LeBron dropping 51pts and still caught an L....the man was robbed. Cavs should have won that game.
Tyronn Lue says LeBron James was 'robbed' after charge call reversed
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The reversal of a pivotal call in the closing minute of regulation launched a torrent of debate following the
Golden State Warriors'
124-114 overtime winover the
Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
With Cleveland leading 104-102 and approximately 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Warriors forward
Kevin Durantdrove to the basket against the Cavaliers'
Jeff Green. As Durant, driving left, turned the corner on Green, he met
LeBron James in the lane, where the two superstars collided.
"I read that play just as well as I've read any play in my career, maybe in my life," James said. "I [had] seen the play happening. I knew I was outside the charge line, and I knew I took the hit."
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Official Ken Mauer, the game's crew chief, initially whistled Durant for a charge, with possession returning to Cleveland with 36.4 seconds remaining and a two-point lead. The referee crew elected to review the play, an option afforded to them by the NBA rulebook, to examine whether James was situated fully outside the restricted area.
"The reason for the trigger is that we had doubt as to whether or not James was in the restricted area," Mauer said following the game.
Replays showed James' feet were some distance outside the restricted area, prompting the Cavaliers to question the necessity of the replay review.
"LeBron was clearly 4 feet outside the restricted area," Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. "So it doesn't make sense to go review something if -- the review is if he's on the line or if he's close to the charge circle, that's the review. He wasn't close."
But Monty McCutchen, the NBA's vice president and head of referee development and training, said multiple factors on the play contributed to its degree of difficulty, and the presence of any apprehension by game officials can cue the replay monitor.