Disclaimer: I am not a particular fan of Lebron James. Undoubtedly he is a great player, some things he does I agree with, others I don’t. That said….

Lebron James was called for an offensive foul last night after barging into Luol Deng on a drive. It was a good defensive play from Deng but James wasn’t happy in the postgame interview.

I saw him backpedaling. Me as a driver, I’m watching the defender’s feet. I’m seeing if he’s stationed or is still moving. To me, I felt like he was still backpedaling, and as soon as I saw him backpedaling, that’s when I decided to take off. They called a charge. I haven’t seen the replay, but I know exactly what I’ve seen on the court with the defender right in front of me.

-Lebron James

The rules aren’t really on Lebron’s side here though. The actual NBA rule clarification on contact is:

A player may continue to move after gaining a guarding position in the path of an opponent provided he is not moving directly or obliquely toward his opponent when contact occurs.

So…Lebron is applying an incorrect understanding of the rules when he plays the game, and expecting calls to go a certain way, which they don’t. However, Lebron’s biggest mistake here is that he can’t let it go. By elucidating his case in the postgame interview he’s actually displaying his ignorance of the rules, as well as his inability to lose gracefully.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Lebron has thrown his toys out of the pram about a late-game call and been, well, wrong. Exhibit B: The Crab Dribble.

OK so some people will be saying ‘so what?’ but in the wake of David Stern’s warning to players and coaches about criticising referees, it seems sensible that you at least know the rules before criticising those enforcing them.