LeBron Leaves Game 5 Early; "We got our a** kicked!"

 

In the midst of the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night 30-point destruction at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, TV cameras caught LeBron James leaving the court with five minutes left in the game, never to return. 

This didn't sit well with LeBron's detractors on social media:

Here we go again. The Drama King leaves the bench with 5:40 left in this blowout and walks quickly up the tunnel to the locker room. Guess he doesn't want to sit through the rest of this embarrassment like his teammates have to. Guess he doesn't want to be associated w this shame

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) June 2, 2021

LeBron hitting the locker room early to get his excuses ready for his press conference
pic.twitter.com/eGOwcsqMut

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 2, 2021

For his part though, LeBron stayed clear of any real excuses, saying simply "they pretty much kicked our a**".

Lakers coach Frank Vogel insisted James left the court to get an early start on treatment for his ankle injury. "It doesn’t do any good for him to sit over there without getting worked on and beginning the treatment as soon as possible to help him get ready for Game 6".

The spot the Lakers find themselves in, down 3-2 to the Suns, is unfamiliar territory for James.

LeBron James has lost consecutive 1st round games for the first time in his career.

This is also the first time in LeBron's career that he trails a 1st round series after Game 5 or later. pic.twitter.com/fketlhfVEB

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 2, 2021

It's the first time in his career that he's trailed a 1st round series after Game 5, and the two consecutive losses are also a 1st round 'first'. 

The defending champs face a must-win on Thursday night at Staples Center, or LeBron's "early exit" from Game 5 will simply go down as a bit of foreshadowing. 

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports