After a scorching-hot first-half performance that saw him drop 31 points all over the Denver Nuggets, it's as if the LeBron James freight train ran out of steam in the second half. The Nuggets took LeBron's best punch and they countered with an unmistakable haymaker that buried the Lakers in what turned out to be a clean 4-0 sweep.

This is not the first time James has suffered an embarrassing sweep in his career, but this is the only time he's had the same fate outside the NBA Finals. This time around, LeBron couldn't even manage to lead his team out of the West.

Unsurprisingly, the haters on NBA Twitter were loud and proud as they watched The King fall:

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lebron james nikola jokic

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Austin Reaves, Dā€™Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura with the Lakers arena in the background, Gabe Vincent Nuggets NBA Playoffs

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Magic Johnson holding a coaching board with the faces of D'Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell on it. LeBron James looking serious

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The naysayers showed no mercy for LeBron, and at this point, it isn't surprising anymore. These folks have been eagerly anticipating this sweep, and they sure got their wish on Monday night. They all had their LeBron jokes ready, and they fired at will as soon as James ended up missing the final shot of the game.

It's going to be a very interesting offseason for LeBron James and the Lakers. You have to give this team credit for turning their season around and making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Nevertheless, their season could not have ended in a more heartbreaking way after being utterly dominated by Nikola Jokic in four games.

You can be sure that there are going to be some major changes this summer within the Lakers as LeBron James looks to bounce back in Year 21.

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