playoffs and now has a commanding series advantage heading into Saturday's Game 3 in Los Angeles.
Reaves put up 31 points on efficient 10-for-16 shooting to lead the Lakers' offensive effort, but it wasn't enough. Los Angeles remains without scoring champion Luka Doncic, sidelined indefinitely with a strained left hamstring, placing additional burden on James and Reaves to produce.
The way Redick characterized the game tells you something about the Lakers' mindset entering their home stand. The team believes it's fighting not just an opponent, but also the officials themselves.
Author James Rodriguez: "If Redick's right about the whistle disparities, the Lakers have a legitimate gripe, but they're also using it as an excuse to avoid confronting how badly they've been outplayed in two straight losses."
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