The Oklahoma City Thunder swept LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2026 NBA playoffs on Monday. It ended what was once a promising season for the Purple and Gold.

It didn’t take long for a sports analyst to assess what went wrong. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday and called out James for a “mistake” he did in his career.

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He explained why he believes the 22-time All-Star’s decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers “hurt” his legacy.

“The issue I have with LeBron is he’s been with a million teams,” Russo said. “Cleveland twice, Miami and the Lakers. A great player usually stays with the same team. LeBron left Cleveland to go search for a championship in Miami, goes back to Cleveland, goes to L.A. Now he’s going somewhere else?

“With an average sports fan, that hurts his legacy. I think he should’ve stayed with the Cavaliers to begin with but he didn’t. He went to L.A. He’s gonna stay in L.A. and he’s gonna basically beat his head on the wall because he’s not gonna beat Oklahoma City and San Antonio. The days of LeBron winning a championship is over because he’s not going to a team in the Eastern Conference where that could be the difference.”

LeBron James’ achievements since move to Lakers

James delivered a championship to Cleveland in 2016 before joining the Lakers two years later. He won another title in 2020 and was named to six All-NBA teams over his tenure with the franchise. Los Angeles only missed the playoffs twice with the four-time MVP.

However, fans and analysts, including Russo, continue to argue that it would’ve better for his legacy if he stayed. James has proven at 41 years old that he can still play at an elite level. That was on full display in the Thunder series, stepping up in Luka Doncic’s absence.

He failed to lead the team to the next round and his championship window may have already closed. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has big decisions to make this summer, which would likely impact James’ future. Los Angeles fans expect a championship each year, but it’s hard to argue that the future Hall of Famer’s stint with the team has been a failure. He has a ring, multiple individual awards and impressive stats to support his case.

For years, Jamal Murray built a reputation as one of the NBA’s top playoff risers. Throughout multiple postseason runs with the Denver Nuggets, Murray consistently elevated his play in high-pressure situations. 

However, during Denver’s disappointing first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves, this version of Murray never appeared. Though Murray had multiple 30-point games in the series, his efficiency did not reflect consistent production. 

Now, after one of the most underwhelming playoff performances of his career, fans are trying to understand what went wrong for Murray. Nuggets owner Josh Kroenke made it clear that no one besides Nikola Jokić is untouchable. If so, Murray’s struggles could cause major implications for his future in Denver.

The Reputation of Playoff Murray

Before the 2025-26 playoffs, Murray’s postseason averages were 23.7 points (46% FG, 38% 3PT, 90% FT), 6.0 assists, and 4.9 rebounds over 79 games. 

Much of his playoff reputation comes from the NBA bubble in 2020, where the Nuggets came back from two 3-1 leads. Murray had multiple 50-point games against the Utah Jazz alone. Though the Nuggets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals, Murray cemented his status as a playoff performer. 

Murray is known as a clutch scorer throughout his career and especially in the playoffs. During the 2023-24 first round against the Lakers, Murray hit two game-winners. The Nuggets went on to win this series 4-1. During Game 5, Murray was dealing with a calf injury but still managed to score 32 points and hit the game-winner, closing out the series. 

Throughout Denver’s recent playoff runs, they have consistently relied on Murray in late-game situations because of his ability to deliver in critical moments. When this expected version of Murray is not present, the Nuggets face many challenges in the postseason. 

Murray’s Struggles this Postseason

During the first round versus the Timberwolves, Murray averaged 23.7 points (36% FG, 26% 3PT, 98% FT), 5.7 assists, and 5.0 rebounds over 6 games. 

Initially, these numbers may not seem concerning. However, Murray’s efficiency tells a much different story. This season, Murray was top ten in three-point percentage, shooting 44%. Yet it did not translate to the postseason as he shot 26% from the three-point line. He was missing an abundance of shots he usually would make. This was evident by his 25% shooting on wide-open threes. Without his shooting, the Nuggets struggled as a team to score. 

As mentioned, Murray is heavily relied on by the Nuggets in the clutch. In the first round, the Nuggets were dealing with injuries to Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon, causing even more reliance on Murray. When in the clutch this postseason, Murray attempted seven shots. This was ranked in the top ten as of May 10th for leaders in clutch field goals attempted. Though he took seven shots, Murray did not make any. 

After Murray made his first all-star appearance this season, his playoff struggles came as a surprise to many. Given how dominant he looked throughout the regular season, it was unexpected to see such a drastic decline in efficiency.

Murray’s Future With Denver

Following an underwhelming first round, questions are beginning to emerge about what this postseason means for Murray and the Nuggets moving forward.

With Kroenke expressing that everyone is available besides Jokić, the Nuggets may look completely different next season. Still, it may be difficult for the franchise to break up the Jokić and Murray duo after years of success together. But this may be what is holding them back from another finals appearance. 

Murray is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, showing his continued ability to improve. The Nuggets faced numerous challenges this season, with many new pieces on the roster and unfortunate injury luck. While the team’s struggles cannot be placed solely on Murray, his role as a leader naturally comes with added responsibility.

Ultimately, Denver’s next steps depend on whether or not the organization believes Murray can still compete at a championship level.

The post Where Was Playoff Jamal Murray? appeared first on The Lead.

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking forward to retooling ahead of next season after being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals. However, Los Angeles’ roster construction will hinge heavily on whether LeBron James elects to return to the franchise.

Some believe James will retire, but he is an unrestricted free agent this offseason and could hypothetically sign with any franchise in the league should he decide to forgo retirement. After Los Angeles was eliminated, James said that he planned on taking some time to recalibrate with his family before making any decisions on his career, but as things stand, he has no clue what the future holds in store.

“I don’t know [what’s next]. Obviously, it’s still fresh from losing,” James said after Game 4. “I don’t know. I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now, tonight.”

However, some recent reporting has revealed that James feels that at times, the Lakers have failed to appreciate what he has done for the franchise and taken him for granted, such as when he didn’t receive the game ball after breaking the NBA’s all-time wins record.

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka handed the ball to head coach JJ Redick, who earned his 100th coaching win in the same game.

“But James, who played the past eight seasons in Los Angeles and helped deliver the franchise its 17th championship in 2020, saw Pelinka’s priority in that moment as yet another example of the Lakers taking him for granted, sources said,” reported ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

There’s growing buzz around James returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers to try and win one last storybook title before calling it a career, and it sure seems like the Lakers not valuing him would increase the likelihood of a return to Northeast Ohio.

The post Report: LeBron James feels like the Lakers didn’t appreciate him enough appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.