NBA Twitter is growing frustrated with the Lakers superstar’s late game play.
For the second time in three games, 82.4% free-throw shooter and all-around best Los Angeles Laker Anthony Davis had a chance to ice a Lakers win against a good Eastern Conference club and help the club get closer to a .500 record. And for the second time, he couldn’t quite get the job done.
On Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers, AD went 1-of-2 near the end of regulation, ultimately yield a 120-120 tie that necessitated an overtime finish, when an overextended Los Angeles club fell against a sharpshooting James Harden. Philly outscored L.A. 13-2 in the frame, to ultimately beat the team 133-122.
Last night against the Boston Celtics, it happened again, but worse! That’s because, when Davis got fouled with 28.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he whiffed on both of his free throw attempts. Celtics MVP candidate Jayson Tatum managed to rebound the second miss and eventually convert it at the other end with a Nowitzki-esque 15-foot turnaround fadeaway jumper around the baseline. LeBron James tried to respond, sort of, with a half-hearted three-point attempt that barely hit the rim, time expired and the Lakers got outplayed in overtime, losing 122-118.
Lakers fans took note on Twitter. Some were more sympathetic than others.
With springy power forward/center Wenyen Gabriel still sidelined, it seemed like head coach Darvin Ham didn’t trust either of his traditional centers to help spell Davis. Thomas Bryant played just 6:59, all in the first half, while Damian Jones has long fallen out of Ham’s rotations. Davis played every second of the game’s second two quarters, plus overtime, without a break. He’s not Wilt Chamberlain. You know who’d help give Davis a break? Myles Turner.
A stressed celebrity fan could feel the game’s karmic shift happening when Davis botched the charity stripe takes…
Let’s face it, he wasn’t wrong. L.A.’s lilting defense in the succeeding possession and LBJ’s lackluster triple try were harbingers of a rough overtime to come.
Another fan felt similarly:
Davis’s non-clutch-ness at the line came under fire elsewhere:
On-point critique right there.
Barry’s being generous, seeing as how this is the second time in just three games that Davis’s free throw miss(es) cost his team down the stretch.
Davis broke some hearts last night, that’s for sure.
Another crushed fan seemed pretty darn shocked:
One fan decided to find a soundtrack for his postgame feels:
Emojis were employed sparingly but effectively here:
Damn, AD.
