LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 3 despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having his lowest scoring game of the series. While OKC clearly played like the better team, it was James’ body language that was concerning for former OKC great, Kendrick Perkins.

According to Perkins, the four-time NBA champion looked passive because the Lakers had already seen no good ending to this series. 

“Man, this series is over,” Perkins said. “You saw LeBron James' body language. He couldn't care less, and he's trying not to stretch himself out. There's no way in h*** that they're trying to get back on their plane and go back for a game five in Oklahoma City.” 

The Lakers didn’t have much chance in Oklahoma of beating the Thunder in front of their own crowd. Game 3 was a must-win game for Los Angeles, but the Thunder's depth overwhelmed the Purple and Gold, even when SGA was having a poor game.

According to the NBA analyst, the Lakers are not properly constructed to win against the defending champions. 

“They knew tonight was a must-win situation. But what happened was, they got exposed from a personnel standpoint. [Thunder] showed that the Lakers were just not athletic enough to keep up with the top dawgs in the league,” Perkins added. 

With James and Austin Reaves scoring a combined total of 36 points, the Lakers' offensive capabilities seemed severely compromised. Rui Hachimura contributed an important 21 points, but that still wasn't enough to hold off the Thunder.

James had his worst performance in the playoff series, converting just 7 of 19 shots in 37 minutes, along with 6 rebounds and 8 assists. He was -24 in plus-minus, the worst on both teams.

Despite being down 3-0, LeBron James still sees hope for the Lakers

Despite the early predictions that favored the Thunder to win the series, some still carried hope that the series would not be a sweep. But after three games, the possibility of the Lakers going home without a win seems probable. 

However, LeBron James is refusing to give up on the series yet. He is still looking forward to Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena. 

"I wouldn't say I'm angry or disappointed," James said.

"I mean, obviously, you're disappointed in the simple fact of being down 3-0, obviously. But I mean, we still got life, and that's all you can ask for. And we gotta be much better on Monday. See what happens." 

LeBron James has pulled off some miracles in his career.

He carried an average Cleveland Cavaliers team to the Finals and beat the mighty Golden State Warriors despite being down 3-1 in the series. But no team has ever won a series after going 3-0.

History and the odds are both against LeBron.

Do you think King James and his team can pull off a historic comeback and win against the OKC Thunder in Game 4 to extend the series? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Surjo Ray