Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James is being heavily criticized for his poor performance that led to the Lakers blowing a 17-point lead against the Indiana Pacers.

The Los Angeles Lakers fell to an absolutely pathetic loss to the Indiana Pacers after dominating their opponents for the first 40 minutes of the game. The Pacers erased a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to steal the win from the Lakers, courtesy of an Andrew Nembhard buzzer-beater.  

Lakers fans were furious with the team for the way they lost to the Pacers, with LeBron James getting a lot of the slander in particular. James had an inefficient 21-point game, taking 22 shots and only converting 8 of them. He went 2-8 in the fourth and has seemingly hurt the Lakers rhythm that led them to go on their 5-1 streak prior to this loss.

It needs to be understood that LeBron played the game hurt after tweaking his ankle earlier in the contest. Still, if he was compromised, the Lakers should've kept him on the bench because he ended up failing to effectively defend or score as the Lakers lost their lead.

How Much Longer Will LeBron James Need To Find His Rhythm? 

This isn't the first time we have seen LeBron James have a slow start to the season. As he has aged, LeBron seems to get better as the season plays out. His groin injury early in the season evidently threw off the rhythm he had built, as he was deadly against the LA Clippers prior to hurting himself in that game.

James was lethal in February last year even though the Lakers couldn't win. If his ankle injury isn't major enough to keep him out for a few more games, LeBron will be looking to hit the form he had last year in February as soon as possible. If he can't, the Lakers might just be doomed because of him and not Russell Westbrook's performances.  

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