The Denver Nuggets have come up on top, taking a 3-0 lead over LeBron James and the Lakers. After clutching up the last few games of the regular season, the Lakers finally had the chance to compete in the postseason. Being the 7th seed, the Lakers made it to the third round of the playoffs. They now face the Denver Nuggets for the Conference Finals. This rematch of the 2020 postseason, has taken a turn, with the Nuggets having asserted their authority over the Lakers.
James and company did their all, though they couldn’t hold off the Nuggets’ offensive powerhouse. The Lakers faced their first home loss this postseason following Game 3. The Lakers will have the task to win the next 4 games, as the following games will be win or go home. No team has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit. Some have come as close as forcing a Game 7, though none went all the way.
LeBron James will look to make another historic comeback
Following the Game 3 loss, James addressed his plan moving forward in this series. The all-time scoring leader is focused on making yet another historic comeback. James and the Cavs came back in the 2016 Finals versus the Warriors, being down 1-3, and winning the chip in the end. While LeBron now plays for a different city and has different teammates, the chance of going all the way are negligible. Fans on Twitter went into a frenzy after LeBron’s reaction to the Game 3 loss.
Lebron is 38. There’s zero chance of this happening. Even in his prime it would be highly doubtful. Crazy to me that Austin Reaves is the second best player for the Lakers this series.
— chris flores (@cflo248) May 21, 2023
Best of luck to him, but it’s not happening
— Prashanth (@YVPRASH) May 21, 2023
Let it go bra its over
If it was 2018 id actually still have hope for it
— 8 MORE WINS (@MitBron6) May 21, 2023
Bron you don’t got it like that no more unfortunately☹️
— Alex😈 (@ItsBequn) May 21, 2023
Not happening.. Lakers are cooked!
— Michael sales (@ya_boi_sales) May 21, 2023
Series over my guy
— 🐐⁶ (@G0ATJAMES) May 21, 2023
The 38-year-old has led the team to the playoffs this year, having Anthony Davis and young contributors like Austin Reaves by his side. The Nuggets have a well-organized offensive floor as well as a conditioned team on the defensive end. Though the new-look Lakers had established themselves as title contenders this postseason, the Nuggets’ run seems more like the one of a championship team. The Lakers had a pretty solid run after two years of struggle, adjusting roster, missing a postseason, and the teams’ underperformance.
James is currently playing the last few seasons of his career. The franchise will act in full force to make the best out of LeBron’s last few seasons. The Lakers fans expect another title before James’ retirement. Though with all the teams in place, the Lakers have a narrow chance of making it happen within the next two seasons. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers will respond to a 0-3 hole.