The LA Lakers lost their first game against the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs by 103-114. There were a lot of things that went wrong from the Lakers camp, however, Skip Bayless believes that LeBron James is the biggest reason behind this loss. On a recent episode of UNDISPUTED show, Bayless trashed LBJ and his poor performance against the Nuggets.
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Bayless said that this loss wasn’t a total wipeout and that the Lakers showed that people can keep their hopes up in the games to come. However, the media veteran was unhappy with the way LeBron played, especially in the fourth quarter. He said, “LeBron James was just lifeless in the fourth quarter and I don’t know exactly why. I can give you several theories on it, but he was lifeless.” Paul Pierce on the other hand believes that LeBron was drained on the court and that is why he pretty much ghosted in the last quarter.
To his credit, Pierce never believed that the Lakers had any chance against the Nuggets, and he even predicted a sweep like last season. Bayless also has something similar in mind, especially after he saw how LeBron’s energy changed on the court with 9 minutes left on the clock. Even though the criticism might sound harsh for a LeBron fan, the analysts on the show had a point. According to NBA.com, LeBron made just four shot attempts in the third quarter and two in the fourth and he closed out the second half with only eight points.
No matter how you look at it, that is an underwhelming stat for a player of his stature, and more importantly, for a player that an entire team depends on. People calling out LeBron for ghosting are not wrong, but that’s not the end of the problem for the Lakers because the other players, except Anthony Davis were just as bad.
Magic Johnson backs LeBron James and Anthony Davis
This is the story with every team: whenever they lose, their most important players are the ones questioned by the media. So, by that understanding, people aren’t being too harsh on LeBron and AD after the loss. However, the Lakers veteran Magic Johnson believes that it is somewhat unfair to blame only the duo for this loss.
After the final buzzer, Magic took to X to give his perspective on what happened in the Ball Arena. The NBA veteran wrote, “Last year, the Nuggets’ guard trio of Bruce Brown, KCP, and Jamal Murray were dominant! The Lakers’ key to win will be DLO, Reaves, Vincent, and Dinwiddie outperforming Murray, KCP, and Braun.” He said that it is time for the guards to buckle up if they wish to beat a team as strong as the Nuggets.
D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves have shown that they can be relied upon as third stars on this Lakers squad during the regular season, but can they bring their A-Game to the playoffs? Gabe Vincent was a key piece in Miami’s run to the Finals last year, and his one-on-one defense is something that the Lakers will be heavily reliant on. Can the LA guards find their groove for Game 2 in Denver? Or will the Nuggets blow past the Lakers in 4 straight games like last year?
