Windhorst: People Texted Me 'This Is the End for' LeBron James After Lakers' G3 Loss

We may be seeing LeBron James' last stand.

As the Los Angeles Lakers sit one game away from elimination in the Western Conference Finals, some around the NBA are ready to stick a fork in one of the game's all-time great players.

"I got people texting me. 'Well, this is the end for LeBron. This is the end for LeBron,'" ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast (16-minute mark). "I'm like, OK, I realize it's not 2018 LeBron. I'll take my hat off, but he went for 23 and 12. I agree, it's not the guy who would go for 38, 17 and 12."

Of course, people around the NBA mean the "end" in only the most LeBronian terms. If most players were averaging 23.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 10.3 assists over the course of a playoff series, they'd be lauded for their fantastic play. When you're LeBron James and your team has lost three relatively close games, it's a disappointment—and potential indictment.

James' limitations caused by his lingering foot injury have been apparent these entire playoffs. He's scored 30 points just one time in 15 playoff games. This is a 38-year-old hobbled player still very much playing like a star—just not the generational superstar to whom we've become accustomed.

At this point, it is fair to wonder if Father Time has indeed finally won the battle with James in year 20. He's looked gassed at various points in this Nuggets series and made several uncharacteristic mistakes, including three missed bunnies in a five-point Lakers loss in Game 2.

The 2018 version of LeBron—or even the 2020 version—likely could have willed these Lakers to one or even two wins in this series. Instead, we may simply be seeing an all-time great making one last run at a title and falling short.