I Los Angeles Lakers have qualified for the semifinals of theNBA In-Season Tournament.
The pass to Las Vegas came at the end of a real battle with the Phoenix Suns, beaten 106-103 in the quarterfinals. The key episode of the contest occurred with 11″ to go, with the Suns down by 1, when the referees generously granted a timeout to the Lakers, saving them from a lost ball that would have been bloody.
Decision hotly contested by the Arizona franchise, starting with coach Frank Vogel.
It was a loose ball and the rules do not allow you to call timeout without having clear possession of the ball. Instead, the referees allowed it and I don’t understand why they wouldn’t even review the incident on replay.
Same tone used by Devin Booker, despite the explanation provided by the referees.
The whole world saw what happened, the video immediately went viral on social media. We are not asking for favoritism but only that we be given the opportunity to compete on equal terms.
Kevin Durant, on the other hand, expressed a diametrically opposite view.
We are talking about a single action, one episode out of a 48-minute game. I don’t like to complain about whistles, we have to keep playing even if we don’t agree with the refereeing decisions.
