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USA Today via Reuters
Apr 20, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the third 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
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USA Today via Reuters
Apr 20, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the third 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
LeBron James knows not to give a single freebie to the pesky Denver team, even when leading with double digits. As rumors about disconnect hover over the Lakers locker room, a significant sight emerges from Saturday night’s 4th quarter at Crypto.com Arena. The Lakers had a 15-point lead with nearly 9 minutes left. An ignited LBJ argued with the refs on an inbound play, claiming that the Nuggets had the last touch on the dead ball; all while urging Darvin Ham and the Lakers’ bench to trigger a review. While that seemed normal, the situation ended up going sideways.
LeBron James is screaming at the Lakers bench for not tirggering a review. DEN scores 4 straight and the Lakers call timeout
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 28, 2024
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However, probably because of the game’s fast-paced nature, his crew decided to overlook James’ perspective, enabling Denver to cut the deficit by four. Luckily, the Lakers secured a dub. Their first ever since the 2022 loss against the Nuggets. As much as the fans would find ease in learning about a chemistry boost within the LA team, LeBron’s emotional mid-game display only adds more to the notions of major cracks within the squad.
Lakers fans side with LeBron James, Ham’s detest continues
Fans, noticing the Lakers’ dismissive attitude towards their star players, quickly took to X with their takes. One fan simply cited James’ furious glimpse as “LIVID“ while finding hilarity in that moment. The Nuggets, known to exploit every crack in the Lakers’ line of defense, pulled off a quick pass to Jamal Murray for an easy 2 near the basket during James’ outburst.
LIVID lol #NBAPlayoffs https://t.co/PC6rNUkVVi
— Andrew Brian Posadas (@AndrewBPosadas) April 28, 2024
Another fan pointed out that LeBron James was right all along. A different angle on the play reveals that James never touched the ball. As he closed out Kentavious Caldwell-Pope for a steal, KCP mis-passed while trying to put the ball in Murray’s hands.
And LeBron was right about the call LMFAOOO so the Lakers staff have a pretty good view too and still didn’t challenge it after their star player requested it pic.twitter.com/m8u16oaidP
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) April 28, 2024
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As James’ knack for attention came to light, a Laker enthusiast advised the franchise to trust their legend, saying, “When LeBron is THAT emphatic about challenging a call. YOU CHALLENGE IT! Period”. Then, another LBJ admirer chipped on the season-long debate about Darvin Ham being responsible for all the struggle. The fan quips, “I hope Jeanie’s watching this rn.. Ham GOTTA GO !!”
Amongst the igniting narratives, a follower simply resorted to finding the silver lining from the instance. “Well, it’s great to see him so passionate about the game after all these years”.
James’ presence in the Lakers is more than just passion. Despite all the criticism, he consistently put up 25-point+ performances in an attempt to keep his team going. Thankfully in Game 4, he received the scoring support from all the starters, except Hachimura, as each of them scored in excess of 20 points and nullified Jokic’s 33-point effort.
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However, if they manage to enter the second-round series this year, it might majorly be because of their No. 23. However, the chances of that occurring are rare. No team has ever won a series after being down 0-3 in NBA history. However, James’ repertoire, especially because of the 2016 Finals stint, automatically makes him the frontrunner to be the first to do so.
The Lakers will now face their arch-nemesis on the road on Monday.
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