LeBron James will not like what he sees on the final two-minute report of the game, just as he didn’t like what he saw on the video monitor on Saturday.
Late in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, star player LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers was controversially denied a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer. James got an outlet pass in transition and pulled up for a jumper, which he made, with the Lakers trailing 107-104 in the closing seconds. James thought he was behind the three-point line, but the officials decided that the shot was a two because James had a foot on the line, albeit very slightly. After an instant-replay review, the call was verified, which infuriated James and the other Lakers.
When the final two-minute report from the game was made public on Sunday, the NBA reiterated that James’ basket should have been called a two-pointer.
The report stated, “There was not clear and conclusive visual evidence that the on-court ruling was incorrect.”
Additionally, it said that before James released the shot, his right foot had rolled forward and touched the three-point line with the toe of his shoe.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report backs up last night’s determination that LeBron James’ shot with 2.3 seconds left was a 2 and not a 3 pic.twitter.com/BjIdJSnZqe
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 31, 2023
The outcome might have changed if the officials had declared James’ shot to be a three-pointer on the floor because the margin was so narrow that there was probably inconclusive evidence on both sides. But James and the Lakers were out of luck because the shot was initially called a two, which was a reasonable call in the moment; they lost 108-106.
James contended that a specific frame appeared to indicate that his foot was behind the line. However, as the play progressed, it became clear that James’ foot had moved to the edge of the line before he could make the shot. The NBA eventually confirmed this in their L2M ruling.
