Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was in clear disagreement with a call at the end of Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With the controversial foul call marking a 113-116 loss in a crucial game for the Lakers, James had to address it at the postgame press conference.
"That play happens all the time," said James, in response to questions about the call. "Hand is a part of the ball. That's what they say. I felt like the hand was a part of that ball. His hand was on top of that ball, and the ball stripped out on him. Seen that play over and over before, but it is what it is."
James addressed the call with an air of resignation. The "hand is part of the ball" rule is often exercised with a lot of discretion. Given how fine the margins are, game officials are put in increasingly difficult situations concerning how they interpret each situation.
With the balance of a game on the line, the referees opted for the most obvious answer, which happened to favor Minnesota. However, the call is considered controversial purely in light of how the rest of the game was also officiated, as head coach JJ Redick also addressed during his press conference statement.
The call going the Lakers' way coming out of the coach's challenge would have certainly had very different connotations. Unfortunately, the Purple and Gold hadn't lost the game solely on that one play.
Los Angeles went into the fourth quarter with a 10-point lead. However, fatigue had a major impact on both offensive and defensive integrity. The Lakers quickly succumbed to the Wolves' comeback charge led by Anthony Edwards.
The Lakers were visibly struggling to cope with the physicality of the game, as frustrations mounted and forced bad decisions. The buildup of lethargy also played a role as the second-half starters played the remainder of the game without any rest.
Luka Doncic, who barely recovered from illness, had himself a monster scoring performance with 38 points for the night. However, there will be concerns about his reduced role as a playmaker.
The Lakers are a far better unit when Doncic is running the show. A stagnant offense was shown to be ineffective in Game 1 itself, when the Slovenian recorded only one assist. In light of this, Doncic's two assists for Game 4 don't bode well for the Lakers' hopes of winning Game 5.
Meanwhile, James himself was completely taken out of the game in the fourth quarter. After a fairly dominant performance for the first three quarters, the Lakers forward looked indecisive and impatient in the fourth. While he ended the night with 27 points, he came up with zero points in the fourth.
Overall, the loss can be attributed to a great number of things. What is positive is that these faults can be addressed and fixed. However, facing a 3-1 deficit in the series certainly puts a lot more pressure on the team if they are to mount a comeback at this stage.
The Lakers will head home to Crypto.com Arena to keep their postseason aspirations alive with Game 5 set to take place on Wednesday at 10 pm ET.
