Thursday was tense at Paycom Center. The Oklahoma City Thunder now have a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers after their 125-107 win. However, the victory wasn’t even the spotlight of the day. Everything swirled down when LeBron James didn’t get more calls than he deserved. Post-game, head coach JJ Redick fumed.

But instead of getting some sympathy, the King received a harsh message from Skip Bayless. The legendary columnist joined Stephen A. Smith on First Take.”Now to LeBron James. He is starting to beg for every call, even worse than Luka begs for every call and non-call, and it’s just driving me crazy,” Bayless said. “It gets hard to watch. I don’t miss Luka because I don’t miss all the whining and begging. But now he’s got JJ begging for him.”

“And here’s the truth about LeBron James. Again, we’re talking about age 41, year 23 LeBron. He’s lost some of the respect of the referees because he does miss quite a few bunnies at the rim that he used to convert. He does not finish the way he used to finish.” Skip Bayless went on, “Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finishes like crazy at the rim, and he does get the respect of the whistle. So, I just don’t want to hear this about how, oh, poor King is not getting the foul calls at age 41.”

According to Bayless the Lakers set the tone with an overly physical approach early, almost treating the game more like football than basketball. Oklahoma City simply matched that intensity after halftime. So when LeBron later complained about the contact, Skip’s point was that both teams were playing rough all night, and the Thunder just responded better to that style of game in the second half.

James spent much of the night battling whistles, referees, and former teammate Alex Caruso as frustration boiled over during the clash. One controversial moment arrived in the second quarter when James was whistled for charging into Caruso despite the Thunder guard seemingly failing to establish position. The call left LeBron furious, while Luka Doncic wildly waved his arms in disbelief and JJ Redick reacted with a knowing smirk. James even marched toward official John Goble for answers, although the conversation changed nothing.

Then came the third-quarter fireworks. While Ajay Mitchell stood at the free-throw line, James barked, “Every f*****g call, no AC f**k that.” Caruso fired back, “I don’t give a f**k about none of that s**t.” Then James said, “AC, I don’t want to hear that s**t.” Earlier, Jaylin Williams escaped an obvious and-1 foul on James, leading to an icy glare toward referee Mark Lindsay as officiating tensions kept escalating.

Now, after the game, LeBron spoke to the media. He avoided making any comments on JJ Redick’s “LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I’ve ever seen,” statement. Reporters asked him why  Redick believed he gets the worst whistle among NBA superstars. And what he thinks leads to that treatment from officials. “I don’t know,” James said.

After the game, reporters asked him why JJ Redick believed he gets the worst whistle among NBA superstars and what he thinks leads to that treatment from officials. “I don’t know,” LeBron said. Meanwhile, another reporter asked how referees treat him compared to other NBA superstars. They asked, “Can you talk to referees? Were the conversations back with you in the game? They got all that you satisfied with their answers?” To this, the 41-year-old said, “No.”

LeBron James carefully sidestepped the referee drama, fully aware that one fiery quote can torch a wallet fast in today’s NBA. The Lakers superstar avoided giving the league any reason to hand out another brutal fine. Especially with Luka Doncic sidelined and Los Angeles leaning heavily on its 41-year-old leader.

Despite the bad run in Game 2, James delivered 23 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists in 38 minutes, shooting 50% from the field, 25% from 3PT, and a perfect 100% from the line. Yet, with a total of only 5 free throws in two games, the crowd and JJ Redick’s frustration only seems natural. But for Skip Bayless LeBron James is “the most mentally fragile superstar” he has ever observed. “I have ever closely observed. I mean, the poor man, as gifted as he is, was born without a clutch gene,” he said.

Bayless added, “So he’s lucky to be in the top 10 because he’s a liability and always has been at the late-game free-throw line. You can just look it up. By superstar standards, he is a poor free-throw shooter for his career at 74%, and an even poorer three-point shooter at 35% for his career.”

Well, this take didn’t sit right with Stephen A. Smith.

Stephen A. Smith defends LeBron James

In the rarest turn of events, ESPN’s loudest voice and LeBron James‘ toughest critic Stephen A. Smith sided with the Akron Hammer. According to Skip Bayless, the 41-year-old is No.9 for all-time NBA players. This didn’t sit well with Smith, and he said, “That is one of the most asinine things that have ever come out of your mouth in your illustrious career in television.” SAS added, “It’s almost so blasphemous, I don’t know if you should be banned from television. I mean, I can’t believe what the hell you just said.”

Smith went on, “Did you know that LeBron James holds the NBA postseason record for the most game-winning buzzer beaters of all time? You said, you got a countless amount of evidence where he didn’t show up. I just told you he is the all-time leader. Postseason record for the most game-winning buzzer beaters.” LeBron James indeed owns the NBA record for the most postseason game-winning buzzer beaters with 5. He delivered those clutch moments across his runs with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.

Now, while acknowledging Michael Jordan’s legacy, SAS pointed out that LeBron owns 5 postseason game-winning buzzer beaters compared to Jordan’s 3, although he admitted James also played 10 more seasons. He even brushed aside Jordan’s Washington stint, insisting the real comparison comes from the legendary 13 Chicago years. Still, SAS made it clear that his focus was everybody else on the all-time ladder.

That opened the door for fiery comparisons with Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal. SAS praised Magic as a 5-time champion and the greatest point guard ever. Yet argued LeBron’s scoring and defensive versatility reached another level entirely. Then came Shaq. Smith questioned why critics attack LeBron’s 74% free-throw shooting while overlooking Shaq’s 52%. He also reminded viewers once again, that LeBron earned All-NBA Defense honors 5 times, while Jordan collected 9.

Everything around LeBron James feels heated right now. The whistles, the arguments, and Skip Bayless tearing into him. But amidst the chaos, Stephen A. Smith is pushing back hard against his co-host’s bold No.9 take. Still, beyond all the noise and debate, the Lakers are staring at a serious problem. Oklahoma City looks faster, more physical. And far more comfortable in this series, while Los Angeles keeps running out of time to respond.