Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone took a shot at the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA’s controversial officiating after a close Game 4 loss.
Nuggets head coach Mike Malone called out the Lakers after a controversial Game 4, decrying the seemingly tilted officiating and Los Angeles’s previous complaints about foul calls, despite the fact that officials have consistently missed calls against the Lakers and made questionable decisions in their favor.
After Los Angeles took 35 free throw attempts on Thursday and seemed to get an abundance of favorable calls and no-calls, it was clear that Malone had had enough. His team could conceivably be up 3-1 over the Lakers but now faces the same deficit, with victory seemingly an uphill battle.
Botched calls were seemingly constant throughout a tight fourth quarter, with Denver, simply put, given no chance at completing its comeback. Fans on Twitter took notice, especially after an egregious no-call in which LeBron James clearly fouled Jamal Murray on a shot attempt in the final minutes, but officials failed to blow the whistle.
The double standard that Mike Malone’s team faced was clear to many.
This was not an isolated incident, however, with many NBA fans pointed out clear favoritism from the referees down the stretch, a trend that ultimately allowed the Lakers to escape with a Game 4 win and a 3-1 series lead.
While the Lakers are a highly talented team and likely would have remained competitive in the game without so many favorable calls, it was apparent to Malone and many others that the Nuggets were held to a different standard than the Lakers. Draymond Green’s statements made the competitive disadvantage even clearer.
The NBA playoffs have been extremely entertaining in the bubble environment, but controversial games like Thursday night’s simply dilute the product. Life for big-market teams like the Lakers has always been easier than building a contender through the draft and developing homegrown talent.
When that disparity becomes apparent in playoff games, however, it is difficult to justify or write off as coincidental. The Nuggets were at a clear disadvantage on Thursday night, and with their coach publicly bringing attention to the controversy, the league should make the proper changes to ensure that similar incidents can be avoided in the future.