The Los Angeles Lakers have been on fire since trading for Luka Dončić and are now in a prime position to compete for an NBA title in the upcoming playoffs.
Keeping Dončić on the floor is key to ensuring LA makes a deep run, but that wasn’t a given on Tuesday night against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
After putting the Lakers up 108-107 with a little under eight minutes left, Dončić turned towards the crowd and could be seen saying something. It’s unclear what he said, but whatever it was, referee JT Orr seemed to think it was directed at him, and he gave Luka a technical foul. As that was his second of the game, the Lakers’ star was ejected at an incredibly pivotal moment.
John Ireland, who was calling the game for ESPN Los Angeles alongside Mychal Thompson, absolutely lost his mind over the call.
“This is an absolutely horrible decision by JT Orr. By the official,” said Ireland. “Absolutely horrible. You cannot throw a star player out of an NBA game for talking to a fan.”
“The referee thought he was talking to him, and that’s why he took a look out,” added Thompson.
“You cannot do this,” said Ireland. “Oh, my god. This is unconscionable. You cannot do this in a game that’s this good. This is one of the worst pieces of officiating I have ever seen, and I’ve done this for 25 years. I hate this call, and I would say the same thing if they were doing it to Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander].
“The free throw is good to tie the game at 108. You cannot, Michael, throw a star player out of the game for talking to a fan.”
“He didn’t think he was talking to the fan,” said Thompson.
“I don’t care,” responded Ireland.
“The referee thought he was talking to him,” added Thompson. “That’s why he threw Luke out.”
“They had three Lakers explain it to him, and he still stuck to his guns because his ego is bigger than Luka staying in the game,” said Ireland.
Ireland’s anger was understandable considering the Thunder soon pulled away to win the game 136-120. Not only that, but the Lakers are in a dogfight for playoff positioning, and every win is critical at this point. It’s likely that losing this game will impact their seeding, and you can be sure Lakers fans are going to let Orr hear about it if he calls any of their playoff games.
For what it’s worth, Luka confirmed afterward that he was talking to a fan, not the ref.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.