LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers continued their losing ways, losing the second game of a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers got off to a horrendously poor start in the first half, and while they were able to improve in the second half, the deficit they created for themselves was too much for them to overcome.
Fans were clearly upset with the Lakers, and they aren’t the only ones. LeBron James is clearly starting to feel the pressure and frustration of playing with this Lakers team. LeBron has stayed pretty positive throughout the season, refusing to sell out any of his teammates or give up on their championship aspirations. But last night was the first time we saw James begin to show frustration.
After the game, LeBron James refused to speak to the media. James has been doing media pretty consistently during this season, speaking to the press after almost every game he and the Lakers play. But this time, it appears James was too angry and didn’t want to let the media use that anger to find some incendiary quotes.
LeBron James will not address the media tonight, h/t @michaelcorvoNBA pic.twitter.com/uKwOD7zKEG
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 15, 2022
This was far from the only display of frustration from LeBron. He had multiple outbursts last night.
He began furiously yelling at his teammates when they failed to get a rebound despite multiple tries. And on top of that, he inadvertently hit Scottie Barnes quite hard with the ball while trying to make sure the ball didn’t go out of bounds. Some fans have suggested foul play, but there hasn’t been anything solid to prove that.
James and the Lakers are looking increasingly likely to miss the playoffs this year. Given their remaining schedule, and the way they have played throughout the course of the season, it would take an absolute miracle for the Lakers to secure a playoff spot and make some kind of run in the postseason.
