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.
LeBron walked off the court with 10 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/zTvwZhHDq5
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 5, 2020
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.
LeBron on why he walked off the court early. pic.twitter.com/MvubKl9GC9
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) October 5, 2020
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.
"We're not concerned, we know we can play a lot better." @KingJames shares his thoughts on tonight's #Lakers loss and looks ahead to Game 4. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/xx3LOVzVMp
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 5, 2020
“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.”
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