The Los Angeles Lakers are potentially staring down a sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the possible end of the LeBron James era in LA.
The No. 4 seed Lakers led the No. 1 seed Thunder at halftime for the second straight game, but were outscored by 25 points in the second half following yet another collapse over the final two quarters to find themselves down 3-0 to the defending NBA champions.
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“I’m not angry or disappointed,” James told reporters postgame. “Obviously, I’m disappointed being down 3-0, but we still got life and that’s all you can ask for, and we gotta be much better on Monday. We’ll see what happens.”
NBA takeaways: Lakers have no answer for Thunder and their antics
Whatever happens in Game 4, there’s a chance it could be James’ last in a Lakers uniform. His contract is set to expire at the end of the season, and the fact that no extension has been worked out has been at the center of a season-long soap opera filled with rumors suggesting a deterioration of his relationship with team governor Jeanie Buss. There’s also been rumors to the contrary, that the Lakers would be happy to keep James in purple and gold through the remainder of his playing days.
And, of course, there’s also the chance that James retires this summer.
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All signs throughout the season have pointed to James playing a 24th NBA season next year, but his recent declaration that he wouldn’t want a retirement tour sparked renewed speculation.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
Moondog performs during the first quarter of game one in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Arena.
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NBA playoffs fans, dancers, cheerleaders and mascots bring the energy
A member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Scream Team performs during a time out during the second half of…
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Publish date : 2026-05-10 05:15:00
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