Despite the current state of the lakers, there weren’t many fans betting against LeBron James in Game 6.
You see, throughout history, James had never lost in the first round, and set a precedent for coming back and leading his team to victory through overwhelming odds.
But, as it would turn out, there is a first time for everything. And after a rather subpar performance in Game 6, James is officially out in Round 1 for the first time ever,
LeBron James has been eliminated in the 1st Round pic.twitter.com/vhBFbQtJVa
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) June 4, 2021
18 years in the league and LeBron had never lost a first-round playoff series until tonight.
He's now 14-1. pic.twitter.com/aoJtKXDdJL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 4, 2021
This marks LeBron’s first EVER loss in the first round 😱
James is now 14-1. pic.twitter.com/yCADZR9N4E
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) June 4, 2021
At 36-years-old, and facing against a very good team without his co-star, it’s understandable that this would break James’ 14-0 record in the first round.
In the past, James was always good enough and healthy enough to advance his squad past round 1. He has led plenty of mediocre teams to the Finals before.
2021 presented a number of challenges, many of them unique, and it seems it was all just too much for the King and his Lakers to handle.
The big question now is, where do they go from here? We can expect many changes to come this offseason, as Rob Pelinka re-tools the roster. But whether or not it will be enough to put them back on top remains to be seen.
