LeBron James Comments on Officiating, Lack of Flagrant Fouls Called and More

The Cleveland Cavaliers had little to complain about from their 115-84 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but LeBron James was curious what it would take to draw a flagrant foul.  

“I have no idea what it is. I know what it is when it happens to someone else, but I don't know when it involves me. I have no idea what a common foul and flagrant foul is,” he said Tuesday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

The refs called only one flagrant foul in Game 1, and that was when Cleveland's Kevin Love hit Toronto's Patrick Patterson in the face with an elbow.

McMenamin noted “there were at least three plays in question in Game 1 that James could have been referring to,” including when Bismack Biyombo hit the Cavaliers star in the back of the head with an elbow when going for a rebound during the first half.

McMenamin also pointed to two incidents in the second half. DeMarre Carroll “wrapped up James around the shoulder area” when the forward was heading toward the basket in transition, and Biyombo hit James in the face again in the third quarter. However, that second encounter with Biyombo went uncalled because James had already been whistled for an offensive foul on the way into the lane.

“I’ve pretty much chalked it up to common fouls [being called] with me [getting hit],” James said, per McMenamin.

On the surface, it would appear James is a difficult player to officiate. He is a physical specimen at 6’8” and 250 pounds and absorbs contact in a different manner than smaller players would because of his overwhelming size. He has never suffered a serious injury in his career and has 11 different campaigns with at least 75 games played.

What’s more, he is relying on that physicality more than ever this season because he shot a mere 30.9 percent from three-point range. That was his lowest mark from beyond the arc since he was a rookie in 2003-04.

Only 4.3 of his 18.4 shots per game in the postseason have come from deep, and he is charging into the lane more and attacking the rim. That leaves him more susceptible to hard contact because opponents are virtually helpless to stop him without fouling unless they double-team him.

That, in turn, opens up the three-point shooters on the perimeter, which is one reason Cleveland is shooting a playoff-best 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. The formula has led to nine postseason wins in nine tries.

Tyronn Lue compared the way James is officiated to that of his former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal, earlier in the playoffs, per McMenamin in a separate article: “He's the Shaq of guards and forwards. He's so strong and so physical, when he goes to the basket, guys are bouncing off of him. Those are still fouls, but he doesn't get that call because he's so big and so strong and so physical.”

Lue’s comments came after the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond elbowed James above the shoulders in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, which did not draw a penalty from the NBA.

McMenamin noted that the Raptors may have more reason than the Cavs to complain about the officials after Game 1. Toronto was called for 25 fouls to Cleveland’s 20, and guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for zero free throws during the contest.

James has been to the last five NBA Finals and understands how important officiating is at this time of year. The fact he brought up the flagrant foul issue could be an attempt to get into referees’ heads for the rest of the playoffs and potentially lead to more whistles in his favor.

The Raptors already looked overmatched in Game 1. If the Cavaliers end up shooting more free throws than them in Game 2 on Thursday, this series will likely shift to Toronto with Cleveland ahead 2-0.