“League Showed Its True Colors”: Lakers Legend Magic Johnson Triggers a Twitter Meltdown With Controversial LeBron James Decision Criticism
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USA Today via Reuters
Jan 2, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) holds his forehead after falling during second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
The latest matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers ended up being one of the most controversial games so far this season. Given how the Lakers vs Celtics matchup always draws out a big crowd, the questionable officiating of the game left fans with plenty to say, adding to the list of games that cost the Lakers a win due to the calls made by the referees. Many NBA players and legends have spoken up about it, including Lakers legend Magic Johnson, leading fans to recall one of the NBA’s darkest times.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson sent out a series of tweets addressing the officiating at the Lakers-Celtics game. He even pointed out how Jayson Tatum could not help but laugh at the officials missing out on that call.
Magic Johnson comes to the aid of LeBron James
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The call missed by the referees was as controversial as it gets, given the fact that there was an official right there under the basket. Lakers guard Patrick Beverley had to step in to show the officials where they went wrong. Magic made sure to point that out as well in his tweets while throwing shade at the officials.
USA Today via Reuters
Jan 28, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) shoots defended by Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Johnson tweeted, “In last night’s @Lakers loss to the Celtics the referees completely blew the call on LeBron in the closing seconds. What made it worse is there was a referee right up under the basket watching the play unfold!”
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Fans were also furious at the officials. One fan tweeted, “League showed its true colors. It’s a kangaroo season of favorites. Can’t trust the product that produced Tim Donaghy or take their script seriously at all.”
Here are a few more reactions from NBA Twitter:
League showed its true colors. It’s a kangaroo season of favorites. Can’t trust the product that produced Tim Donaghy or take their script seriously at all.
— The Rowdy Curse Is Real (@_MrKMunroe) January 29, 2023
It was the most egregious thing to watch! Specially, the refs could have made the call under this unique circumstance given the Celts can always challenge. Unbelievable
— @X-Guy (@tony_morisset) January 29, 2023
Former Miami cop and the Celtics are 36-2 in the last 38 games he reffed involving them
— Behzad Dabu (@BehzadDabu) January 29, 2023
Call for investigation. Obviously some rigging going on.
— TruDon (@trufitnessstory) January 29, 2023
They gave foul on AD for tatum(challenged/reversed),another rigged foul on AD(can't use challange anymore),another a minute or two later(can't challange) and last one in last second!Game was rigged! Adam silver @NBA @ESPNNBA @NBAOfficial @OfficialNBARefs watch your product! BS!
— Professor (@hamzacelik21) January 29, 2023
It was blatant cheating.
It’s not the first time and it’s happened too many times to be an error.
Too many games lost due to referees calls and non-calls.
The league does not want the Lakers or @KingJames near another chip.— Phill Tsar (@philltee) January 29, 2023
Some fans were adamant that there is something unethical going on amongst the officials in the league and called for an investigation.
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Is the league back to the dark era of officiating?
The NBA had once been caught in a controversy surrounding fixed games back in the 2000s. Since then, the league has taken strict actions to make sure that does not happen again.
Watch This Story – Magic Johnson’s flamboyant lifestyle shown in the HBO series, winning time explored
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Now, there hasn’t been any news on whether the league will be opening an investigation into the series of officiating at the Lakers vs Celtics games. LeBron James and the Lakers will likely be anticipating some sort of response from the league.
We would like to hear your thoughts on this. Should the league open an investigation into the series of missed calls? Let us know what you think in the comments section down below.
Written by:
Edited by:
Veer Badani