The Los Angeles Lakers’ frustrations reached their peak last night, as it was less a basketball game than a circus. Now, the fact is that the Oklahoma City Thunder have gone 2-0 up in the series. And after the final buzzer of a contentious Game 2, the scenes on the court were far from the usual post-game handshakes. Instead, LA guard Austin Reaves was seen leading an animated grievance redressal with the officiating crew. That rare and raw display of emotion continued well after the court cleared. Reaves, known for his comical demeanor, appeared furious during an exchange with veteran ref John Goble.

Head coach JJ Redick came into this series knowing that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed to be stopped. And they’ve been mildly successful at doing so. We say mild because while the reigning MVP’s scoring is clipped, Chet Holmgren, Jaylin Williams, and Jared McCain are ready to unleash their big shots. LA’s battle is never-ending. But something that stunned multiple Purple and Gold individuals was the quality of officiating. Reaves being the first.

Speaking to reporters in the locker room, Reaves detailed a moment of friction during a jump-ball situation that he felt crossed a line of professional conduct. “I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night,” the Lakers star said. “There was 1 million times in the past I’ve said way worse stuff. When we were doing the whole tip ball, they were switching spots. I wanted to get on the other side because they had a guy on the side. I was just trying to keep an advantage. He turned around and just yelled in my face. I just thought it was disrespectful.”

Reflecting on the incident, Reaves clearly emphasized that he felt the power dynamic was skewed. “At the end of the day, we’re grown men, and I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that,” he said. “I told him that. I wasn’t disrespectful. I told him if I did that to him first, I would’ve gotten a tech. I felt like the only reason I didn’t get a tech was because he knew he was in the wrong. I felt disrespected.” Here’s exactly what went down between the two of them.

The Lakers guard was caught on camera during the game mouthing off at the official, saying, “That’s some b******t for you to talk to me like that, p***y” and a few more choice words toward Goble. It was so bad that Luka Doncic had to leave the bench to hold his friend back. This confrontation was merely the tipping point of a night defined by missed calls, and LA’s staff and veterans joined Reaves. The guard had an extended monologue with the officials after the game, and that’s when at least five more Lakers players joined in to huddle around the ref. James was there too, nodding at everything his younger teammate said. When the camera panned to the OKC bench, they were seen laughing hard at what was happening.

Throughout the game, the Lakers were visibly upset by several non-calls, including a LeBron James shot that the officials did not count. At one point, James was heard shouting, “What the f— are you talking about? You f*****g suck, man” at Goble. But Redick stood firmly behind his players, specifically calling out the treatment of his superstar forward. “LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen. He got clobbered again tonight, a bunch. Guy gets hit on the head more than any player I’ve seen on drives, and it rarely gets called,” the coach stated.

Redick further noted the disparity in how the Thunder’s defense is officiated compared to the Lakers. “They have a few guys that foul on every possession, and all the good defenses do. SGA gets a touch foul on a drive. There was a stretch where four straight possessions our guys got absolutely clobbered.”

Statistically, the Thunder held the advantage, shooting 26 free throws to the Lakers’ 21, while committing five fewer fouls. However, during a time when the NBA is fining people relentlessly for speaking against it, Redick was careful to admit, “We didn’t lose because of the refs. That’s never the case… Oklahoma City outplayed us.” A major drawback of this Purple and Gold side is that, even if they want to double-team SGA, they cannot. Compared to what the Thunder have in Alex Caruso and Luguentz Dort to block a star player, LA has compromised its defensive capability. LeBron James realizes that and only addressed that.

“We’re down 2-0,” James said when asked about the officiating. The 41-year-old had already called OKC “a championship team” in February. James already knows that this Thunder team is far ahead of them in relation to what they plan and how accurately they execute it, so there’s no point cribbing about it; instead, he would find a better strategy, and he wouldn’t have wanted to waste his money in getting fined for dissing the refereeing as well.

Two moments involving James were simply ridiculous. He made a layup in the first quarter and landed hard on his right hip after absorbing solid contact from Jaylin Williams. No call was made. In the next quarter, he simply nudged Caruso, who went on to make a meal of it by rolling on the floor. And guess what, the LA veteran was called for an offensive foul. These were only a few examples from a large pool of moments, and James just remained tight-lipped after all this.

From an individual standpoint, though, James scored 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting with six assists. Austin Reaves scored a playoff-career high of 31 points. Rui Hachimura put up 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and clarified that his team “can’t control the referees.” What they can control now is the series that’s moving to Crypto.com Arena for the next two games. Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart really have to use their physicality in the paint more effectively.

With the Lakers now 0-6 against OKC this season (including the regular season) and heading home for a soft do-or-die Game 3 on Saturday, the team must find a way to channel this “disrespect” into a defensive effort against the reigning champions.