WATCH: Did Officiating Double Standards Against Anthony Davis Cost Lakers the Game vs Knicks?

Ever since the officiating rule change at the start of this season, referees have come under the microscope. Especially when it comes down to deciding calls that hint at a team or a player getting targeted. And just like James Harden, now the Lakers fans are also not happy with the way the referees have been officiating. Especially in their game against the New York Knicks, which they played tonight at the Madison Square Garden.

On Carmelo Anthony’s return to the Madison Square Garden, they gave him a tech foul for shoving Randle off the court. While what Anthony did was not justified, on a similar call against Randle, the foul was not given. Look and decide if you see any partiality in the calls given for both the fouls.

In the above-shown play, at no point was Carmelo right in doing what he did. However, this happened in the same game where Randle was not called for a foul for a similar play on Anthony Davis.

What does this mean for the Lakers?

In the absence of LeBron James, one crucial difference on the floor was getting calls for fouls. Fans have often complained that LeBron James gets away with doing things on the floor that no other player would. Is that a sign of the referees acknowledging that he is the greatest of all time?

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Earlier in history, we have also seen Michael Jordan attain that status. They released footage where a referee was openly consulting with Jordan while he was on the floor to call a foul. Similarly, it is increasingly becoming evident that in LeBron’s absence; the Lakers don’t have the referees’ attention to make the right calls.

Why is LeBron James not playing?

Following an altercation with Isaiah Stewart that resulted in Stewart bleeding, they suspended LeBron from the league for 1 game. Unfortunately for the Lakers and Knicks fans, the suspension was for the game when the Lakers play at the Madison Square Garden. The Lakers lost this game by 6 points. Would you attribute this loss to poor refereeing? LeBron’s absence? Or did the Knicks purely outclass the Lakers? Let us know what you think in the comments.

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