"Once again, LeBron James did not go up strong with the game tied" - Skip Bayless berates LeBron James for shying away from contact in clutch, calls him "chicken"
Skip Bayless has criticized LeBron James after the LA Lakers superstar missed an opportunity to give his side a victory in regulation time against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
Instead, the Rockets walked away with a 139-130 win in overtime to win only their 17th game of the season. The Lakers, meanwhile, dropped to a 28-37 record, having lost two straight games.
Bayless, a longtime NBA analyst and sports commentator, targeted James when the game was tied at 120-120 in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. With the LA Lakers having possession of the ball, James made his way into the paint and tried to hit a fadeaway jumper, which he missed.
That is when Bayless posted the following message on his Twitter account:
"Once again, LeBron James did not go up strong with the game tied because he did not want to have to shoot the last-second free throws to win. He shied from contact, shot a fallaway runner, missed it."
Once again, LeBron James did not go up strong with the game tied because he did not want to have to shoot the last-second free throws to win. He shied from contact, shot a fallaway runner, missed it.
LA then had another opportunity to win the road game. With 13.7 seconds left in the contest and the Lakers retaining possession, James once again took control of the basketball for the visitors.
At this point, Bayless posted another tweet, challenging James to finish the game without shying away from contact:
"THIS TIME, BRON, DRIVE IT. GO UP STRONG. DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHOOT (AND MAKE) ONE FREE THROW."
THIS TIME, BRON, DRIVE IT. GO UP STRONG. DON'T BE AFRAID TO SHOOT (AND MAKE) ONE FREE THROW.
Skip Bayless calls LeBron James "chicken"
With the clock winding down to the end of regulation time, LeBron James drove to the basket from the left side. He passed the basketball to Carmelo Anthony, who was standing in the right corner.
Melo took the last shot at the buzzer but missed the opportunity to secure the game-winner for the LA Lakers.
With James choosing to pass the ball instead of making the clutch bucket himself, Bayless posted the following one-word takedown of the 18-time All-Star:
"Chicken."
Chicken.
The overtime period was pretty much a one-sided affair. The Houston Rockets raced to a 10-0 start in the extra five minutes and finished 19-10 overall to secure the home win.
James finished with a triple-double (23 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists). However, his poor shooting night (9-of-26 from the field, 1-of-9 from downtown) and five turnovers played a big part in the Lakers' loss.
Lakers just gave up 19 points in overtime in their loss at Houston. Most points allowed by any defense in an OT this season.