1 Reasonable Way to Hold Referees More Accountable for Controversial Decisions Amid Lakers Scandal

Two powerhouses collided at the Kaseya Center when the Miami Heat hosted the Los Angeles Lakers. The crowd’s roars reached a deafening magnitude on each play. Moreover, a son of the city was returning to his palace – LeBron James. The man who helped add history to the Miami franchise was now standing there as a rival. The fans showered him with love, still reliving his glory days besides Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. However, that seemed to be the only kindness James would have the luxury of.

When it came to the game, James had to survive the tough and challenging defensive forces of the Miami Heat. Known to play a physical style of basketball, it seemed to suit his game perfectly. The NBA has seen it countless times in its 21 seasons. James drives to the rim, either finished with an emphatic bucket or gets the referee’s whistle. The majority of the time, that has been the story. But this season, the officials are acting like they have a certain grudge against the four-time MVP.

This game portrayed just how unfair they are being against the aging star this season. Likewise, it prompted frustration from Dawrin Ham and James who communicated their displeasure with the referees. It isn’t the first time there has been controversy regarding calls, and it probably won’t be the last time unless something changes.

What is happening with LeBron James

The Lakers were shorthanded against the Miami Heat from the very beginning. Star big man Anthony Davis suffered from an early injury that majorly diminished his impact on the game. His participation came into question on multiple occasions and he was far from his usual basketball self. With a major two-way weapon disarmed, the load rested on the 38-year-old’s shoulders.

Courageously moving on, LeBron James had a heroic performance scoring 30 points in the losing effort. While injuries took away his help, the referees took away his power to disrupt the Miami defense. James, who generates a major proportion of his offense near the rim only went to the line four times that night. The stat sounds hard to believe, but it was the truth.

At times, James tried to fling his arms, scream and more just to bring the fouls to the referee’s attention. However, all of his attempts were futile. In the end, the Lakers lost by one point after Cam Reddish couldn’t convert a three-pointer at the buzzer. As the Heat fans celebrated, the temperature rose in the Lakers locker. Darwin Ham came out criticizing the referees for missing calls on LeBron James. He demanded an explanation in the post-game press conference.

“I’ve been around this league a long time, man. You have a crew chief, supposedly along with his counterparts, who has this game under control. All I want is an explanation sometimes,” the Lakers HC told reporters.

The Lakers organization felt cheated and even sent video footage of all the missed foul calls for LeBron James. The NBA responded with its usual last two-minute report which concluded the referees caught the entire action without missing any fouls. When James heard this, he begged the league to take a more holistic view and consider the impact of the remaining three quarters,

“The game isn’t won or lost in the last 2 mins! If you know the game things happen throughout the 1st, 2nd. 3rd and first 10 mins of 4th that has MAJOR impact on outcomes,” he wrote on Twitter.

There was an obvious feeling of anger from the Purple and Gold who demanded justice for the unruly nature of the referees. Additionally, it seems like James has been a constant victim this season. Although his drives are around his season average, he is only averaging 5.7 free throws a game – a career low in that stat. It is far from his career average of 7.7 trips to the line each game. Agreed that the Lakers forward hasn’t reached the mark since 2015, yet so far the discrepancy is as clear as day.

Now the real conundrum that stands is how can these solutions be resolved in a manner that’s fair to all. In an ideal world, it could be by holding the officials accountable for their decisions.

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What can be done to avoid such circumstances?

With the recent surge in irrational officiating, the players are growing frustrated and even the fans are losing interest due to the soft nature of certain calls. It’s not just foul calls that are going unnoticed, but when superstars are hit with weak technical fouls, it takes away from the entertainment aspect for the fans. In the recent past, some of the ejections have been unjust. the latest was with Giannis Antetokounmpo who had to exit the game for staring down Isiah Stewart. At one point there needs to be a separation between competing and unsportsmanlike conduct.

The reactions and drama after explosive plays like that of Antetokounmpo elicit excitement and enthusiasm among fans. It’s the element that draws eyes into the game – the best going against the best with egos and all. However, with technical fouls flying around for everything, players can’t unleash their raw emotions, and fans can’t enjoy the complete NBA experience. What they are missing is the old-school intensity that makes the NBA such a theatric league.

To limit such calls, there needs to be a mechanism that puts the officials in the fire pit. One such way is by having a press conference where they justify their decisions. Players have to go through the burning questions when they make a questionable comment or have an embarrassing play, then why not the referees?

Adam Silver and the NBA management could benefit from having a post-game conference for referees to explain certain calls and why they took a certain approach toward the game. Not only will it make the process more transparent, but it will also see the referees be more cautious regarding their game plan. If there is a press conference, the officials will be held accountable for their decisions. Disregarding the acceptable degree of human error, some bad calls need to be investigated and the referees responsible are penalized in some way by the league.

In this way, it will ensure a more fair playing field along with a significant improvement in referee-player interaction. Like Ham said, sometimes all the coaches and players want are explanations. Currently, they are powerless against referees in these circumstances. Judging from the reaction the incident evoked from fans and players, maybe it’s time to put some measures in place. or at least brainstorm for the future.

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How would you take charge to bring about a switch in mentality? Let us know your suggestions in the comments below.