LeBron James explains Lakers' mindset after falling down 3-0 to Nuggets: 'One-game series for us'

LeBron James is used to making NBA history. He's set countless league records, including the league's all-time scoring record this season. He led the only 3-1 comeback in NBA Finals history in 2016, when his Cleveland Cavaliers upset the Golden State Warriors to win his third championship. If he plans to win his fifth title this season, though, he's going to have to overcome one of the few barriers that even he has never knocked down.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to the Denver Nuggets. That gave the Nuggets an overwhelming 3-0 lead in the series. James has never won a series in which he trailed 3-0. Nobody has. Teams that have fallen down 0-3 in the NBA playoffs are 0-149 all-time. Now James and the Lakers are trying to make history one game at a time.

"Just gotta get one," James said after Game 3. "One at a time. So focus on Game 4. That's all you can really think about. I mean obviously, this game is over and done with. We had some opportunities, but we didn't come through. Just get ready for Monday. Just gotta get one. One-game series for us. Every game counts obviously."

Lakers coach Darvin Ham echoed the sentiment. "The deficit is 3-0. Not 4-0," Ham told reporters. "As long as they haven't gotten to four yet, there's still hope. We're still alive."

Though no NBA team has ever won a series after trailing 3-0, the feat has been accomplished in other sports. The Boston Red Sox famously defeated the New York Yankees in the 2004 ALCS after losing the first three games of the series, and days later, they won their first World Series title in 86 years. Four NHL teams have overcome 3-0 deficits as well: the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

The Lakers may have lost all three games they've played against the Nuggets, but they haven't been blowouts. The three losses have been by five, six and 11 points. The Lakers even led in the fourth quarter of Game 3 before a late-game collapse. The Nuggets have been the better team, but not by an overwhelming margin. The odds are stacked against the Lakers, but as Ham said, this series is not over.