LeBron James, Lakers will have to make NBA history to win series vs. Thunder

After Saturday's loss in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are now down 3-0 in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and to say it's an uphill battle to climb their way out of this hole is an understatement.

After a strong early showing in the first half, the Lakers fell on Saturday to a 131-108 final score, and now, they'll have to win four in a row to advance.

The likelihood of that happening is slim. It's so slim, in fact, that it's never been done before.

According to Jack Baer of Yahoo Sports, no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the entire history of the league.

While that may sound like a depressing stat to Lakers fans, it's really an opportunity. That means that if the Lakers and James pull off a series win somehow, someway, they'll make history in the NBA, and it won't be some little stat. It'll be the big kind of history that people talk about for decades to come.

But that will be difficult, especially with Luka Doncic injured. The Thunder were heavily favored to take this series, even in a sweep, largely because Doncic is out.

Los Angeles Lakers haven't given up on Thunder series yet

After the game, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick still expressed optimism that his team could pull off the impossible.

"I'm not giving up on the series," he told reporters via David Mendez-Yapkowitz of Clutch Points. "We're gonna go try to win on Monday. We're gonna try and extend the series and we're trying to take this thing back to OKC."

The Thunder are undefeated through seven postseason games. They'll look to make it eight on Monday, when these teams go up against each other in Los Angeles. The matchup airs at 10:30 p.m. EST on Prime Video.

During the Game 3 showdown, LeBron James recorded 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

The Lakers started strong in the game and led the Thunder 59-57 after the first half. But, Oklahoma City came out ready to play in the second half and outscored Los Angeles by 25 to snag that 131-108 victory. This is the second game in this series in which the Lakers had a small lead at the half but lost. Still, it shows that the Lakers can do it. They just have to close out the game.