NBA DISASTERFANS HUMILIATE REFS, CAVS HUMILIATE LAKERS AND MAYHEM BREAKS LOOSE IN LOS ANGELES
It was a Christmas nightmare at Staples Center Friday night. As the exasperation mounted, so did the technical fouls, and one by one the Lakers began collecting them. Then one by one, and soon by the dozens, foam souvenirs began raining down on the court, joined by the odd water bottle. What began as a festive day, with the Lakers taking their place in the N.B.A.’s marquee Christmas Day event, ended with an abundance of frustration — with themselves and the officials — in a 102-87 thumping by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. “That was not a very nice way to spend Christmas Day, to tell you the truth,” said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, whose viewpoint was echoed by much of the capacity crowd. The Lakers entered the day not only as the defending N.B.A. champions, but also as the owners of the best record in the league. They had won 15 of 16 games since Pau Gasol returned from a hamstring injury. But the Cavaliers, with myriad questions — not the least of which is whether LeBron James will leave town next summer — pushed them around for most of the afternoon. Cleveland got 28 points from point guard Mo Williams and 26 from James, but it was the Cavaliers’ willingness to get physical that separated them from the Lakers. Cleveland jumped to a 20-point lead in the second quarter, and when the Lakers’ comeback went nowhere in the second half, they began to bicker with the Cavaliers and the officials. Lamar Odom drew two technicals, earning an ejection, and Kobe Bryant got one for a dismissive wave after being called for a foul following complaints about earlier no-calls. Derek Fisher earned a technical foul for leveling Williams with a shoulder, and the Lakers’ bench got another when Jackson did not make a substitution in a timely manner. After two of the calls, the usually well-mannered Lakers crowd tossed down foam souvenirs that had been given out. “That said everything you need to know about the refereeing,” Lakers center Andrew Bynum said.
It was a Christmas nightmare at Staples Center Friday night. As the exasperation mounted, so did the technical fouls, and one by one the Lakers began collecting them. Then one by one, and soon by the dozens, foam souvenirs began raining down on the court, joined by the odd water bottle. What began as a festive day, with the Lakers taking their place in the N.B.A.’s marquee Christmas Day event, ended with an abundance of frustration — with themselves and the officials — in a 102-87 thumping by the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. “That was not a very nice way to spend Christmas Day, to tell you the truth,” said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, whose viewpoint was echoed by much of the capacity crowd. The Lakers entered the day not only as the defending N.B.A. champions, but also as the owners of the best record in the league. They had won 15 of 16 games since Pau Gasol returned from a hamstring injury. But the Cavaliers, with myriad questions — not the least of which is whether LeBron James will leave town next summer — pushed them around for most of the afternoon. Cleveland got 28 points from point guard Mo Williams and 26 from James, but it was the Cavaliers’ willingness to get physical that separated them from the Lakers. Cleveland jumped to a 20-point lead in the second quarter, and when the Lakers’ comeback went nowhere in the second half, they began to bicker with the Cavaliers and the officials. Lamar Odom drew two technicals, earning an ejection, and Kobe Bryant got one for a dismissive wave after being called for a foul following complaints about earlier no-calls. Derek Fisher earned a technical foul for leveling Williams with a shoulder, and the Lakers’ bench got another when Jackson did not make a substitution in a timely manner. After two of the calls, the usually well-mannered Lakers crowd tossed down foam souvenirs that had been given out. “That said everything you need to know about the refereeing,” Lakers center Andrew Bynum said.
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