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JJ Redick Unloads on Officials After Lakers Fall to Thunder, Down 2-0

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick didn't hold back after his team dropped Game 2 to the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-107 on Thursday night. The Western Conference semifinals series is now firmly in Thunder territory, and Redick is pointing directly at the officiating crew.

LeBron's Free-Throw Problem Is Real, Says Redick

The coach's main complaint centers on how star player LeBron James is being treated by the referees. James, a four-time NBA MVP and 22-time All-Star, has only managed five free-throw attempts across the first two games of the best-of-seven series. That's not a coincidence in Redick's view.

"LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen," Redick said. "I mean, I've been with him two years now. The smaller guys, because they can be theatric, they typically draw more fouls, and the bigger players that are built like LeBron, it's hard for them. He gets clobbered. He got clobbered again tonight a bunch."

Redick stressed this isn't a new pattern. "The guy gets hit on the head more than any player I've seen on drives, and it rarely gets called," he added.

Reaves Confronts Crew Chief Over Perceived Disrespect

While James kept his postgame comments brief, Lakers guard Austin Reaves took a different approach. Reaves confronted crew chief John Goble at center court after the final buzzer, citing an incident during a jump-ball situation with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter.

"I felt like I was respectful to all of them all night," Reaves said. "And when we were doing the whole jump ball when (the Thunder players) were switching spots, I wanted to get on the other side because they had a guy on the other side, was just trying to keep an advantage. And (Goble) turned around and just yelled in my face. I just thought it was disrespectful."

Reaves finished with 31 points, while James contributed 23. The Lakers will host Game 3 on Saturday looking to break the series stalemate.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.