Skip Bayless pleasantly surprised everyone by constantly praising LeBron James throughout the course of Game 2 of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets. However, these compliments only lasted a few hours before Bayless went right back to doing what he is infamous for… criticizing James. Harshly blaming the forward’s missed three-pointer as the only reason for the Lakers’ loss, the FS1 analyst mercilessly brought up Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant to do nothing more than demean ‘The King’.
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A mere few minutes after praising LeBron James for his basketball IQ, shooting, and passing, Skip Bayless didn’t hesitate in pinning all the blame for the LA side’s loss on the 6ft 9” star. Following this, the 72-year-old analyst went on his show ‘Undisputed’ to further drive the stake through the Lakers superstar’s heart.
Bayless compared the final play to the Michael Jordan-Byron Russell push-off incident from the 1998 finals. But before he did, the former sports columnist believed that neither Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, or Jordan would blow a 10-point lead entering the final period.
“If you give Magic Johnson the lead at Denver against the defending champs. Going into the 4th quarter if you give him a 10-point lead, I promise you he’ll get the game home. If you give Kobe Bryant a 10-point lead, I promise you he will get the game home…
When KCP went flying, I thought this is a Byron Russell moment. It looked just like it… He just doesn’t have the clutch gene… Would Michael have made that shot? I know so,” Skip said.
Yes, LeBron’s wide-open missed three-pointer did have grave implications as the Lakers now trail 0-2 in the first-round series. However, condemning James’ clutch attribute for the same is impractical. Before missing the potential game-winner, LBJ had a spectacular quarter. While the remaining members of the Purple & Gold seemed to have disappeared (combining for just 8 points), the four-time MVP took over the contest and erupted for 12 points in the fourth quarter on a highly efficient 55.6% FG, per NBA.com.
Additionally, Skip is incorrect about the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant not blowing leads. Back in 1992, MJ and the Bulls allowed the Orlando Magic to clinch a win despite leading by 20 points in the fourth quarter, per The Chicago Tribune. During the 2008 NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant’s Lakers blew a 24-point lead, allowing the Boston Celtics to go up 3-1 in the series, per Daily News. Both of these occasions are equally bad if not worse than the Lakers’ loss from yesterday night.
Simply put, especially given all that he did during the game, LeBron James wasn’t the reason the Los Angeles Lakers blew their lead. He was the reason they were still in the contest for as long as they were, despite being almost 40 years old.
LeBron James stuffed the stat sheet in Games 1 & 2
As expected, the Denver Nuggets have taken control early in the series. After a convincing 114-103 Game 1 win, Nikola Jokic and co. rallied from a 20-point deficit to win Game 2. In each of the two games, LeBron James had a respectable performance and cannot be blamed for the loss, unlike what Skip Bayless would have you believe.
In Game 1, LeBron James recorded 27 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds. But, the 7 turnovers that he committed turned out to be extremely costly. As a reaction to this, James had a major improvement in the following encounter. While he lodged fewer points (26), the 39-year-old had a much better overall performance – putting up more rebounds (8), assists (12), steals (2), and blocks (2), while turning the ball over fewer (2) times per NBA.com.
Despite his age, James has been fulfilling his responsibilities pretty well. It’s been the second unit’s lacklustre performance along with the inability to guard Nikola Jokic that has been detrimental.
With Christian Wood expected to make his return for Game 3, the California side will hope that Anthony Davis receives more help in stopping the Joker. Further, the return of Jarred Vanderbilt will also allow the Lakers to use another wing defender to switch between Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. as per the circumstance.
As the series shifts to the Crypto.com Arena, the Lakers will need to use their home court to an advantage and level the series. Even if they suffer a single loss, fighting to keep their postseason dream alive in Game 5 at Colorado will be a lost cause.
