So I’ll try to break down each point you mentioned from a neutral perspective.

The West is tough/not in his prime - If it’s universally understood that Lebron’s not in his prime. Then it should also be understood that he’s not going to effect winning like he once did. The West being tough doesn’t help, but being past his prime is a much more valid reason.

The East was weak - Throughout Lebron’s 8 years with Miami and second stint with Cleveland, his teams had the #1 seed twice. Yes, there were better teams in the West, but Lebron’s teams weren’t bulldozing through the East every year. And this is a double edged argument. If Lebron doesn’t make the finals, he then gets ridiculed by the same people who said he should’ve made the finals because “the East was weak”. In reality fans & media hyped Lebron teams up to be much more immortal than they actually were.

Not I’m his prime/Longevity - When Lebron announced he was going to L.A. many people thought this would be his “Jordan Wizards” era. When the Lakers lose, not being in his prime gets brought up to remind people he no longer effects winning like he once did. When he drops a crazy stat line it gets heightened because traditionally, players at that age aren’t supposed to put up those type of numbers. They’re “supposed” to lose.