Cavs' LeBron James increasingly frustrated with the way he has been officiated this season
LeBron got a technical foul last night against the Jazz
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is frustrated by how he has been officiate this season.
LeBron James is in tenth position in free throw attempts per game with 7.1 per contest. Only Oklahoma City'sRussell Westbrook (10.4),Houston's James Harden (10.3),Chicago's Jimmy Butler (9.6),Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins(9.6), New Orleans' Anthony Davis (9.5), Toronto's DeMar DeRozan (8.9), Boston's Isaiah Thomas (8.8), Milwaukee'sGiannis Antetokounmpo (7.7) andPortland's Damian Lillard (7.6) attempt more.
Per ESPN, James' frustration boiled over with 2:09 remaining in the first quarter, when he shouted at referee Tyler Ford and was assessed a rare technical foul -- just his second of the season -- after Utah's Shelvin Mack fouled James and put him on the foul line after an and-1 layup.
James was irate, in part, because, sources told ESPN, he could hear Utah coach Quin Snyder instruct Mack to foul him to prevent the transition bucket.
When asked if it was a result of frustration over the way he has been officiated lately, James conceded: "It is, it is. It is. But I know what the main thing is -- the main thing is to win -- but it is. It is. It is."
Much of James' detest comes from the fact that the vast majority of his shots come from within the paint -- as 12 of his 20 did on Tuesday -- yet, according to multiple sources, he feels contact is ignored, whereas players who thrive more on jump shots than drives have been rewarded with big nights at the line. For instance, Butler has had two games with 20 free throw attempts or more already in the new year, and Harden has had double-digit free throw attempts in seven of his past nine games.
LeBron James is in tenth position in free throw attempts per game with 7.1 per contest. Only Oklahoma City'sRussell Westbrook (10.4),Houston's James Harden (10.3),Chicago's Jimmy Butler (9.6),Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins(9.6), New Orleans' Anthony Davis (9.5), Toronto's DeMar DeRozan (8.9), Boston's Isaiah Thomas (8.8), Milwaukee'sGiannis Antetokounmpo (7.7) andPortland's Damian Lillard (7.6) attempt more.
Per ESPN, James' frustration boiled over with 2:09 remaining in the first quarter, when he shouted at referee Tyler Ford and was assessed a rare technical foul -- just his second of the season -- after Utah's Shelvin Mack fouled James and put him on the foul line after an and-1 layup.
James was irate, in part, because, sources told ESPN, he could hear Utah coach Quin Snyder instruct Mack to foul him to prevent the transition bucket.
When asked if it was a result of frustration over the way he has been officiated lately, James conceded: "It is, it is. It is. But I know what the main thing is -- the main thing is to win -- but it is. It is. It is."
Much of James' detest comes from the fact that the vast majority of his shots come from within the paint -- as 12 of his 20 did on Tuesday -- yet, according to multiple sources, he feels contact is ignored, whereas players who thrive more on jump shots than drives have been rewarded with big nights at the line. For instance, Butler has had two games with 20 free throw attempts or more already in the new year, and Harden has had double-digit free throw attempts in seven of his past nine games.
E. Carchia
@Sportando
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