"And don't look now, Bron" - Skip Bayless points out LA Lakers' precarious position, continues to accuse LeBron James of stat-padding
Television personality Skip Bayless has always had it out for LeBron James and has once again gone on another rant. Bayless is a die-hard for Team Michael Jordan, which is one of the reasons he uses every opportunity to criticize James.
The LA Lakers blew a 16-point lead in their last outing against the Washington Wizards, falling 127-119 on Saturday. In the loss, James climbed to second among all-time scorers in NBA history (36,947 points). The next day, the New Orleans Pelicans won against the Atlanta Hawks 117-112.
The Pelicans' victory bumped them to ninth in the Western Conference, because they hold the tie-breaker over the Lakers. The teams are both 30-41.
With the Lakers 10th and at risk of getting knocked out of the play-in tournament, Bayless took to Twitter to attack LeBron and the Lakers. He accused LBJ of only being interested in winning this season's scoring title and not being interested in the team's run.
"With Pels' win at Atl, LeBron's Lakers fall to 10th – last in the play-in. And don't look now, Bron, but here come the Spurs, who just won at GSt, threatening to knock the Fakers completely out of the playoffs. Oh, but that's right, all that matters is winning the scoring title."
With Pels' win at Atl, LeBron's Lakers fall to 10th - last in the play-in. And don't look now, Bron, but here come the Spurs, who just won at GSt, threatening to knock the Fakers completely out of the playoffs. Oh, but that's right, all that matters is winning the scoring title.
Given how things are turning out for the Lakers, there is a reason for the team to worry. To qualify for the playoffs, the Lakers will have to first stay in the top 10 and then win two consecutive games in the play-in. They have not been able to win back-to-back games since Jan. 7.
The Lakers are one of the worst-ranked teams in offensive and defensive rating. There is so much dependence on Anthony Davis' return from injury. But it might be a little too late for the Purple and Gold if they fail to stay in postseason contention.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers are at risk of missing the playoffs entirely
The end of the season is drawing closer, with only 11 games left for the Lakers. But they have failed to find a winning formula and are at risk of missing the playoffs for the second time in four years.
LeBron James joined the Purple and Gold in the 2018 offseason and could not carry the team to the postseason that yera. After influencing major changes, including the acquisition of Davis, the Lakers won the championship in the Orlando bubble.
Now the game's 2nd-highest scorer of all-time, @KingJames looks back on his very first bucket in the NBA 👑 https://t.co/02PZ34hruJ
Since then, playoff success has been far from the Lakers, and it might get worse.
For the first time in James' career, he was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last season.
At this point, it will take a miracle for the Lakers to turn things around. James is pulling his weight and registering awe-inspiring numbers, but he is not getting the much-needed production from his supporting cast.
The four-time NBA champion is currently the second-best scorer in the league, averaging 29.8 points behind Joel Embiid. Someone on the Lakers has to be nearly as effective.
The eighth-place LA Clippers (36-37) are five games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Lakers. Catching the Clippers is improbable for New Orleans or Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs (28-44) are 2.5 games behind the Pels and the Lakers for the final of four play-in spots.
The winner of the Seven-Eight Game of the play-in tournament wins the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will face the winner of the Nine-Team Game for the No. 8 seed.
If a tiebreaker is needed, the Pelicans and Lakers' remaining two more games against each other could be pivotal. The teams play March 27 in New Orleans and April 1 in Los Angeles.