John Wall blames crucial turnover on not getting same calls as LeBron

The Washington Wizards held a 16-point lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers with six minutes left in the game, only to lose in spectacular fashion as LeBron James powered yet another improbable comeback to take a 119-115 victory.

John Wall was excellent throughout the contest, scoring 28 points and dishing out 14 assists, but he was abysmal down the stretch. He refused to drive to the rim, he bricked a key pull-up jumper, and recorded a late turnover that sealed the loss.

Wall cited a lack of whistles for his passivity in driving to the basket, especially on the last play where he turned down a chance to tie with a layup.

"It's kind of tough, because I try to do the same thing as LeBron but I'm not as tall. But when I turn the corner and get downhill, I don't get the same calls when people put hands on me, or contact with me," Wall said after the game.

"I already knew that on the play before that when I drove on LeBron that I wasn't gonna get a call, so why put myself in that position? The same thing happened with Jeff Green, I knew they weren't going to give me a call, so I tried to find a teammate for a wide-open shot but just gotta give them credit for making a great defensive stop."

James did shoot 10 free throws on the night as part of his 33-point masterpiece, but he was hardly gifted generous calls down the stretch. James shot six free throws in the fourth quarter, two calls coming off drives where there was obvious contact at the rim, plus an intentional foul by the Wizards.

As for Wall, he shot six free throws, but didn't attack the basket when it mattered. All five of Wall's shots in the fourth were jumpers as the Cavaliers wisely denied the drive. Wall did get to the rim in the dying seconds, but made the bizarre decision to kick out instead of going all the way, sealing the Wizards' fate.