LeBron James was already doing so well in leading the Los Angeles Lakers all the way back from a 20-point deficit in their Wednesday night game against the Dallas Mavericks. James dropped 16 of his 26 points in the final frame, and in fact, it was him who gave the Lakers a two-point lead with just over a minute to go in the game. But when it mattered most, James was unable to deliver.

After the Mavs regained the lead thanks to a Kyrie Irving triple with 21 seconds to go, the Lakers refused to call a timeout, confident in their chances of scoring against the unit Dallas had on the floor. James and Austin Reaves ran a pick-and-roll which gave the King a favorable matchup on the block. However, instead of taking it strong to the rim, James decided to throw an errant pass towards a well-defended Anthony Davis, leading to a Mavs steal.

“That was dumb of you LeBron James. Like why would you try to throw a lob to AD knowing he was getting double teamed,” one fan complained.

The game wasn't won at that point; Irving may have made two free throws to push the Mavs' lead to three, but the Lakers still had timeouts to advance the ball and get a good look at the buzzer. Everyone in the building knew the ball was going to LeBron James' hands, and that's exactly where the ball went, with James curling towards the corner for a semi-open three-point look. That shot, however, clanked off the right side of the rim, essentially nullifying all of the Lakers' spirited comeback efforts in a 104-101 loss.

James is already an easy target for hate as it is (most of which is unjustified), but fans didn't hold back at all after the King faltered at the worst possible moment, unable to see his masterclass of a fourth quarter through.

“Told you and LeBron James sold after that masterclass he had 😔💔,” one fan wrote. Wrote another, “The loss was on LeBron James easily, a player with his IQ and experience turning it over like that at the end? Then shooting a terrible 3? It’s definitely on him. Michael Jordan would never.”

Fans have already been less than happy with LeBron James' crunch-time decision-making, especially during that time when he passed up a game-winning shot for an open corner three from Cam Reddish. James was ardent in saying that he was simply making the right play, which, he clearly did not when he forced a pass to Anthony Davis.

LeBron James will have a chance to redeem himself on Saturday when the Lakers take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on the road.