With the foul situation surrounding James Harden a hot topic, that trend really started against the Los Angeles Lakers.
I would like to thanks James Harden personally for helping me find a subject that I can tie into the Los Angeles Lakers. I am still depressed that I am covering a team that is out of the playoffs. But on a Sunday where writer’s block is in effect, the NBA bails me out. I mean what is it about Sundays? The last time something like this happened, the Lakers were in New York and the sports world exploded when Walt Frazier called out LeBron James…
Clyde Frazier criticizes LeBron for not being “part of the team” and says “he doesn’t really care” 😳 pic.twitter.com/cHGumjnI8L
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 17, 2019
Then when Mario Herzonja gave James a “Spalding Meatball” sandwich (Extra gravy!), the conversation went in all different directions from Frazier’s context to if James is still the best player in the NBA.
That was nothing compared to the drama directed at the officiating for game one of the Western Conference semi-finals. I mean the “Frazier game” was just one game. The drama that unfolded Sunday will last for up to six more games over as long as two weeks. As a fan, I am looking forward to it.
The Warriors outlasted the Rockets 104-100 that will not be remembered as a hard-fought close game, but for the officiating. NBA fans all over are wondering if Draymond Green fouled James Harden in the closing seconds.
Chris Paul got tossed after the play for getting his second technical foul and was fined $35,000 by the NBA for getting in the referee’s face arguing. He got his first technical foul for looking for foul similar to Harden’s. Here’s what James Harden had to say after the game that set the NBA analyst shows on fire…
"I just want a fair chance, man. Just call the game the way it’s supposed to be called and we’ll live with the results.”
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2019
James Harden voiced his opinion about the officiating after Game 1. pic.twitter.com/9GmtB2EjPp
I can see this from both sides of the equation. For the record, the referees were consistent. Consistently bad. The rules state that the player has to have room to land while shooting. The NBA stated that Green’s defense was legal. Plus Harden is right, the referees missed numerous other calls, something Rockets head coach, Mike D’Antoni alluded to. But as a writer for this site that covered multiple games the Rockets played the Lakers, I was rolling my eyes like.. Really dude? I know Steve Kerr had his jokes the next day during the press conference…
Like it or not, James Harden is the craftiest scorer in the NBA today and will possibly win the MVP again this year. If the Warriors didn’t have the best scorer in the NBA in Kevin Durant, the Rockets probably still would have won the game. The lack of fouls did not cost the Rockets in game one. Clint Capela scoring only one field goal in the game with no inside presence hurt. Couple that with P.J. Tucker scoring the same amount of points as I did writing this article and every reader taking time out to read it, there’s the story of the game.
But this is NBA gold folks. To be honest, the first round of the playoffs was kinda dull. This type of drama will bail out a “LeBron James-less” playoff run.
But if you’ve been watching the NBA all season long, all of this started when one team complained about James Harden’s constant manipulation of the rules. That’s right, you guessed it…
The Los Angeles Lakers led by your franchise player, LeBron James. If James Harden outlasts Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP, it will be because of that magical scoring streak of 30-point games that started with a 50-point performance on a Thursday night in front of national audience on TNT. During that game, James Harden pulled the greatest Houdini act I had ever seen. The Lakers did a silent protest during the game (More on that later) and provided the same buzz that is going on now. Lake Show Life shows where the Harden debate began.