The director constantly showed the couple Ben Affleck – Jennifer Lopez, sitting in the front row of the Crypto.com Arena. It must be said that something had to be shown, the last minutes of the meeting between the Lakers and the Warriors stretching on and on, following reviews and technical problems…
Because it took more than twenty minutes to compete in the last 110 seconds of this Californian duel!
A “challenge” won which turns against the Lakers
The problems began when Darvin Ham asked for a “challenge” following the release of a ball, 1 minute 50 from the end. After studying the images, the referees agree with the coach… except that they took advantage of the stoppage in play to return to a previous 3-pointer from LeBron James, canceling it because the “King” had his heel on the line. Result of the races for Los Angeles: a jump ball to be played and three points lost (124-117)…
“I have never seen a decision like that, especially at this moment of the match” cursed the “King” (40 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds) afterwards. “It was quite strange, it took away our momentum. »
But the “weird” was not over, as Darvin Ham used a new “challenge” on the possession which followed the jump ball, with Draymond Green who had (also) put his foot on the line with the leather. Because after returning the ball to the Lakers, it was the clock at the Crypto.com Arena that was experiencing bugs. Repeat.
“It was weird”confirmed Steve Kerr on this extended money-time. “There are clock problems from time to time in a season. This is somewhat the most extreme case I have experienced, with the emergency system not working either. It's regrettable. I felt bad for the fans. It was a great match, and in the last two minutes, everyone was looking at each other wondering what to do. »
While we could have indeed been treated to an intense “clutch time”, the energy had disappeared, Stephen Curry stealing the ball from LeBron James, still stuck in this clownish sequence.
The best is the enemy of the good for Steve Kerr
The NBA's all-time points record holder didn't think he put his heel on the line (even though the footage shows otherwise). For Steve Kerr, this abuse of slow motion in any case harms the spirit of the game. A bit like VAR in football, this cuts the rhythm of the matches by a few millimeters.
“I also don't like the rule where you can go back and look if a ball went out, or if LeBron's 3-pointer (is valid). This seems to happen once or twice a year. I wish this rule would disappear. I think we try so hard to get everything right that we lose the flow. Who cares if a guy's foot is an inch off the line? Is it worth going back 45 seconds and changing everything, with the unintended consequences that entails? This is not my favorite rule. »
The referees defended their right to check the validity of LeBron James' 3-pointer, while the Lakers complained about the fact that the clock experienced bugs that were not taken into account at the start of the fourth quarter. In short, it was very confusing on all sides and the “King” recognized the complicated work of the referees.
“At the end of the day, we want to do things right. It is sad. But everyone tries to do things as best as possible, obviously. And the group has a job to do – that's the referees – they have a job to do, and they have to do it to the best of their ability. Everything is fine “.
