3 weeks ago
The Los Angeles Lakers person struggled against nan Denver Nuggets successful the playoffs complete nan past mates of years.
Denver swept Los Angeles successful past season's Western Conference Finals and person now eliminated nan Lakers successful nan first information of this year's playoffs. While nan Lakers managed to debar a four-game expanse this year, Los Angeles was mostly overwhelmed by nan defending NBA champions.
Nuggets prima Jamal Murray's late-game heroics, which were marred by controversy, and Lakers guardant Anthony Davis' wounded successful Game 5 are conscionable immoderate of nan reasons Denver won nan series.
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Magic Johnson says nan Lakers' load guidance during nan play is nan superior logic why his erstwhile squad was eliminated successful nan first information of nan playoffs successful 2024. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images/File)
But NBA fable Magic Johnson pointed to what he believes is nan superior logic his erstwhile squad was eliminated during nan first information of nan playoffs: load management.
LEBRON JAMES NONCOMMITTAL ON FUTURE WITH LAKERS AFTER EARLY PLAYOFF EXIT
"The Lakers person cipher but themselves to blame. They wouldn’t person been successful nan play-in crippled aliases vanished arsenic a 7th seed this play if they hadn’t mislaid excessively galore games because of load management," Johnson wrote connected X, formerly Twitter.
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The Lakers sewage disconnected to a slow commencement successful nan regular season, which yet resulted successful nan team's NBA Play-In tourney berth. But nan Lakers' 2 biggest stars did not look to beryllium retired of games to simply rest, arsenic Johnson suggested.
Magic Johnson (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images/File)
LeBron James, 39, played successful almost each crippled down nan stretch, only sitting retired 3 games aft March 1 contempt dealing pinch a nagging ankle injury. Meanwhile, Davis played successful each but 2 games complete that aforesaid clip period.
Furthermore, six different players connected nan Lakers roster appeared successful 70 games aliases much complete nan people of nan 2023-2024 season.
James vanished Game 5 pinch 30 points successful 44 minutes. The Lakers now caput into an offseason riddled pinch uncertainty. James has spent nan past six seasons of his storied profession successful Los Angeles, but aft Monday's nonaccomplishment he was noncommittal astir his early pinch nan franchise.
Los Angeles Lakers guardant LeBron James dunks during nan 2nd half of Game 4 successful nan first-round playoff bid against nan Denver Nuggets connected April 27, 2024, successful Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
"I’m not going to reply that," James told reporters aft he was asked if he believed he had played his past crippled successful a Lakers uniform.
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"Haven’t fixed it overmuch thought," he said erstwhile asked what he’ll measurement erstwhile making a determination astir his 22nd NBA season. "Obviously, astatine immoderate point, I’ll beryllium down pinch Rich, my agent, and beryllium down pinch my family and spot what’s champion for my career. We’ll transverse that erstwhile we request to."
According to ESPN, James has a June 29 deadline to determine whether to opt into nan last twelvemonth of his contract. If James ends up opting out, he would go an unrestricted free supplier for nan first clip since 2018.
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Chantz Martin is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
