Cleveland Cavaliers: Yes, LeBron James Is Officiated Differently

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James continues to be officiated differently at the rim — the proof is in the numbers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Boston Celtics 103-99 Wednesday night.

It was frustrating to witness LeBron James be harassed by the Celtics, without any help from the officials.

While watching the potential Eastern Conference Finals matchup, I made what I believed to be a legitimate observation regarding Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas on Twitter:

Does Isaiah get these phantom calls every game?
— habz (@ehabz19) March 2, 2017

A Twitter user – a Celtics fan – was quick to attack my take. Asking me, “How on earth are you going to complain about a call with LeBron on your team?”

Don’t get it twisted, having James is a luxury, and the way he’s officiated has minimal impact on the grand scheme of things. But how on earth are you going to tell me a 6-foot-8, 250 pound forward, with the speed and skill of a guard, isn’t officiated differently?

This isn’t a new narrative – just one that needs to be addressed again to remind everyone that all things LeBron aren’t created equal. Sure, James gets away with traveling and the occasional gift-wrapped and one. As do the following players: James Harden, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook.

To put it bluntly: Every other star in the NBA benefits from a call here-and-there.

Through Thursday, James ranks 13th in the NBA in free throw attempts per contest (7.0). For how often No. 23 drives the lane, I found this number to be quite low. So, I looked at shot attempts at the rim per game for James and the 12 players ahead of him in trips to the charity stripe:

James Harden: 4.1 shots at the rim, 10.9 free throws per game
Russell Westbrook: 7 shots at the rim, 10.6 free throws per game
DeMarcus Cousins: 6.6 shots at the rim, 9.9 free throws per game
Jimmy Butler: 4.5 shots at the rim, 9.2 free throws per game
DeMar DeRozan: 3 shots at the rim, 8.9 free throws per game
Isaiah Thomas: 6.2 shots at the rim, 8.9 free throws per game
Anthony Davis: 5.5 shots at the rim, 8.8 free throw per game
Joel Embiid: 4.5 shots at the rim, 7.9 free throws per game
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7.8 shots at the rim, 7.4 free throws per game
Kawhi Leonard: 3.2 shots at the rim, 7.4 free throws per game
Blake Griffin: 6.3 shots at the rim, 7.2 free throws per game
Damian Lillard: 5.1 shots at the rim, 7.1 free throw attempts per game
LeBron James: 7.2 shots at the rim, 7.0 free throw attempts per game

Antetokounmpo ranks ninth in free throws per game, despite getting to the rim more than any player on the list. The “Greek Freak” and his 6-foot-11 frame – accompanied with a LeBron-like skill set – is suffering from the same phenomenon as the Cavaliers’ small forward.

Of the top five in FTA per game, only two players place in the top nine in shots at the rim per night: Westbrook and Cousins.

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Harden averages 4.1 shots at the rim and 10.9 free throw attempts per game. Butler averages 4.5 shots at the rim and 9.2 free throw attempts per game. DeRozan, a jump shooter, averages 3 shots at the rim and 8.9 free throw attempts per game.

Puzzling numbers, to say the least.

There’s a reason James publicly trashed the officiating after a Jan. 11 loss to the Utah Jazz. His rare combination of speed and strength often causes significant contact to go unnoticed – a problem players like the 5-foot-9 Thomas don’t have to worry about.

James has a career average of 8.3 free throws per game. Last season, the Cavaliers superstar averaged 11.1 shots at the rim, and just 6.5 free throw attempts per game – his lowest total since his rookie campaign.

Next: How David Griffin Overhauled The Cavaliers Bench

Why the drastic change for a four-time MVP and three-time NBA champion? I don’t know. But that’s how on earth I complain about calls around the basket with LeBron on my team.

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