The NBA season is coming to a close and the Los Angeles Lakers led by Lebron James are 37-44, 10 games out of 8th place and are eliminated from playoff contention. The Lakers have been officially eliminated from the playoffs since March 22nd and Lebron has sat out since March 30th.

The season of high expectations began on July 1st when Lebron signed a 4 year/$154 million contract with the Lakers. Many experts predicted that the Lakers would at least make the playoffs, but would definitely not be a threat to the Warriors.

The Lakers rebounded from a 2-5 record and were 19-14 by Christmas. On Christmas, they played the Warriors and won 127-101. However, Lebron was injured in the third quarter.

After Christmas, the Lakers went 7-11 until Lebron returned on January 31. The Lakers continued their downfall after that, as they were 28-29 at the All-Star break. There was a lot of drama from a failed trade that would have sent New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis to the Lakers. However, fans and many ESPN analysts still believed that Lebron would bring his team to the playoffs.

After the All-Star break, the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 111-106, but then lost 6 of their next 7 to virtually eliminate them from the playoffs. For the first time since the 2004-2005 season, Lebron James would not be in the playoffs. It comes after Lebron has made 8 straight NBA finals, and has won 3 of them.

“Lebron James was a bust,” says Frank Isola, an American sportswriter who regularly appears on the ESPN shows Around the Horn and Highly Questionable.

There is also an article on Sports Illustrated that talks about why the NBA playoffs won´t be as fun without Lebron James.

Even though Lebron isn’t there, the Warriors and so many other talented teams will be in the tournament. Lebron will not be missed come playoff time.