It’s going to be a tough road ahead for the Los Angeles Lakers. Although it’s incredible how LeBron James and Luka Doncic have been co-existing so far to bring the Lakers to greener pastures, there’s still one thing that could hamper their championship hopes: the referees. In their latest outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Lakers saw firsthand how the refs could alter the outcome of the game in an instant.
With just seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, referee J.T. Orr handed Doncic his second technical foul in the game, resulting in an automatic ejection. At the time, the Lakers were leading against the Thunder and looked like they were about to beat them again in two consecutive matches.
Unfortunately, after Doncic’s disqualification, the Lakers couldn’t continue their momentum, which resulted in an unprecedented offensive meltdown and, eventually, a blowout loss.
The technical foul given by Orr, wasn’t taken lightly by fans. According to Orr, the technical foul was because he believed Doncic was yapping and pointing at him, which was debunked by courtside witnesses and various footage in different angles. Doncic appealed that he was talking to a fan on the stands, not Orr.
However, the disqualifying foul wasn’t overturned yet, and Luka was ejected anyway. One of the referees who was also on the floor that night, Tony Brothers, supported Orr’s decision and even published it on paper, stating that Doncic looked directly at Orr and “used vulgar language”. Lakers fans were infuriated by how the referees seemingly wanted the Lakers to lose against the no.1 team in the NBA. That win was extremely crucial for the purple and gold for better positioning before the playoffs.
But Then, the NBA Rescinded the Call on Luka the Day After
Surprisingly, after further review, the NBA announced that they are rescinding the technical foul on Luka Doncic and that it will not count toward his total technical fouls accrued this season. Luka currently has 13, and picking up three more would mean a one-game suspension.
After the association found out that even Orr wasn’t so sure that Doncic was addressing him during that play, the announcement to overturn the call was immediately posted a day after the Lakers-Thunder game.
Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Doncic was ejected,d which resulted in a terrible defeat. Rescinding that call doesn’t change the outcome of the game. Moreover, it doesn’t change the fact that the Lakers have a serious referee problem, and the NBA should act on it.
The Lakers’ Referee Problem on the Horizon
With Doncic being dubbed by many as a “cry baby” for complaining about every single call, missed or not, and LeBron James’ notoriety for flopping, there’s no question why the referees would have these two superstars as targets. As a result, the referees’ distaste towards Luka or LeBron could jeopardize their matches moving forward, especially during the playoffs, when the games are ten times more intense. A gruelling thought for LA.
