Amidst an intense atmosphere in Ball Arena, the Lakers and the Nuggets were tied at 99-99. With around five seconds to go, Jamal Murray carved out an isolation play. While Anthony Davis was guarding him, Blue Arrow unlocked a hesitation dribble and stepped back to nail a fadeaway over AD to win it for his time. A few minutes before this, even LeBron James got an opportunity to nail an open 3-pointer and take the lead. However, the shot didn’t connect which brought instant comparison, between the two leaders, from his notorious opposer.
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Before the miss, LBJ was clicking on all cylinders, during the clutch. Therefore, on his X handle, Skip Bayless showed “sympathy” towards the 4x Finals MVP for losing the game despite showing top form in the deciding quarter,
“Poor LeBron James. He just played finally a great 4th quarter against the Denver Nuggets, he made those back-to-back threes. He stole the ball from Jamal then went down on dunked it on Jamal. He had a couple of great drives… He did it all until in the end, he fatefully winds up with a wide-open, uncontested three,”
After praising his performance, the FS1 analyst recalled the wide-open “front rim” miss by LBJ. He then admired Murray’s spectacular game-winner over Davis, taking a swipe at what he perceives to be a lack of clutch quotient in the All-time leading scorer,
“Here came Jamal Murray, the best closer in basketball, everything LeBron would love to be.”
Poor LeBron.pic.twitter.com/PPgK8f10Y2
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 23, 2024
The 72-year-old didn’t miss out on taking a dig at the Lakers superstar even while praising his outing. Akin to the postseason, the veteran analyst has indeed upped the intensity of his critiques towards LeBron James. It seems justified looking at the Lakers’ condition in this series. Further, the analyst has vowed to not stop his attacks on the King.
Skip Bayless to spit more fire against LeBron James
Bayless blasted LBJ after a 103:114 Game 1 loss against the Denver Nuggets. On his X, he launched a huge rant at King James. The ‘UNDISPUTED’ host opined that the 39-year-old failed to show up in crunch-time which cost his team the game. Meanwhile, he referred to James as a “diva”, taking shots at the way he handles criticism,
“He pouted those last nine minutes because he was so stung by the criticism, all of it justified for his fourth-quarter flame-outs.”
Bayless’ frustrations have been multiplied because he had predicted the Lakers to win Game 1 and the series in six games. He claimed that “basketball gods have tapped LeBron James on the shoulder”. However, the Nuggets have proven that they are unwilling to relinquish their title defense in the first round.
At the same time, the series is far from over. The Lakers won 28 out of their 42 games at home and as the series shifts to home, they’d love to get back in LA. At any rate, to accomplish a comeback, LBJ and Co. will need to improve their second-half efforts.
