Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick was openly critical of the officials following Game 2, but he didn't go as far as to blame the refs for LA being down 0-2 in this series.
While Redick made some incendiary (and accurate) remarks about how the Thunder foul on every possession (and get away with it), and about how LeBron James doesn't receive a fair whistle, Redick isn't about excuse-making.
"We didn't lose because of the refs," Redick said. "That's never the case. You don't lose because of refs. You lose because the other team outplays you. OKC outplayed us."
JJ Redick makes clear that Lakers aren't down 0-2 because of the refs
Oklahoma City got to the free-throw line more often (25 attempts) than the Lakers (21 attempts) in Game 2, but the margin wasn't outlandish. In Game 1, the Lakers were awarded 13 FT attempts to OKC's 12.
There isn't an obvious discrepancy in that realm of officiating so far in this series, even if the Thunder, generally speaking, get away with a lot more physicality than any other team, all while their offensive engine (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) impacts every game with foul-baiting tactics that are nearly always successful.
It's no mystery that the Thunder are officiated somewhat differently than everyone else. Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch once famously asserted that while OKC defenders are allowed to grab and hold, no one's allowed to touch SGA. Finch was universally lauded for his comments, which were widely interpreted as true.
JJ Redick is focused on variables that he can control ahead of Game 3
Redick knows that the officiating factor is working against his Lakers, but he also knows that OKC is just a better overall basketball team, even without ref help, and even without SGA playing his best basketball. That's why Redick is wise to not get too heavily involved in the ref discourse and instead focus on ways in which he can increase the Lakers' margin of victory heading into Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.
One thing that the Lakers must do in that regard is clean up the glass, a sentiment echoed by LeBron following Game 2. Chet Holmgren and the gritty Isaiah Hartenstein have been too impactful on the backboard, something that LA needs to take personally.
If the whistle was ever going to lean a tad more in the Lakers' direction in this series, it would happen on their home court in a must-win Game 3. But LA will need far more than favorable officiating to get back in this series for real.
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