“Very Disappointed”: Frank Vogel Upset with Late Foul Calls Against The Lakers in Game 5

The Los Angeles Lakers could not seal the deal tonight. Coming into this game as the favorites to win, they fell short by three points as the Heat forced a Game 6. During the post-game press conference, coach Frank Vogel couldn’t control his disappointment with the referees for their foul calls on Jimmy Butler.

He said, “Tough loss. We were very close. I felt two bad calls at the end put Butler at the line. It’s unfortunate in a game of this magnitude. Anthony Davis has a perfect verticality. It should be a play-on. Before that, Markieff Morris has his hand on the ball. That should be a play-on.

They were given four free throws, making it an uphill battle for us. Very disappointed in that aspect of the game.”

Can the Los Angeles Lakers bounce back in Game 6?

Vogel certainly has faith in his men. Towards the end of the press conference, he said, “Our group’s fine. They’re going to have a better performance in Game 6 and we gotta play better for 48 minutes, leading up to that last minute.”

Only LeBron James and Anthony Davis shot above 50% for the Lakers tonight. It was by far LeBron’s best game this season, as he put up a mammoth 40 point game. He also shot efficiently, going 15/21 from the field and a superb 6/9 from downtown. To cap off this performance, he also had 12 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals as he put the team on his back.

Davis contributed well, scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 boards, but it wasn’t enough. The rest of the team was disappointing on both ends of the floor. Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo, both expected to step up as the third-best players on the team, shot a combined 4/17 from the field which includes 0/7 from the three-point line.

As the Lakers look to bounce back in the series, they need to be prepared for this mental battle. They need just one win to take home the title, but cannot afford any complacency now. The whole team needs to step up, not just their star players.