LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after being knocked to the floor during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game two of the Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena on May 18, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Today’s slate of NBA rumors surround two star players from the playoffs and one star player who can’t help but attract the wrong attention.
The NBA playoff bubble is back. Stare into its iridescent gleam and find a hierarchy of stars, each trying to climb on top of each other to reach undisputable glory (whispers *the bubble was still a joke*).
At the bottom, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown humbly trying to find their form in fourth quarters. Slightly above them, LeBron James has fallen and can’t get up; an emo Austin Reaves extends his rock guitar to help him onto his feet. And at the very top, Jimmy Butler in his bear cave cackling over his media day dreads photos alongside a stoic Nikola Jokic. Jokic doesn’t talk much, and the media doesn’t talk much about Jokic either.
Let’s start with LeBron, shall we?
NBA Rumors: LeBron James gives Lakers chance of 0-2 comeback in spite of history
The chances of the Los Angeles Lakers advancing to the NBA Finals are very slim. According to ESPN stats, teams have a 6-56 all-time record when trailing 2-0 in a Conference Finals.
Everyone knows about 3-1 LeBron James, but how about 2-0 LeBron? James won two of those six series wins back in 2007 and 2018, and with his help, the Lakers just might be able to pull off the statistically near-impossible comeback.
In Games 1 and 2, the Lakers put up good fights against the Denver Nuggets, but The King ultimately fell to The Joker in a series that has been anything but jesting.
Los Angeles has yet to find a viable answer to bottle up Jokic. The Nuggets’ answer to James has been….letting him orchestrate his own downfall, apparently. A few missed open buckets, that god-awful flop, and ice-cold shooting from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter — LeBron James just happens to LeBron James’ biggest enemy.
People are already calling him washed and calling this series over.
If the Lakers do find a way to outwit Jokic and the Nuggets, they’ll need their aging superstar to put on his cape and try not to trip on it.