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LeBron James frustrated, leaves court early in Game 3 loss to Heat

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James left the court early in their 115-104 Game 3 loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday night, something many didn’t take kindly to.

James, with about 10 seconds left on the clock as time was ticking down to the final buzzer, simply took off to the locker room.

They actually had to bring five players back on to the floor for a final play, as the Heat took a shot clock violation with just 0.7 seconds left. James, though, was already gone.

He gave a pretty clear answer when asked about why he left after the game, too.

He was frustrated, and the game was over.

By that point, that decision was ultimately harmless. The Lakers were already down by double-digits, and the game was over in everything but time left on the scoreboard. The final 10 seconds were a mere technicality.

It’s easy to see why James was frustrated, too.

He finished with 25 points while shooting 9-of-16 from the field, and was just two assists shy of a triple-double. Yet the Miami Heat — led by Jimmy Butler’s 40-point triple-double — were ahead nearly the entire contest and claimed their first win in the series without Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic.

While many may have found James’ early departure disrespectful, he isn’t focused on it.

Instead, he’s already turned his attention to Tuesday’s Game 4.

“I don’t feel like we’re concerned. We’re not concerned,” James said, via Spectrum SportsNet. “We know we can play a lot better. We have another opportunity to take a commanding lead on Tuesday, so we relish that opportunity.”

 LeBron James walks off the court and to the locker room.
With about 10 seconds left in Game 3, LeBron James walked off the court and headed to the locker room. He was done. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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