The Los Angeles Lakers began their playoff campaign by suffering a tough 103-114 loss against the Denver Nuggets. D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura couldn’t find their rhythm, being a huge reason behind the LA side’s loss. However, Skip Bayless blamed LeBron James for the Lakers going 0-1 in the series, shedding light on the King James’ poor 4th quarter outing.
Apr 20, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) looks on during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers blew an early 12-point lead and entered the final quarter down by 11 points. Austin Reaves even cut the lead to seven points but the Lakers couldn’t capitalize on the gained momentum. Skip Bayless, among many others, believes that LeBron James’ 4th quarter disappearance was the reason the Purple & Gold are trailing 0-1 in the series.
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
LBJ looked comfortable in the first three quarters of the battle against Nikola Jokic and Co. with 23 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, Bron was equally ineffective in the final one, scoring merely four points on two field goal attempts, per NBA.com. However, known for being a huge LBJ detractor, Bayless went a step further to disrespect the four-time champ,
“LeBron James can be such a diva. I just watched him play the last 9 minutes at Denver and take 2 shots once the game was completely over because he wanted to make a point. He pouted those last 9 minutes because he was so stung by the criticism… He just stood around on offense, watching and kicking the ball to the coldest hand on the floor – D’Angelo Russell.”
As expected, the FS1 analyst used this opportunity to attack James’ legacy. Comparing James’ lackluster 4th quarter performance to Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, Skip dubbed the Lakers forward’s performance an “embarrassment”,
“How can anybody watch something like that and think this guy was the GOAT? Do you think Kobe [Bryant] would have done that? Do you think [Michael] Jordan would have done that? It was just an embarrassment…It was just so LeBron James.”
LeBron James will need to pull up his socks if the Lakers want to have a serious shot at upsetting the Denver Nuggets. Even with a double-double from AD, the Lakeshow was not able to overcome brilliant plays from Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. As several analysts have already inferred, the defending champions are the biggest hurdle for LeBron James and Co., if they want to make a title run this season.
With other players unable to step up to the occasion and deliver, James cannot afford to not be at his best for even a single quarter. LA fans will hope to see LBJ and Co. bounce back and put up a significantly improved performance in Game 2 on Monday.
