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Despite Lakers’ “Atrocious” State, LeBron James Refuses To Give Up ‘Until The Wheels Fall Off’ vs Nuggets

Published 04/26/2024, 2:17 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

LeBron James holds the beacon of hope after the disappointing loss. The Denver Nuggets again decimated the Los Angeles Lakers, this time at home. With this game, the Lakers are one loss away from packing their bags for the off-season. However, the superstar refused to give up easily as he sprinkled hope at the Crypto.com arena after going 0-3 down in the series.

Sitting at the post-game press conference alongside Anthony Davis, James spoke about his approach for the remainder of the series. He said, “Take it one game at a time at this point… Let’s get one and force game 5… As long as you have life and y’all can believe, you play till the wheels fall off.” 

LeBron James’ approving statement came moments after Austin Reaves expressed the team’s massive drawback. He addressed the team’s struggle in the third quarter, and said, “Our third quarters have been atrocious.”

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While the Nuggets took a sweet victory in Game 1, the Lakers equally had chances to win the next two games. Importantly, the Lakers even held a 20-point lead in Game 2. But, the Nuggets’ third-quarter flourish has always been a game-changer. Even tonight, the LA side started the game with a 10-point lead in the first quarter.

When everyone believed that the Lakers would end their adversity tonight, Nikola Jokić & Co. once again strangled the LA’s side offense, dropping 34 points in the third quarter, and expanding the lead to 8 points. One of the major issues of the Lakers has been the lack of consistency. D’Angelo Russell, who found his form in Game 2 with 23 points, didn’t bother to disturb the scorers tonight.

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On the other hand, Austin Reaves, who pointed out the third-quarter demolition, turned up tonight with 22 points after failing in the first two games, with 13 and 9 points. LeBron James, who was criticized for no show in the fourth quarter, is yet to shut down his critics. He dropped only 10 points while trying to chase down the Nuggets’ soaring 10-point lead.

Will the Lakers make a comeback from 0-3?

Historically, no team in the NBA has ever produced a 0-3 comeback. Out of 152 times, only 4 teams have managed to force Game 7, which they eventually lost. Speaking in the post-game press conference, LeBron James showed confidence that he still hasn’t lost hope on the side. The Lakers literally have to create a miracle to proceed to the Conference semi-finals. After losing 11 straight games against the Nuggets, they have to win the next four games to win the series.

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As unattainable as it sounds, King James also has a history of creating a miraculous comeback. James’ Cleveland Cavaliers became the only team in the history of the league to orchestrate a 3-1 comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs had a record-breaking season of 73-9 record in the regular season and were fan favorites to win the Finals. They took a 3-1 lead in the Finals series as well. Despite that, James defeated all odds and won the first-ever championship for the Cavs.

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Will he be able to beat the odds once again? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shahul Hameed

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Shahul Hameed is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Armed with a Master's Degree in journalism from a distinguished institute, his journey into sports writing began during his college days, and since then, Shahul has been captivated not only by the remarkable consistency of Stephen Curry but also by the enduring legacy of LeBron James. He specializes in covering the live basketball action.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra