After a Championship run last year, the Los Angeles Lakers entered 2021 with enormous expectations and all the confidence to match.
But amid injuries, roster changes, and the physical decline of LeBron James, the Purple and Gold limped into the playoffs, and now find themselves eliminated in Round 1 by a young and inexperienced Suns team.
Following the shocking Game 6 loss, there were strong reactions from the NBA community. Here are some of the best and most intriguing that we saw from the night:
Chris Paul deserves this. ❗️❗️
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 4, 2021
The Lakers have gone from championship to elimination faster than any team in NBA history.
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 4, 2021
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 4, 2021
TALK YO SHIT BOOK
— Eric (@PointGods) June 4, 2021
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) June 4, 2021
the stars are arriving in Cancun 😂 pic.twitter.com/Y4opxu38UR
— ball fade (@ballfade_) June 4, 2021
Kuz has a big decision to make this offseason pic.twitter.com/jDm4Bq5qYJ
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) June 4, 2021
https://twitter.com/nonbiasednbafan/status/1400682131576197121https://twitter.com/ouzts_wav/status/1400682144125669378
Don’t surprise me one bit that the Suns beat the Lakers! They earned every single win. I don’t want to hear about injuries or non of that! Give this @Suns team their respect. Carry on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 4, 2021
The Lakers fought hard to make a run in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to overcome that early hole they dug themselves into during the first quarter.
The Suns will move on to face the Denver Nuggets in Round 2, a matchup that will no doubt put them to the test.
As for LeBron and the crew, they have a lot of work to do in the offseason. If the stars are able to get back to health, and Rob Pelinka makes some serious roster changes, the lakers could be right back in the thick of the title race next season.
But, for now, they’ll have to watch it all unfold at home — a weird and strange reality for LeBron.
