Even on the day he turned 39, LeBron James showed he was still capable of hitting a clutch shot in crunch time.
As the clock ticked down to the final seconds Saturday night with his Lakers trying to rally against the Minnesota Timberwolves, James nailed what he thought was a game-tying 3-pointer. But officials said his foot was ever-so-slightly on the line, effectively sealing the Lakers’ fate.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was livid, pleading unsuccessfully for replay to overturn the call. In the locker room after the 108-106 loss, he was still steaming.
‘It’s obvious (it’s) a three. My foot was behind the line. You could see the space between the front of my foot and the 3-point line,’ James said. ‘Stevie Wonder could see that, champ.’
Officials after the game said there wasn’t ‘clear and conclusive’ evidence to reverse the ruling. James clearly disagreed.
‘In the replay center, somebody over there eating a ham sandwich made the call,’ he added disgustedly.
James finished with 26 points, becoming just the 11th player in NBA history to score 25 or more after turning 39. However, not getting a 27th was, for him, the missing icing on the cake.
‘What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong?’ James said.
