Former NBA Star's Controversial Reason For Lakers' Playoff Loss to Nuggets

The Nuggets beat the Lakers in five games.
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

After weeks of anticipation, the Denver Nuggets finally finished off the Los Angeles Lakers yet again in the NBA Playoffs. Instead of being a sweep like last season, the Lakers pushed Denver to a very close five-game series.

Game after game, it seemed like the Lakers had a shot of winning, but Denver always pulled away. The most shocking stat about the series was the fact that the Lakers led games for over 150 minutes, while Denver led for only 50 minutes. Regardless, Denver still won in five games.

Former All-Star and Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas gave his controversial reason for why the Lakers lost in the manner in which they did.

"There's a reason you keep losing the game in the last 4-5 minutes, because the [expletive] who's gonna be the hall of famers on Denver are taking the ball," Arenas said on the Gils Arena Show. "On Lakers, everybody, but the Hall of Famers are takin' shots."

While what Arenas is saying could make sense other playoff series, it really doesn't make sense for the Lakers. In Game 2, LeBron James took the final shot for the Lakers and missed it. In Game 5, Austin Reaves hit shot after shot to keep the Lakers in the final minutes. After that, LeBron made the final free throws to tie the game. Sometimes, a team is just better than another team, and that's why the Denver Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Published
Farbod Esnaashari

FARBOD ESNAASHARI

11-year veteran inside of NBA arenas. Published for ESPN, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and FanNation. Follow @Farbod_E on Twitter.