"BOOM. LeBricked the first": Skip Bayless taunts LeBron James before hailing for hitting game-winning FT
LeBron James had the game between the LA Lakers and Houston Rockets in his hands with 1.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Following Alperen Sengun’s crucial bucket, both teams were tied at 104. The Lakers had ball possession with 4.0 seconds left in the game. James received a well-placed pass from Austin Reaves before he was fouled while decisively attacking the rim.
Houston had no more timeouts left, which meant that James’ free throws could likely end the game if he made just one of them. As if on cue, the NBA’s all-time points leader muffed the first one. Skip Bayless couldn’t let the moment pass without taking a shot at the four-time MVP:
“BOOM. LeBricked the first, had the guts to make the second. Way to go, Bron. (No idea why Dillon Brooks would overplay LeBron and go for the steal with 4 seconds left).”
For most of LeBron James’ career, Bayless has been accusing the basketball superstar of having “no clutch DNA or gene.” The “Undisputed” host roasted James on Nov. 6 for passing up a three-pointer to Cam Reddish as the Lakers lost 108-107 to the Miami Heat.
The veteran sports talk show host was adamant that had James forced his way into the rim, he would have been fouled. The four-time champ, Bayless claimed, should have two tries to force overtime. Instead, he found the wide-open Reddish who couldn’t nail the potential game-winning triple.
Against the Houston Rockets, LeBron James didn’t even hesitate. Once Dillon Brooks tried to overplay him, he had a clear runway to the rim. Three defenders tried to help out, but they were all a little late. James missed the first but made the second one to drag the LA Lakers to the victory.
LeBron James got back at Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks
Dillon Brooks kept talking trash to LeBron James in the Houston Rockets 128-94 win over the LA Lakers on Nov. 9. The undermanned Lakers didn’t have several key players, including Anthony Davis. “King James” gallantly tried to carry his team, but just didn’t have enough.
James finished with 18 points, six rebounds and two assists before Darvin Ham pulled him out for good. Brooks only had five points, but he did his job in helping contain the four-time MVP. The matchup between the two was the biggest subheadline leading into the game. James and Brooks met for the first time since the contentious six-game series between the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs last season.
LeBron James was questionable heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Houston Rockets. He probably pushed for the opportunity to play to get some measure of revenge on Dillon Brooks. The 19x All-Star struggled at the start of the game, but eventually imposed his will as the game continued.
In tonight’s game, “King James” had several instances where he just toyed with Brooks’ defense. He even brought out the “too small” taunt after scoring on a drive against the All-NBA Defensive team member. Finally, the last play that decided the game was Brooks’ fault. James capitalized on that error and punished the Rockets for it.