During the first half of Thursday’s Western Conference Finals game, the officials called a flagrant 1 foul on Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell.
Russell was attempting to block Nuggets guard Jamal Murray’s layup as he drove to the basket in transition in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Conference Finals.
Russell’s left arm seemed to make contact with Murray’s face, but it looked like the Lakers guard was trying to hit the basketball.
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DAngelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 18, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
After the umpires met to discuss the play, they ruled that Russell had committed an infraction worth calling a flagrant foul.
The call resulted in two free throw attempts for the Nuggets, both of which were good.
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Los Angeles was leading Denver by three points at the time of the foul call, which came with just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter of the game.
LeBron James, who was on the bench at the time, was left in disbelief.
James was seen uttering the words «What did he do?»
Much of the argument over the play revolved around whether Russell injured his arm before contacting Murray.
ESPN rules analyst Steve Javie agreed with the officials’ call, while announcers Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy expressed opposition to the decision.
D’Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 18, 2023 at Ball Arena from Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
However, the flagrant foul signal sparked a fury of reactions on social media, with some backing the referee’s decision and others questioning whether the correct signal was given.
The Los Angeles Lakers look on during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 18, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors’ often outspoken forward Draymond Green seemed to categorize the call as «soft.»
ESPN host Frank Isola pointed out the apparent contact with Russell’s face.
Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN host Robert Griffin III believed that Russell simply committed a «good foul.»
One Twitter user said Russell was «discussing» Murray’s shot attempt.
Another Twitter user sided with the referees.
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Regardless of which side of the debate one falls on, the questionable call certainly reignited conversations about the differences between a common foul, flagrant foul 1, and flagrant foul 2.