The Denver Nuggets swept the Lakers to advance to the NBA Finals, and in doing so, Crickex App noted that while Denver made history, the Lakers exited with dignity and heartbreak. Sometimes, those who see things clearly end up the most disillusioned. Despite all their hustle and heart, the Lakers couldn’t keep up with the Nuggets’ relentless offense and fast-paced movement. LeBron James noticeably faded late in the game—his scoring in the third and fourth quarters fell off a cliff. Instead of attacking the basket, he shifted toward creating opportunities for teammates, leading many to suspect fatigue played a key role. His first points of the second half didn’t come until the final minutes of the third quarter, and even then, only off a determined drive.

During the crucial final moments, LeBron stood beyond the arc but repeatedly passed rather than taking decisive shots. Critics might say he shied away from responsibility or lacked the courage to take the last shot. But such judgments should also consider that LeBron, now well past 38, played nearly the entire game. If anything defeated him, it wasn’t the opponent—it was the unyielding passage of time. With Carmelo Anthony announcing his retirement just the night before, only two players from the league’s famed “Platinum Generation” remain: LeBron James and Udonis Haslem.

To be fair, Crickex App’s backup site notes that even Haslem is more of a symbolic presence these days, a locker-room leader in what’s clearly his final season. Sometimes, we dream of forever even before we’ve held someone’s hand. Two decades of professional basketball have changed everyone, and LeBron is no exception. On the final play of the Lakers’ season, his desperate drive was stopped by Jamal Murray’s physical defense, and his last attempt at a shot was cleanly blocked by Aaron Gordon. Just like that, the Lakers’ journey came to an end. But what Murray stopped was not LeBron’s belief, and what Gordon blocked wasn’t the Lakers’ hope.

Looking back on the season as a whole, few predicted the Lakers would make it this far. From a team once dismissed as lacking direction, they clawed their way into the Western Conference Finals—already a remarkable achievement by any standard. Crickex App believes that watching LeBron run the floor, hit shots, and roar with passion is becoming a rarer experience, whether you cheer for him or root against him. Time waits for no one, but at the edge of every barren field lies the promise of a mountain in spring. There are no goodbyes, only the end of a chapter.

Led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, with strong contributions from Michael Porter Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Bruce Brown, and Aaron Gordon, the Nuggets played fluid, joyful basketball. They weren’t just the better team—they were the team that left no room for regret.