Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Houston Rockets on March 9, dropping to 28-37 on the season.
It was a shameful defeat since the Rockets have the worst record in the Western Conference.
The Lakers had a chance to win the game in regulation with the score tied at 120. LeBron James drove on the left wing toward the hoop and appeared to have a shot at a reverse layup. However, the four-time MVP passed the ball to Carmelo Anthony, who missed a 22-foot jumper at the buzzer.
Former NBA point guard and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams is a huge LeBron fan. The Duke product believes the Lakers star is the best player in NBA history. However, Williams called out LeBron on ESPN Radio for not taking the game-winning shot against the Rockets.
“I fight every single day cuz I think LeBron James is the greatest player the game has ever seen. That’s a polarizing conversation, him and Michael Jordan, but see like last night, for LeBron James to have a triple-double, I know he’s tired, playing 45 minutes, [but] when you have a chance to bully your man to the rim and finish the game in regulation, but you decide to pass the ball to Carmelo Anthony, I want to quit the argument,” Williams said. “I throw my hands up. I’m just like, ‘That’s what people are going to use against you LeBron.’
“Just punish the guy at the rim. That’s who I think you are, but that’s not who you actually are and it kills the whole argument about him being a GOAT.”
LeBron finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists versus the Rockets. However, he shot only 9-of-26 from the field and went 1-of-9 from beyond the arc. During his postgame press conference with Lakers reporters, the King talked about why he didn’t shoot the reserve layup with the game tied at 120.
LeBron: ‘Ended up Behind the Backboard’
LeBron told reporters that he ended up “behind the backboard” and didn’t have a good look at the basket, which is why he passed the ball to Anthony.
“Ended up behind the backboard. I was a little bit off-balance and I could have forced a reverse layup, but I wasn’t in the position to feel like I could have got a great look,” LeBron said, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I could have got a decent look and I feel like Melo’s look was a lot better than mine.”
The Lakers have 17 games left in the regular season. LeBron is still dealing with a left knee injury and some people around the NBA believe the four-time Finals MVP should be shut down since the purple and gold won’t win the title.
However, LeBron has no plans to sit.
LeBron Plans to Play
LeBron told reporters following the Rockets game that he plans to finish out the regular season despite not being 100%. The future Hall of Famer said the standings will have no bearing on how he approaches the final 17 games.
“I probably would be in uniform no matter what,” LeBron said, via McMenamin. “No matter if we were nine games under .500 or nine games above .500. It’s just all dependent on how [the knee] feels. So my love for the game and the way I play the game and me suiting up has nothing to do with records and things of that nature. That’s just not me.”
LeBron and the Lakers are back in action on March 11 when they host the Washington Wizards.