Despite being up 2-1, it has been a pretty frustrating night for the Lakers. Thanks to Anthony Davis getting into foul trouble early in the game, Los Angeles was never able to find their rhythm and it resulted in their first loss of the NBA Finals.
But before the buzzer could even sound, LeBron James was already heading for the exit for reasons that were not yet revealed to the public.
LeBron walks off the court leaving team shorthanded on the final possession https://t.co/ndbbD1dS7I
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 5, 2020
Even then, it wasn’t a huge deal given that the Lakers were down 13 and the Heat weren’t looking to score anyway with literally ten seconds left on the clock. Still, criticism started pouring in from folks who demanded an explanation from James on what presumed was a guy who had failed to demonstrate proper sportsmanship.
In the post-game press conference, James would go on to explain his actions, saying it was a mix of frustration and thinking that the game was over.
LeBron on walking off the court before the game was over https://t.co/cItFkMo4a8
— Main Team (@MainTeamSports) October 5, 2020
Again, this isn’t a huge deal and didn’t make an impact on the outcome of the game. For any other player, it might not even be noteworthy.
For LeBron, however, every move is under a microscope and he knows his every action will be questioned and scrutinized by the community and this is no different.
He let frustration get the better of him and now he has to answer for it. Hopefully, he will use it as fuel to drive a monster performance in Game 4.
