For a moment, the basketball community had hope in the Los Angeles Lakers to prevent elimination and force a Game 6. However, Jamal Murray came to the Denver Nuggets’ rescue once again, knocking down the second game-winner of the series. Despite being out of the playoff, Skip Bayless took to X (formerly “Twitter”), heartlessly mentioning a silver lining for LeBron James.
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Being the best player on the squad, LeBron James is unfairly blamed for his team’s exit from the postseason. Barring the 2019-2020 championship run, the King has been criticized for each of the four playoff eliminations. But, stating that LBJ played well, Skip Bayless implied that the former would be relieved to not receive criticism this time for the LA side’s campaign coming to an end.
Skip wrote, “LeBron has to be happy. He’s off the hook for this one.”
LeBron has to be happy. He’s off the hook for this one.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 30, 2024
LeBron James did have a valiant effort in trying to force a Game 6. Spending a little more than 44 minutes on the floor, the 6ft 9” forward finished the night with a 30-point, 11-assist, 9-rebound near triple-double. James was also terrific during the previous games of the series, averaging 27.3 points, 8.3 assists, and 6.3 rebounds before tonight.
LeBron James in the 2024 Playoffs:
27.8 PPG
8.8 APG
6.8 RPG
2.4 SPG
1.0 BPG
57/39/74%
63.7 TS%Greatest Year 21 of all time. pic.twitter.com/qJUZXdEKoO
— BronMuse (@BronMuse) April 30, 2024
In terms of an individual outing, Bron had his best playoff outing since the 2020 championship. But contrary to what the FS1 analyst believes, LeBron will not be satisfied with his performance, keeping the team’s result as a priority.
At one point in the encounter, fans including Skip Bayless were convinced that the Purple & Gold would win their first Game at the Ball Arena. However, with Anthony Davis hurting his shoulder, Darvin Ham’s boys soon blew a 9-point lead.
If Anthony Davis doesn’t bang up his shoulder, or whatever it was, Lakers win pretty easily.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 30, 2024
The Los Angeles Lakers witnessed a great performance from the dynamic frontcourt pairing of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, the inconsistency of D’Angelo Russell and Austin Rivers coupled with the forgettable performances from Rui Hachimura, Taurean Prince, and Gabe Vincent (combining for 16.6 points per game, per ESPN) played a major role in the series loss.
