“When Jordan missed a final-second shot, nobody said he couldn’t close” - Shannon Sharpe on the criticism towards LeBron James not being a closer

Analyst Shannon Sharpe came to LeBron James' defense by comparing the criticism James gets to the ease Michael Jordan received during his time in the NBA. Sharpe's response Thursday on "Skip and Shannon: Undefeated" occurred after Skip Bayless came fervently for James.

Bayless blamed James for the LA Lakers' 139-130 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets by not closing out the game from the free-throw line Wednesday night.

The Lakers' defeat to the team with the fewest wins in the NBA came as a surprise. Despite his triple-double (23 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists), James said he "didn't play particularly well." He said he "missed a lot of shots he could make and have made" during the season.

James passed the ball instead of driving for a game-winning layup at the end of regulation, getting bashed for the decision. He said he didn't have a better look at the rim and felt Carmelo Anthony's position was a lot better. But Bayless wasn't buying it. Sharpe, however, said that Jordan himself missed tons of game-winning shots but never got the end of the stick like LeBron does every time.

"When Jordan missed a final-second shot, nobody said he couldn't close like they do now," Sharpe said. "It seems like now if LeBron misses a shot and he can't close. Jordan missed thousands of shots to win or loss the game."

---

Is LeBron James' issue with his knee responsible for his below par performance against the Houston Rockets?

LeBron James of the LA Lakers holds his head after he was hit going to the basket against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center on Wednesday in Houston, Texas.

The LA Lakers fielded their best available players with LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk, Austin Reaves and Stanley Johnson in the starting lineup. With Carmelo Anthony, Avery Bradley, D.J. Augustin, Kent Bazemore and Wenyen Gabriel coming off the bench.

Westbrook led the team with 30 points, eight rebounds and six assists. LBJ, on the other hand, had one of his weakest shooting experiences in the league: 34.6% (9 of 26) and 11.1% from the 3-point range (1 of 9).

The small forward has had some issues with his knee but has continuously powered through over the past few weeks. After the game, it was revealed that he was catering for the knee after every game just to he's able to play the next game. At age 37, he might need to put less pressure on his knees to give the healing a chance.