The Boston Celtics suffered a heartbreaking loss against Tyrese Haliburton and Co. on Monday. Both teams fought until the final whistle, and the game could have gone either way. But some controversial calls by the officials during the final seconds of the game helped the Pacers come out on top with a 133-131 win. The Celtics were desperately missing their superstar, Jayson Tatum, who was ruled out due to injury management.
Despite not playing in the game, Tatum was not pleased with the NBA’s L2M report on the controversial play between Jaylen Brown and Buddy Hield.
Jayson Tatum unhappy with NBA’s L2M report
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NBA released their L2M report for the final plays of the Celtics vs. Pacers game. With just 4 seconds remaining on the clock, Jaylen Brown rose for a shot in an attempt to win the game. Pacers guard Buddy Hield blocked him from behind. The officials initially called a shooting foul on Hield. But the decision was reversed after the Pacers challenged the official’s initial call. NBA’s L2M report showed that the reversal of the foul called on Buddy Hield was a correct call. Jayson Tatum reacted to the controversial report on X, “Well this was some bs.”
Well this was some bs https://t.co/rF02xiGMFM
— Jayson Tatum (@jaytatum0) January 9, 2024
Tatum’s frustration is understandable because the officials blew two crucial calls after the reversal of the Buddy Hield foul. The report also showed that the referees missed a screen foul on Pacers Center Myles Turner when only 2 seconds remained on the clock. And more importantly, the shooting foul called on Kristaps Porzingis that gave Bennedict Mathurin two free throws to win the game was an incorrect call.
Had the officials got those two calls right, the outcome could have been different.
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Players don’t complain when calls go their way
When the NBA’s L2M report clearly shows that the officials missed multiple calls in the most crucial moments of the game, the referees should be held accountable for their mistakes. Jayson Tatum is right to vent his frustration because the wrong calls cost his team the game. But the officials’ wrong decision is a double-edged sword. No player complains about a missed or wrong call by the officials when it is in their favor. The same thing happened last season with Jayson Tatum.
When the Lakers were facing the Celtics in January last year, LeBron James drove to the rim for a layup to win the game. But Tatum blocked LeBron’s shot, and the game went to overtime. LeBron was furious at the officials for not calling a foul. The replay clearly showed Tatum coming nowhere close to the ball and slapping LeBron’s forearm. But no one from the Celtics complained about the missed call. So, Tatum can be satisfied with the fact that sometimes the missed calls will also go in his favor.
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What do you make of the L2M report? Do you think the referees need some accountability for these incorrect calls?
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