LeBron James bashes refs after Heat lose to Bulls

awaken forward LeBron pile shows frustration aft(prenominal) Wednesday's 101-97 loss to the Bulls.(Photo: Rob Grabowski, USA directly Sports)

Story Highlights

• LeBron crowd together was joyless with being called for rank foul in Miami Heat's loss to simoleons Bulls
• Heat star says he was riseing to defend himself from physicality of Bulls forward Carlos Boozer
• " all(prenominal) meter I crusade to defend myself, I've got to face the consequences of a flagrant," pile says

CHICAGO — LeBron James' frustration — virtually a full season's worth — spilled out.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the Miami Heat trailing the Chicago Bulls and the Heat's 27- granulose winning streak about to expire, James delivered an overly physical foul — leading with his forearm — on Bulls forward Carlos Boozer.

A referee called a flagrant foul 1.

James wasn't tempestuous that the Heat were about to lose for the first time since Feb. 1. He was unhappy with the way the referees officiated the game, unhappy with the way the Bulls were able to be so physical — in James' view — and get external with it.

WATCH: Did LeBron deserve flagrant?

GAME: How Bulls snapped Heat's streak

After the Bulls ended the Heat's winning streak — the scrap longest in NBA history and six wins shy of the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' 33 wins in a row — James sat in his cubicle, his feet in a bucket of ice with the 101-97 box chalk up resting atop it, and vented about the pounding he has interpreted this season.

"It's been happening all year, and I've been able to keep my cool and try to tell Spo (Heat coach Erik Spoelstra), 'Let's non worry about it,' " James said. "But it is getting to me a little bit. Every time I try to defend myself, I've got to face the consequences of a flagrant or a technical foul or whatsoever the case may be.

"It's tough. It's very tough."

 

From the start, the Bulls were physical with James. Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich started it with both fouls on James in the first quarter.

"I knew it was discharge to be a physical game," said James, who finished with a game-high 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists and took 11 free throws. "Every game against the Bulls is a physical game."

On the second foul, Hinrich should have been credit with either a tackle or two points for the takedown.

" starting of all, Kirk Hinrich in the first quarter just grabbed me with two work force and brought me to the ground," James said.

WATCH: Kirk Hinrich tries to tackle LeBron, fails

Late in the game, Chicago forward Taj Gibson afoul(ip) James, knocking him to the ground. The officials reviewed the foul for a potential flagrant only kept it a regular foul.

"The last one, Taj Gibson was able to mite me around my shoulder and bring me to the ground," James said.

Of both fouls, James said, "Those argon not basketball plays."

It's going to sound interchangeable James was whining, and he tried to clarify that he wasn't.

"I'm not crying about anything, because I play the game at a high level," he said. "I play the game with a lot of aggression, and I understand some of the plays are on the borderline of a basketball play or not."

 

Materials taken from USA Today