The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 115-110, for a 4-0 series victory in what could be LeBron James’ final professional basketball game in a thrilling playoff game.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer scored 24 points, but missed a crucial floater to lead his team with 20 seconds left, in what could be a painful denouement to his stellar playoff career.
“Obviously, I don’t know what my future holds,” James said after the game. “Right now, we still have a lot of time tonight. Like I said after the loss to Minnesota last year, we’re going to settle down and go back and recalibrate with our family and talk and spend some time together.”
“When the time comes, obviously I will decide what to do.”
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LeBron James defeated the Houston Rockets to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to the Western Conference semifinal playoffs.
LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks in Game 4 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s series-high 35 points and Ajay Mitchell’s 28 points, the top-seeded Thunder dominated their playoff opponents for the second year in a row and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. They are now eight wins away from successfully defending the NBA Championship.
The Lakers’ 4-0 series loss was only the fourth series sweep James has endured in an astounding 302 postseason games, but it leaves one of the game’s all-time greats with an uncertain future. His contract expires after eight seasons with Los Angeles, and he will become a free agent if he chooses to return.
Austin Reeves (27 points) and Rui Hachimura (25 points) led the Lakers in scoring, with Rui Hachimura leading the way with an incredible four-point play in the final two minutes. But it was Marcus Smart who gave the home team real hope, converting a 3-point play with just 40.9 seconds left to make it 110-109.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Alex Caruso scored 9 points
But the defending champions stayed calm and ended the game with a dunk from Chet Holmgren (16 points, nine rebounds) followed by four straight free throws from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Oklahoma City will have a chance to rest before facing the winner of the series between Victor Wenbanyama’s San Antonio Spurs and Anthony Edwards’ Minnesota Timberwolves, who are currently tied at 2-2.
What’s next for LeBron James?
LeBron James after scoring in Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs basketball series against the Houston Rockets (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
James averaged 23.5 points in the series against the defending champions, clearly showing the perseverance to compete at the highest level of the game.
However, even after the final game of the season, he remained tight-lipped about his future.
“There were so many different seasons in one season,” James said. “I don’t consider my year a disappointment, that’s for sure…I’ve never been selected as a third (scoring) option.
“I put everything I could on the floor,” James said. “I control what I can control, and I hate losing, but I can walk off the floor saying I knew what I needed to do.”
“I don’t know what the future holds for me…When the time comes, of course I’ll decide what to do.”
“It’s all about the process for me. If I can commit to being at the arena five hours before the game…doing whatever it takes to go out there and play…I always love the process. That’s going to be a big factor.”
“I’m going to talk to my 12-year-old daughter, my 19-year-old son who is entering his second year at the University of Arizona, and my wife. They’ll be a big part of this plan as well.”
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LeBron James made NBA history with his 15,838th career field goal, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time record.
“I never thought about (LeBron’s future),” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.
“We’ll deal with it during the next two months of the offseason.”
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