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LA Lakers fans are upset about a flagrant foul call on D'Angelo Russell early in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. Russell made a hard foul on Jamal Murray, with the referees assessing a flarant foul one on the Lakers guard.
With about three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Dennis Schroder tried to make a pass to Lonnie Walker IV. However, Christian Braun got a hand on it, and Jamal Murray recovered the ball for the fastbreak.
Russell got back on defense and tried to block Murray's layup attempt. He was unable to block the shot and instead hit the Denver Nuggets guard's face and body. Officials reviewed the play and called Russell for a flagrant foul.
After D'Angelo Russell was called for the flagrant foul, LeBron James was one of many who were confused by the assessment. LA Lakers fans on Twitter quickly reacted to the seemingly normal foul by Russell.
One fan even said:
"You can't play defense anymore?"
Here are other reactions to Russell's flagrant foul on Murray:
Flagrant foul calls have been rampant in the regular season, but there have been some questionable ones in this postseason.
Draymond Green and James Harden have been ejected due to flagrant foul 2 calls, while Joel Embiid seemingly commited a flagrant foul 2, but the referees deemed it as a penalty 1.
D'Angelo Russell set to become free agent this summer
D'Angelo Russell is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The LA Lakers acquired Russell at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Utah Jazz.
Russell played great for the Lakers down the stretch, averaging 17.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists in 17 games. He shot 48.4% from the field, 41.4% from beyond the arc and 73.5% from the free throw line. He was one of the reasons why the Lakers made it to the play-in tournament and playoffs.
However, Russell has not been as good in the postseason. He's being outperformed by Austin Reaves and Dennis Schroder. Nevertheless, he's averaging 15.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists in the playoffs. He's shooting 44.0% from the field, including 33.3% from the 3-point territory.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in February that the Lakers were interested in bringing back Russell. The only problem is that Reaves is also an impending free agent, so the Lakers might have to make a tough decision regarding their roster next season.
