The irony: Lakers complain to league about calls

[wco81]

This hasn't been an issue just with this current Lakers team.

We know about the 32 FTAs 4th quarter of Game 6 in the WCF vs. the Kings.

For decades, Lakers have benefitted from getting way more FTAs than their opponents.

It won't change, with the NBA under pressure to negotiate new TV deals. April is the deadline for TNT/WBD and ESPN/Disney to renegotiate extensions and then after that the league can negotiate with other networks and streamers.

So NBA is under pressure to maximize ratings, including and especially in the playoffs. If the Lakers again have a key injury like Lebron missing a couple of games, the league will find some way to get the Lakers across the finish line and into at least the play-in.

[levon]

This hasn't been an issue just with this current Lakers team.

We know about the 32 FTAs 4th quarter of Game 6 in the WCF vs. the Kings.

For decades, Lakers have benefitted from getting way more FTAs than their opponents.

It won't change, with the NBA under pressure to negotiate new TV deals. April is the deadline for TNT/WBD and ESPN/Disney to renegotiate extensions and then after that the league can negotiate with other networks and streamers.

So NBA is under pressure to maximize ratings, including and especially in the playoffs. If the Lakers again have a key injury like Lebron missing a couple of games, the league will find some way to get the Lakers across the finish line and into at least the play-in.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-fact-or-fiction-the-overwhelming-free-throw-disparity-that-favors-lebron-james-lakers-220709544.html
The Warriors overwhelmingly lead in L2M wrong calls in favor of.

Let's get some data for the Lakers getting way more FTA than their opponents for decades with some basic adjustment per minute or per possession.

In another one of these threads I ran a simple and limited historical analysis of three or four unpopular refs and the W-L, point differentials for games they reffed vs total W-L and point differentials. In the case of Scott Foster, it spanned 20+ years. The only noticeable through-line was that they're all biased against the Raptors. And hilariously enough, the Rockets won a lot more games with Scott Foster officiating. Chalk it up to noise, but it just goes to show that these narratives often don't reflect reality.

[Myth]

This hasn't been an issue just with this current Lakers team.

We know about the 32 FTAs 4th quarter of Game 6 in the WCF vs. the Kings.

For decades, Lakers have benefitted from getting way more FTAs than their opponents.

It won't change, with the NBA under pressure to negotiate new TV deals. April is the deadline for TNT/WBD and ESPN/Disney to renegotiate extensions and then after that the league can negotiate with other networks and streamers.

So NBA is under pressure to maximize ratings, including and especially in the playoffs. If the Lakers again have a key injury like Lebron missing a couple of games, the league will find some way to get the Lakers across the finish line and into at least the play-in.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-fact-or-fiction-the-overwhelming-free-throw-disparity-that-favors-lebron-james-lakers-220709544.html
The Warriors overwhelmingly lead in L2M wrong calls in favor of.

Let's get some data for the Lakers getting way more FTA than their opponents for decades with some basic adjustment per minute or per possession.

In another one of these threads I ran a simple and limited historical analysis of three or four unpopular refs and the W-L, point differentials for games they reffed vs total W-L and point differentials. In the case of Scott Foster, it spanned 20+ years. The only noticeable through-line was that they're all biased against the Raptors. And hilariously enough, the Rockets won a lot more games with Scott Foster officiating. Chalk it up to noise, but it just goes to show that these narratives often don't reflect reality.

Did you share that link as a support that Lakers don't get help from refs?

[oversteerdawg]

When you’re used to the below, I can see why they’d be upset.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

This chart is difficult to rely on without context. The Lakers had the 6th most paint touches in 2023 while taking the 5th fewest 3pt shots. They're two highest usage players are a SF/PF that drives to the basket and a PF/C that plays predominantly inside. That's a recipe for a free throw differential.

Context matters, you can't just look at totals.

The context added nothing. If you told me they had the most paint touches by a wide margin and the least amount of 3 point shots by a wide margin then maybe you could make an argument to why the differential was so high.

It’s not that they’re #1, it’s that they’re #1 by such a large margin. Statistics wise, you just shouldn’t have that type of anomaly without some sort of reasonable justification.

The other part of the context is that the Lakers don't foul much. Playing a physical style of basketball and not fouling provides context to explain the trend.

[levon]

This hasn't been an issue just with this current Lakers team.

We know about the 32 FTAs 4th quarter of Game 6 in the WCF vs. the Kings.

For decades, Lakers have benefitted from getting way more FTAs than their opponents.

It won't change, with the NBA under pressure to negotiate new TV deals. April is the deadline for TNT/WBD and ESPN/Disney to renegotiate extensions and then after that the league can negotiate with other networks and streamers.

So NBA is under pressure to maximize ratings, including and especially in the playoffs. If the Lakers again have a key injury like Lebron missing a couple of games, the league will find some way to get the Lakers across the finish line and into at least the play-in.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-fact-or-fiction-the-overwhelming-free-throw-disparity-that-favors-lebron-james-lakers-220709544.html
The Warriors overwhelmingly lead in L2M wrong calls in favor of.

Let's get some data for the Lakers getting way more FTA than their opponents for decades with some basic adjustment per minute or per possession.

In another one of these threads I ran a simple and limited historical analysis of three or four unpopular refs and the W-L, point differentials for games they reffed vs total W-L and point differentials. In the case of Scott Foster, it spanned 20+ years. The only noticeable through-line was that they're all biased against the Raptors. And hilariously enough, the Rockets won a lot more games with Scott Foster officiating. Chalk it up to noise, but it just goes to show that these narratives often don't reflect reality.

Did you share that link as a support that Lakers don't get help from refs?

No, I shared the hit piece from a Celtics beat writer for Warriors fans to have some perspective. I want to consider the data without the tribalism. In that same piece, Rohrbach proceeds to just jerk over the same number raw differential number and asserts that there's no correlation between shooting a lot of threes and not getting a lot of free throw attempts because Luka Doncic says so. It's a quintessential Yahoo piece. I was citing the L2M table.

[Lalouie]

my question is would they make these complaints if they didn't have lebron, or,,,,did lebron ask them to put in a complain

if i was the league i'd shut this down asap

[Scoundreldays]

More sleepness nights for the refs. Hope the Lakers are proud of themselves.

[AussieCeltic]

This chart is difficult to rely on without context. The Lakers had the 6th most paint touches in 2023 while taking the 5th fewest 3pt shots. They're two highest usage players are a SF/PF that drives to the basket and a PF/C that plays predominantly inside. That's a recipe for a free throw differential.

Context matters, you can't just look at totals.

The context added nothing. If you told me they had the most paint touches by a wide margin and the least amount of 3 point shots by a wide margin then maybe you could make an argument to why the differential was so high.

It’s not that they’re #1, it’s that they’re #1 by such a large margin. Statistics wise, you just shouldn’t have that type of anomaly without some sort of reasonable justification.

Once again. The disparity is caused by two sides of the ball. The Lakers FTr/possession wasn't even first in the league last season. The context starts with doing the most basic thing in stats, which is normalization. One of the first things you learn in data visualization (and just basic comprehension) is that while statements can be true, they can also be put forth with the explicit intent to mislead. We can then have a discussion about how FTr/possession deviated from other teams that year, and to compare that spread to previous seasons. Hint: it wasn't even close to being an outlier historically. They're a paint team second-to-last in 3pt attempts and employed Dennis Schroder, Austin Reaves, and DLo as their guards.

What really accounts for the disparity is the fact that the Lakers also didn't put players on the line for that same stretch. And that's because their defense became more functional with Vando in, AD actually playing games in 2023 (his first consistent stretch since 2020) and the Lakers running the Bucks defense. The Bucks were also bottom in the league in fouls committed for multiple seasons prior.

Isn’t that the irony though? That Lakers players just “didn’t put teams on the FT line” at the rate other teams did, yet Lakers players and fans complain that they don’t get calls.

The fact you guys can’t see the irony is quite astounding. I’m sure you just happened to not foul while being a good defence, while also getting to the free throw line a lot yourselves which all just happened to coincide with the big cry you guys had after the Boston game.

If you know statistics like you seen to, you know this a complete outlier just doesn’t happen in sports. It’s so far outside of what the other 29 teams are doing, it’s almost statistically impossible for that to happen over an extended time like it did.

An 11 free throw advantage over every single team before starting a game is a clear problem.

[HEAT33]

[Bob Ross]

Of course they did. They're second only to the Mavs in crying and complaining

[Myth]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-fact-or-fiction-the-overwhelming-free-throw-disparity-that-favors-lebron-james-lakers-220709544.html
The Warriors overwhelmingly lead in L2M wrong calls in favor of.

Let's get some data for the Lakers getting way more FTA than their opponents for decades with some basic adjustment per minute or per possession.

In another one of these threads I ran a simple and limited historical analysis of three or four unpopular refs and the W-L, point differentials for games they reffed vs total W-L and point differentials. In the case of Scott Foster, it spanned 20+ years. The only noticeable through-line was that they're all biased against the Raptors. And hilariously enough, the Rockets won a lot more games with Scott Foster officiating. Chalk it up to noise, but it just goes to show that these narratives often don't reflect reality.

Did you share that link as a support that Lakers don't get help from refs?

No, I shared the hit piece from a Celtics beat writer for Warriors fans to have some perspective. I want to consider the data without the tribalism. In that same piece, Rohrbach proceeds to just jerk over the same number raw differential number and asserts that there's no correlation between shooting a lot of threes and not getting a lot of free throw attempts because Luka Doncic says so. It's a quintessential Yahoo piece. I was citing the L2M table.

Ok, I mistook your reason for posting it.

[Marrrcuss]

my question is would they make these complaints if they didn't have lebron, or,,,,did lebron ask them to put in a complain

if i was the league i'd shut this down asap

So your question is if an NBA team would complain if one of their best players wasnt getting calls and it was affecting games?

Ummm, pretty sure any team in any sport would have done the same.

I would like to create a topic about just how deep yalls hatred for lebron is but the whole thing would be full of lies. Folks would blame it on the 13 year old decision or on one of his tatts. No honesty would be shown. There HAS to be something else for this level of intensity.

[Marrrcuss]

He flops "all the time" but all yall do is keep posting this one from 2020?

Post one from this season or last bro. Im beggin you....

[Jables]

Every team does this, I don't like the Lakers as much as anyone but it's only news because they are doing it.

[Kalamazoo317]

my question is would they make these complaints if they didn't have lebron, or,,,,did lebron ask them to put in a complain

if i was the league i'd shut this down asap

So your question is if an NBA team would complain if one of their best players wasnt getting calls and it was affecting games?

Ummm, pretty sure any team in any sport would have done the same.

I would like to create a topic about just how deep yalls hatred for lebron is but the whole thing would be full of lies. Folks would blame it on the 13 year old decision or on one of his tatts. No honesty would be shown. There HAS to be something else for this level of intensity.

I wish. I haven't heard anything about Pistons making this complaint on behalf of Cade, but they need to. He definitely gets a worse whistle than Lebron.

[Effigy]

When you’re used to the below, I can see why they’d be upset.

Read on Twitter

?s=46

Crazy! That number should clearly be closer to 1000. Poor Lebron.

Yeah, the Lakers when they saw this immediately complained to the league and asked why this wasn't higher.

[JRoy]

Sniper alert

[VanWest82]

37-9 FTA advantage tonight over the Blazers. This is why people get pissed off about Lebron/Lakers complaining. The optics are gross.

[Edrees]

37-9 FTA advantage tonight over the Blazers. This is why people get pissed off about Lebron/Lakers complaining. The optics are gross.

Box score watcher, nice to meet you. Lakers were constantly driving it into the paint and all Blazers were doing were chucking threes. (Blazers took 37 threes, only 19 threes for the Lakers) When Lakers complain it's because they aren't getting called for strong contact in the paint, not because a lack of foul calls on 3 pointers. the league shouldn't be rewarding jump shooters with soft calls grazing skin.

There was 1 pretty bad call that favored the Lakers in this game on the Rui drive which was challenged, but the rest were fine.

[FrobeBryant]

37-9 FTA advantage tonight over the Blazers. This is why people get pissed off about Lebron/Lakers complaining. The optics are gross.

The optics are gross if you don’t consider context at all and just look at the box score. Let’s try to not let the narrative control actual analysis.