Warriors’ 30 Sec Shot Clock Advantage Over the Lakers Sparks Rigging Accusations Against the NBA

LeBron James vs Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have become one of the premier matchups the NBA has to offer. From 2015 to 2018, the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers faced Steph and the Warriors in the NBA Finals. While LeBron left the Cavs in 2018, his matchups against the Dubs still garner significant attention. Yesterday, James faced the Warriors again in a match with high stakes.

However, the game was marred by dubious officiating calls and a malfunctioning shot clock. The Warriors eventually won the game by a scoreline of 121-128, with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combining for 57 points. Jonathan Kuminga also made a significant contribution by scoring 23 points. LeBron James tried his best to turn the tide in the Lakers’ favor by recording 40 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds. However, they couldn’t cope without Anthony Davis, who played just 12 minutes before he suffered a facial injury.

Nevertheless, following the game, the main topic of discussion revolved around the malfunctioning shot clock. During one possession, the Warriors took advantage of a 30-second shot clock error. The malfunctioning shot clock also caused a 20-minute delay towards the end of the game. This visibility frustrated LeBron James, as the Lakers trailed by just 7 points with 1:40 minutes left. He even humorously remarked, “I’m too old for this sh*t.”

Warriors’ star Stephen Curry also expressed his astonishment at the unusual incident that occurred in the Crypto.com Arena in a post-match interview. He said, “I had never seen anything like that in my 15 years because usually there’s a backup plan, secondary clock or something. But definitely weird.” Although Steph and LeBron have downplayed this incident as a one-off, several fans believe there is some serious foul play by the NBA.

Fans voice their opinion on the shot clock malfunction

It would be an understatement to suggest that the Lakers’ fans weren’t happy with the shot clock situation. It completely killed the momentum that the Lakers had generated in the previous minutes. What could have been a highly entertaining game between two rivals turned into a straightforward win for the Warriors. Moreover, LBJ immediately losing the ball after introducing the manual shot clock can also be attributed to technical failure. Several Lakers fans took to X to voice their displeasure, with one of the fans calling this downright unforgivable.

Another fan mentioned Gilbert Arenas words and expressed his belief in the statement that the NBA may be fixed.

A disappointed Lakers fans said that the NBA won’t take any accountability and sweep this matter under the rug as well.

One of the fans even declared the shot clock failure as a sabotage for the Lakers.

The verdict of the timing change was further questioned by a fan who pointed out a previous instance where officials acted unfavorably towards LeBron James.

The frustration of fans was also visible in the Crypto.com Arena as they threw their hands and looked around for an answer to what was happening. While the incident is already drawing a lot of flak, things could have been worse if this was a home turf match for the Golden State Warriors.

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What are your thoughts on the matter? Is the NBA rigged? let us know in the comments below.