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As the clock winded down, James made a clutch 3-pointer, tying the game, only for it to be called by the refs as a two. During the match, the Los Angeles Lakers expressed frustrations. Even after the game, James reportedly said, “What do we have replay for if even the replay gets it wrong?” Well, while I was watching the game, I thought the exact same thing. Here are some clips and videos of what happened:

More than just a bad call, this questions what the NBA uses to review close calls like this. The replays are sent to the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, NJ. It features 20 workstations where these replays are analyzed. The referees consult with the NBA Replay Center before making the final call. For this call to be missed is absolutely blasphemous. 

Despite the unfortunate call, some players emerged to be game-changing:

Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers

Anthony Davis’s stat line this game was beyond impressive, with 33 points, 8 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and a whopping 17 rebounds. Undoubtedly, Davis was the most significant influence on this Lakers team. With high efficiency, going 12 for 17, Davis led the team in scoring, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. All I can say is what a performance.

Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Lebron’s stat line was impressive, having 26 points with 45% from the field, but he did not contribute like Anthony Davis. He did have a clutch three in the game’s closing seconds, but unfortunately, we saw how that went.

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards had a monster game with 31 points and solid efficiency, going 10 for 23. His three-point efficiency was slightly underwhelming, going 2 for 8, but nonetheless, he proved to be a valuable asset when clinching the game over the Lakers

Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves

Naz Reid shot incredibly efficiently, going 8 for 10 while dropping 21 points off the bench.

Mike Connely, Minnesota Timberwolves

In the game’s closing minutes, Mike Connely had two clutch threes and a clutch assist to help widen the gap in a relatively close match.

Well, Lebron’s Birthday did not go how he wanted it to, but more importantly, it did not go how he deserved it. In the future, we can only hope that instant replay can make calls like these accurately.