LeBron James – one of the league’s most physical players – is upset with the “rough” treatment he’s received this season. He bitched whined sounded off following last night’s loss to the Bulls:
“Those are not basketball plays and it’s been happening all year,” James said after the game, in reference to the two hard fouls. “And I was able to keep my cool and try to spell [Spoelstra], ‘Let’s not worry about it too much.’ But it is getting to me.
It didn’t take long after Gibson’s hard foul for James to lose his cool. Hinrich brought the ball up the court on the very next possession, and James lowered a shoulder into Carlos Boozer–who had come to set a ball-screen for Hinrich–that the referees deemed a flagrant foul.
“Every time I try to defend myself I gotta face the consequences, whatever it may be,” James continued. “It’s tough, and I’m not sitting here crying about anything, because I play the game at a high level, I play with a lot of aggression and I understand that some of the plays are on the borderline of a basketball play or not.”
Happening all year? What the hell is he talking about?
Let’s look at the video…
LeBron runs directly into Kirk Hinrich
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFbk01GD8Jg]Taj Gibson fouls James. Initial ruling of Flagrant was rescinded.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q94xtYMoooA]James retaliates by lowering shoulder into Carlos Boozer
I’m sorry LeBron, but every play can’t be as easy as dunking over Jason Terry. Bigger players are going to resist. There’s nothing wrong with a hard foul (or two) to send a message.
The coddling James has received by NBA officials for most of his career has reached gross proportions the last two seasons. The man gets every call and he’s still pissed off?
Not only does he routinely get the benefit of doubt on offense, but he gets it on defense, too.
James is averaging 1.5 fouls per game the past two seasons. That’s an absurd number for a player of his physicality.
Jason Whitlock had a great retort to the whining – Watch the video of Michael Jordan playing the Pistons and then complain.
(h/t Pro Basketball Talk)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
