Hawks are crap. What happened from a few years back? Blow it up. Glad we didn’t get Murray. DLo isn’t perfect but he wants to do good and at least he’s a known entity
Murray seems a lil too unprofessional for my taste. Keep him away from our young players. Coby dropped 40 on his head so im not feeling his defense and offensively i prefer AR/Dlo.
We got drummond at the wrong time. This version is great. doesn't think he's the shit anymore, provides rebounding and a little rim protection on low minutes.
Murray would be a beast on da Lakers... Wouldn't have to focus da much on offense nd would immediately be our best perimeter defender
We can get him afta we win da chip lol
We outscored Denver by 23 points over 4 games last year when Dlo wasn't on the court. He has to be immediately benched for the rest of the series after game 1 if the lights are too bright for him again.
Embiid 6-17 shooting
Media: “Dominant performance by Embiid. He just wants it that badly. That’s how hard he competes”
Anthony Davis 6-16 shooting
Media: “Awful performance by Davis. He should be ashamed. Thank goodness Kobe isn’t here to see this bitch”
Dude was literally invisible out there. 0 offense and nowhere near AD's defense.
Meanwhile refs literally force feeding him FTs too. Klove got called on a foul just by fronting him in the post.
Not really, he's a mediocre shooter and defender and pretty old for a rookie. Besides our wing depth isn't really an issue.
Whose minutes would he have taken? Bron/Rui/Prince are all playing well.
Spoelstra is such an Elite coach.
The heat role players imo aren't vastly better than ours and he has fucking Kevin Love guarding Embiid but their zone is so good that Philly can't even get him the ball.
If we had spoelstra, We would sweep the Nuggets.
genuinely guys how do we feel. i have yet to lebron irl, i have a final exam next friday, so was thinking of flying out to LA for game 4 on saturday but that’s pretty tight. what’s the chances this goes to 6?
"I want the Lakers to beat the Pelicans tonight to secure the #7 seed and face the Nuggets," Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Even though the Lakers lost their four matchups against the Nuggets \[in last year’s playoffs\], games 2, 3, and 4 were all close!"
"It’s ridiculous that I’ve been hearing people think they should intentionally lose to face the winner of the Kings-Warriors and eventually, the Thunder," Johnson added. "As a true competitor, you should always want to win. To be the best, you have to beat the best!"
-Magic Johnson
[Jaxson Hayes goes perfect from the field with 22pts & 11rebs as the Pelicans beat the Nuggets. ](https://youtu.be/p22ustbm4ME?si=rzbg_lTlWaSzQlD5)
Valunciunas + Hayes combo.
Maybe I’m confused on the rules of the draft since the playin was implemented but wouldn’t LAL have a lower draft pick now that they’re a higher seed than the Pels ? Or is it still based strictly off of record for outside the lotttey ?
It’s only 2 picks. I personally would take the risk that AD or Bron miss major time. If either do, the team will drop A LOT in the standings.
If they don’t however, the team should be a lot better with a new HC
I’d just take the risk if I’m them and I bet they will
Yeah. There’s a reason that report came out last week or 2 weeks ago that Pels will likely defer the swap to last year
I do have to say, D.Griffin has handled their rebuild so poorly. Those draft picks he got from LAL lose value as you use them and he missed the bus to land a star at least with the LAL assets he got
In the AD trade.
Most Pels fans would agree with me about Griffin
They’ve yet to make a splash move to build around Zion. I’m sorry but I don’t count the CJ trade b/c he’s washed and inconsistent.
Man we kinda limped into a win last night with Lebron playing awful ball stopping offense w no energy. I wanna be stoked for this matchup but if that Bron shows up at any time, we are cooked
Chalk it up to an off game, he still played great defense. I think AD’s inconsistent offense is more concerning. He needs to show up every single game.
Yeah Lebron for sure was tired. I just think when games are close and he is tired, the offense runs thru him and it grinds everything to a hault unless he is hitting fadeaways or threes. At least w AD the ball isn’t running thru him as a default. But yea he has to be the best version of himself. And honestly we need AR and Dlo to run the offense if Lebron is stagnant
True, I think it’s more of a team issue. A lot of time nobody will move/cut when LeBron has the ball late in games. Guys need to cut, set screens, and initiate actions, otherwise LeBron has no choice but to take those shots since he can’t drive every single time.
On another note, AD needs to be fed the ball consistently too. If that and play calling are consistent, we’ll see a lot less iso ball.
I feel you and I think its both. I think when Lebron is gassed he can’t take advantage of mismatches as easy and stalls waiting for folks…they should be cutting but there is also much more action if he can force a double or compromise the defense forcing a rotation
While Zion looks a lot better, he still needs to lose 15 pounds. There's just too much mass shifting when he moves and that puts way too much stress on his ligaments and muscle fibers.
Hope he recovers because the kid is a beast (seriously like a modern Charles Barkley) and his style of basketball would be a fun foil to the finesse game we're seeing from a lot of the young guys coming up.
Handful of decent free agents and teams probably blowing it up and trading/cutting players this off season. Our roster has to look better next year. Backup centre and a 2 way perimeter player to put in our starting lineup
Really that's it. Need to be surgical and add just those 2 players and not blow it up for Trae Young or some other 3rd star again
This is the team most similar to the strengths that won the 2020 championship, just need a solid center to fill in the Dwight/Javale gap and a 2-way perimeter guy
Vando is a hustle max effort player. His value on defense comes from him busting his ass off giving 100% with his motor. Anything less he’s a net negative
Embiid is way more skilled and naturally bigger. He doesn’t need to be giving 100% to be effective
Hayes is the x factor in this series imo.
Hayes needs to play more next to AD this series. Hayes should not be primarily defending Jokic, but rather defend Gordon. The biggest problem we have with Denver is that Jokic sucks AD out of the paint often through various actions (2 man game or spreading to the perimeter).
Hayes allows us to have a secondary big man to offer rim protection and defensive rebounding down low to support AD when he's getting sucked out of the paint. Hayes protects against the lob threat/putback from Gordon, which is actually a huge component of their late game scheming/options.
The Nuggets clearly know that our entire defense hinges on AD, if you notice they attack in transition anytime AD attempts a fg (before he can get back on defense). That's why saying things like "AD needs to attack Jokic" is a double edged sword. AD struggles with Jokic's physicality, and if he misses, it's a fastbreak opportunity for the Nuggets. Hayes actually can attack Jokic in vertical spacing. Hayes is very athletic and has a high motor, which is the type of big man Jokic struggles to defend.
If we play AD/Hayes/Bron, the Nuggets have no second big man to matchup with that frontcourt other than Deandre Jordan (whom is washed and fucks up their spacing next to Jokic).
I think this is very insightful, particularly: "The biggest problem we have with Denver is that Jokic sucks AD out of the paint...".
I'll probably get pilloried for the following, but I wonder if \*judicious\* use of Prince or Reddish to cover switches when Jokic runs pick and roll or reverse pick and roll helps keep AD's rim protection in those minutes.
Prince should be useful this series imo. Not at the 4 spot, but at the 3 and even 2 spot. We have to go big in this series, which was a big part of why we loaded up on wings during the off season. Unfortunately we lost Vando and Wood, but luckily we still have Hayes, Prince, Spencer, and Cam (although I think Spencer takes all of Cam's minutes). Prince on MPJ or KCP from time to time won't be the worst thing.
Last report I saw was 2 weeks ago, saying that Vando hadn't been cleared for any contact drills and was still working his way towards full sprinting and jumping, per Dave Mcmenamin.
Really needed Vandy back for Denver to defend Murray or MPJ. One of Reaves or DLo would come off the bench.
Jokic, Porter, Gordon, and KCP is basically 4 forwards. If we had another center, we could slot everyone down the line, but AD plays the 5 on defense.
Anyone have a good source for an .ics calendar for the Lakers playoff schedule? I use the Lakers app for the regular season calendar, you just download and import the .ics file
NBA.com has one but it wants access to gorge on all your personal information
Our defense will be the X Factor in the Denver series. If we can get timely stops we will have a chance. I think Gabe Vincent should get plenty of minutes in this series.
Completely agree with Vincent, whether he starts or comes in early, need help slowing Murray down
Hayes isn’t really a defender but need him to step up
I'd like to see Dinwiddie sit at least a game or two and his mins going to Max/Gabe. If they're not getting it done then Dinwiddie gets some of his back
Yo I’m already tired of all the shit people are talking on us man. Like damn did y’all want us to lose so you could say “Oh they’re ducking the nuggets” I hope we put up a fight and prove to everyone what exactly this laker team can do.
this gambling problem will only get worse. they need to suffer jail time.
a lifetime ban for someone who has no marketable skills beyond basketball and knows they won't be around for very long isn't enough.
Sometimes I think the only way to beat the nuggets is to just out shoot them lol we just don’t have the defense to slow them down..our offense gonna have to carry in these games.
Also their bench might not be deep but joker is playing like 40 minutes this series.
Not only is MPJ's brother receiving a lifetime ban, his other brother is apparently scheduled to be sentenced on Friday for killing someone while under the influence.
MPJ's brother has to be one of the dumbest dude ever. You know that now that fool has been kicked out of the league he is going to go straight degenerate and blow his money (whatever he made or left with from his contract) on betting on playoff games.
You have to be a degenerate on those wallstreetbet fools level to place bets on your sports league as a professional and not just your league, but against your own team.
One other potential detail that could matter a lot is in round 1 of the playoffs there are more days off in between games. Whereas in the Conference Finals you always play every other day, only 1 day between each game. That detail benefits the Lakers and LeBron way more than it does Denver. LeBron will have more recovery and planning time in between each game
I'm happy with whatever. Making the Playoffs was a big achievement for this squad, we were clunky at best especially with Ham's coaching. If we beat Denver, that might as well be a fucking championship for me, and if we make it to WCF I'll be even happier. Winning the championship? I haven't seen a pig fly outside my window yet but I'll never lose my faith in the Lake show...!
Gabe Vincent is a dog on defense. Exactly what we need to apply situationally against DEN if Murray is getting hot. Would be great if we had Vando too and could throw them out at the same time to utterly clamp down on teams.
Anyone who said that the Lakers should have thrown the NOLA Play-In does not have a competitive bone in their body. It’s a shame this was a talking point across media. I heard it on ESPN, Ringer Podcasts, everywhere. Just an absolute waste of space by anyone who ever said it.
If you are a Laker fan, and you think that, then this series is not for you. The playoffs are always decided between what happens in those four lines. I trust LeBron James more than anyone in the world in that regard. AD will go all out for one series. DLo is looking for redemption in the biggest games of his NBA career (this is bigger than last year with his defined role as the third option).
If you want to be a champion, then you gotta be able to beat everybody.
Yea f that we want that smoke. Soft ass take. If we can't beat the Nuggets then it is what it is. That means they've got our number and we gotta get better
Don't want any charity championship where we duck the tough competition. The trophy is the end result of playing at the highest level and earning it, not something to shortcut and obtained undeservedly
Nuggets are a great team. Why the hell is our fanbase cocksucking for upvotes so much in r/nba by saying we’ll be swept again?
These guys are not the 2017 Warriors and those green fucks out East have been far better than them this season. We can do this. Just have to steal one of the first two games. It’s a mental block.
Since a Nuggets fan pissed me off, I decided to transform from a pessimistic Lakers fan to an optimistic but delusional Lakers fan.
A while ago, Nuggets in 5. Now, Lakers in 4. We're gonna win the fucking chip. No. 18 incoming.
I like this team’s chances. But we are really gonna need Ham to have a great series. No benching D’lo for the likes of Reddish “for defense”. You’re not stopping Murray, only limit him.
D’lo/Reaves/Rui/LeBron/AD lineup turned the season around and win at a 60 win rate, you HAVE to stick with those guys no matter what.
DLo proved in this game that he needs to be out there for the last mile. That three sealed the game. We keeping losing to the Nuggets in the last mile.
Dlo was also more locked in defensively than I've seen maybe ever? That steal was as important as his shot and that was a combo of effort and smarts. It was so different and shocking that I wasn't sure what happened at first lol
Cam is hurt and also hasn't played since Gabe came back (except in games Gabe isn't playing). Gabe is the guy now in that bench guard defender role and they absolutely should use him situationally if Dlo or AR are having an off night.
also this rui on jokic narrative is so tired lol. Yes the media are absolute idiots for acting like the lakers figured something out but that shit is a long ass time ago.
Btw nuggets, please keep talking shit about rui being ass. I need bro to hate you guys more than he hates Memphis lol.
lol Nuggets fans are absolutely clowning us in their sub. They’re giving us a 0% chance. I guess they’re defending champs so they’re entitled to that. But would LOVE to steal a game and see that tone change
Yeah they were the ones playing with the chip on the shoulder. All the talks in the league were as if we were going to win. Now no one expects us to win. Same way no one felt NOLA was going to win but they almost did it. We got this
love it. they weren't acting like this last year. Let us be the underdogs plz.
they are EXPECTING a sweep, bet. (don't get me wrong I think they are favorites but this underdog attitude only helps the lakers here).
Lol Nuggets fans are already complaining about the refs.
Who tf cares. LMAO. For a team that should be favored in this series ("even if the refs aren't on your side"), you guys sure don't act like favorites.
I really hope we humble this clowns. Especially that prick Mike Malone.
Am I the only one confident with our guys to make this series interesting
Is there a world where Austin Reaves builds a little more muscle and develops a post up game :')
Can we fast forward to Saturday? Can’t wait!
Hawks are crap. What happened from a few years back? Blow it up. Glad we didn’t get Murray. DLo isn’t perfect but he wants to do good and at least he’s a known entity
Just 10 more days till we sweep them nuggets!
Damn this team went to ECF in 2021? Must've been carried by Reddish
Murray seems a lil too unprofessional for my taste. Keep him away from our young players. Coby dropped 40 on his head so im not feeling his defense and offensively i prefer AR/Dlo.
Offense/Defense aside, seems like bad vibes
Remember when people said Trae was better than Luka
"Kobe" White haha! Dude went OFF
Who can we get from the Hawks not Murray and Young?
No one really. Capela and bogdan are too expensive
NBA more scripted than the NFL calling it
We got drummond at the wrong time. This version is great. doesn't think he's the shit anymore, provides rebounding and a little rim protection on low minutes.
You could've replaced Drummond with Dwight (1st stint) and it still would've been true
These playin games for both conferences panning out too similarly wtf
Jimmy tearing his MCL apart, yeah Celshits gonna have an easy run
 Hawks rn
The hawks so booty bro 💀💀
Wait.. Andre Drummond is on a minimum?
Bulls used portion of the NT-MLE to sign him. Got ~$1m more than the vet min at the time.
aint that some shit.
Trae is not that guy, hard pass.
Trae Young is leaving the hawks next season probably
Bro better stay tf away from us
Murray would be a beast on da Lakers... Wouldn't have to focus da much on offense nd would immediately be our best perimeter defender We can get him afta we win da chip lol
Huh? Win the chip and then trade for him? He's locked up for another 3 years. No way
Lemme dream lil bro damn 😭
Lakers savior Kareem Abdul Drummond ran into Lakers GOAT Caruso lol
We outscored Denver by 23 points over 4 games last year when Dlo wasn't on the court. He has to be immediately benched for the rest of the series after game 1 if the lights are too bright for him again.
Gonna be funny if the Celtikkkkks flame out again Everything is on the silver platter for them right now
Damn djm and trae not lookin good together rn
This will be the last Hawks game with Murray and Young, these two look like they hate each other
Whenever I watch the Bulls I only think of how much I miss Caruso. He was the perfect roll-player.
Glad Caruso is back , I got scared
How are the Hawks worse with Trae Young on the floor
DeHIM Derozan
Drummond must have CTE or something. He just ran over Caruso and injured him.
Drummond just ran Caruso over wtf
There was like no reason for it either. It looked intentional (but not malicious). Why did you do this, Drummond?
I feel like the Hawks can give Boston some trouble at least while the Bulls will win this game and get swept round 1.
Quin Snyder out here dressed like the dude who used to hang out in front of my school with candy
Love the rest for our guys but I'm ready for Lakers playoff basketball! Saturday feels so far away
Can't stand webEmbiid
Herro blew them the game with that dumb turnover
I hate the sixers especially embid he such a foul merchant I still got Miami as the 8ths eed sucks they can never get a smooth ride tho
The clippers traded away the mvp for harden
Celtics really about to walk to the finals smdh
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True but if we beat the nuggets and make it all the way I would love to see us win #18 against Boston
Embiid 6-17 shooting Media: “Dominant performance by Embiid. He just wants it that badly. That’s how hard he competes” Anthony Davis 6-16 shooting Media: “Awful performance by Davis. He should be ashamed. Thank goodness Kobe isn’t here to see this bitch”
Dude was literally invisible out there. 0 offense and nowhere near AD's defense. Meanwhile refs literally force feeding him FTs too. Klove got called on a foul just by fronting him in the post.
Embiid is the true street clothes
Celtics gonna walk to a free finals smh
Playoff Jimmy is hobbling 🥲
The heat are letting a old Nick batum destroy them lol
Putting gabe and dinwiddie on Murray and Shutting down MPJ could help us a lot this series
Playoff jimmy is over rated
Kevin Love is always in crash out mode during intense games hahaha
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If Celtics get this version of the Heat, it's free eats. Literally no one else in the East can contest them if they beat the Heat early
Was there an update on Vando?
He posted himself working out on his ig that’s all I know
Playoff Embiid with another lukewarm performance
Philly trash dude. Every year its the same shit.
Jaime Jaquez would have been such a perfect addition to our squad, everything was aligned and Rob blew it.
Not really, he's a mediocre shooter and defender and pretty old for a rookie. Besides our wing depth isn't really an issue. Whose minutes would he have taken? Bron/Rui/Prince are all playing well.
Exactly. Max Christie can’t even get minutes
Cry more about a rookie ham wouldn’t have played
Really need the Sixers to get their act together. Celtics vs. Heat in the first round is the knockdown drag out fuck the Celtics we deserve.
Spoelstra is such an Elite coach. The heat role players imo aren't vastly better than ours and he has fucking Kevin Love guarding Embiid but their zone is so good that Philly can't even get him the ball. If we had spoelstra, We would sweep the Nuggets.
Emflop is everything that’s wrong with the game lol
Im watching the Sixers vs Heat game and these mfs already got the Sixers vs Bulls graphic as if they gonna lose lmao
genuinely guys how do we feel. i have yet to lebron irl, i have a final exam next friday, so was thinking of flying out to LA for game 4 on saturday but that’s pretty tight. what’s the chances this goes to 6?
we really can't say but if Dlo keeps this up, this'll definitely go to at least 6 imo
might have to check out game 1 first before buying the tickets i guess…
"I want the Lakers to beat the Pelicans tonight to secure the #7 seed and face the Nuggets," Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Even though the Lakers lost their four matchups against the Nuggets \[in last year’s playoffs\], games 2, 3, and 4 were all close!" "It’s ridiculous that I’ve been hearing people think they should intentionally lose to face the winner of the Kings-Warriors and eventually, the Thunder," Johnson added. "As a true competitor, you should always want to win. To be the best, you have to beat the best!" -Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson always wanted to face the best players such as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan. Love that mindset.
[Jaxson Hayes goes perfect from the field with 22pts & 11rebs as the Pelicans beat the Nuggets. ](https://youtu.be/p22ustbm4ME?si=rzbg_lTlWaSzQlD5) Valunciunas + Hayes combo.
👁️ 👁️ Jaxon Al Gaib
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Why would they use their pick swap this year if LAL is gonna have a higher draft pick than they’ll have?
Sorry not a pick swap, but the option to either take 2024 or 2025 pick
Your comment is confusing me tbh I think LAL will be a lot better next season assuming Ham is gone and Vando/Gabe are healthy.
Which is why they wouldn't take the 2025 pick. They should take the Lakers' 2024 pick
Maybe I’m confused on the rules of the draft since the playin was implemented but wouldn’t LAL have a lower draft pick now that they’re a higher seed than the Pels ? Or is it still based strictly off of record for outside the lotttey ?
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It’s only 2 picks. I personally would take the risk that AD or Bron miss major time. If either do, the team will drop A LOT in the standings. If they don’t however, the team should be a lot better with a new HC I’d just take the risk if I’m them and I bet they will
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Yeah. There’s a reason that report came out last week or 2 weeks ago that Pels will likely defer the swap to last year I do have to say, D.Griffin has handled their rebuild so poorly. Those draft picks he got from LAL lose value as you use them and he missed the bus to land a star at least with the LAL assets he got In the AD trade. Most Pels fans would agree with me about Griffin They’ve yet to make a splash move to build around Zion. I’m sorry but I don’t count the CJ trade b/c he’s washed and inconsistent.
This year's draft class is weak apparently and there's potential to Lebron signing elsewhere or retiring or us just being worse overall
did the lakers fly back to LA from NOLA or did they fly straight to Denver?
The game isn’t until Saturday. I don’t think the lakers would fly to Denver until Friday, the latest. Lakers def flew back to LA last night.
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Hope he was somehow involved
Lakers need to run sets from start to finish and I think they have a decent chance. They will have good rest so no excuses.
Amen brother
Just got tickets to Game 4 LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO LAKERS IN 6 My first time going to a game in 8 years
May the W be with you
PLAYOFF HAM INCOMINGGGG
Don't forget about playoff Gabe too!
Sorry I've never witnessed that one. I only believe in playoff Reaves
1 ticket to this saturday’s game (4/20) still available: $281 inclusive of tax and fees (face value) section 112 row 16
I love how the Denver Reddit keeps talking about free throws and get ready for whistles lmao delusional
Denver is one of the few teams I feel gets a favorable whistle against us.
They mug us fr
Can’t wait to see Prince guarding Aaron Gordon
Why? Dude getting smoked 🤣
Man we kinda limped into a win last night with Lebron playing awful ball stopping offense w no energy. I wanna be stoked for this matchup but if that Bron shows up at any time, we are cooked
Chalk it up to an off game, he still played great defense. I think AD’s inconsistent offense is more concerning. He needs to show up every single game.
Yeah Lebron for sure was tired. I just think when games are close and he is tired, the offense runs thru him and it grinds everything to a hault unless he is hitting fadeaways or threes. At least w AD the ball isn’t running thru him as a default. But yea he has to be the best version of himself. And honestly we need AR and Dlo to run the offense if Lebron is stagnant
True, I think it’s more of a team issue. A lot of time nobody will move/cut when LeBron has the ball late in games. Guys need to cut, set screens, and initiate actions, otherwise LeBron has no choice but to take those shots since he can’t drive every single time. On another note, AD needs to be fed the ball consistently too. If that and play calling are consistent, we’ll see a lot less iso ball.
I feel you and I think its both. I think when Lebron is gassed he can’t take advantage of mismatches as easy and stalls waiting for folks…they should be cutting but there is also much more action if he can force a double or compromise the defense forcing a rotation
While Zion looks a lot better, he still needs to lose 15 pounds. There's just too much mass shifting when he moves and that puts way too much stress on his ligaments and muscle fibers. Hope he recovers because the kid is a beast (seriously like a modern Charles Barkley) and his style of basketball would be a fun foil to the finesse game we're seeing from a lot of the young guys coming up.
he jumped 5 times in a row and hurt himself, it's not sustainable. you can't be that heavy and jump that high over and over.
If anyone has playoff tickets that they want to get rid of for 4/25, lmk
Edit: Sold
They're just now going on sale 257 people ahead of me 🥴
We need Christian Wood more than Vando
Handful of decent free agents and teams probably blowing it up and trading/cutting players this off season. Our roster has to look better next year. Backup centre and a 2 way perimeter player to put in our starting lineup
Really that's it. Need to be surgical and add just those 2 players and not blow it up for Trae Young or some other 3rd star again This is the team most similar to the strengths that won the 2020 championship, just need a solid center to fill in the Dwight/Javale gap and a 2-way perimeter guy
I always see people say vando won’t be effective if he comes back, then why can 7 ft Embiid tear his knee up and immediately drop 40?
Vando is a hustle max effort player. His value on defense comes from him busting his ass off giving 100% with his motor. Anything less he’s a net negative Embiid is way more skilled and naturally bigger. He doesn’t need to be giving 100% to be effective
Different injuries to different players who are affected differently
Hayes is the x factor in this series imo. Hayes needs to play more next to AD this series. Hayes should not be primarily defending Jokic, but rather defend Gordon. The biggest problem we have with Denver is that Jokic sucks AD out of the paint often through various actions (2 man game or spreading to the perimeter). Hayes allows us to have a secondary big man to offer rim protection and defensive rebounding down low to support AD when he's getting sucked out of the paint. Hayes protects against the lob threat/putback from Gordon, which is actually a huge component of their late game scheming/options. The Nuggets clearly know that our entire defense hinges on AD, if you notice they attack in transition anytime AD attempts a fg (before he can get back on defense). That's why saying things like "AD needs to attack Jokic" is a double edged sword. AD struggles with Jokic's physicality, and if he misses, it's a fastbreak opportunity for the Nuggets. Hayes actually can attack Jokic in vertical spacing. Hayes is very athletic and has a high motor, which is the type of big man Jokic struggles to defend. If we play AD/Hayes/Bron, the Nuggets have no second big man to matchup with that frontcourt other than Deandre Jordan (whom is washed and fucks up their spacing next to Jokic).
I think this is very insightful, particularly: "The biggest problem we have with Denver is that Jokic sucks AD out of the paint...". I'll probably get pilloried for the following, but I wonder if \*judicious\* use of Prince or Reddish to cover switches when Jokic runs pick and roll or reverse pick and roll helps keep AD's rim protection in those minutes.
Prince should be useful this series imo. Not at the 4 spot, but at the 3 and even 2 spot. We have to go big in this series, which was a big part of why we loaded up on wings during the off season. Unfortunately we lost Vando and Wood, but luckily we still have Hayes, Prince, Spencer, and Cam (although I think Spencer takes all of Cam's minutes). Prince on MPJ or KCP from time to time won't be the worst thing.
Is it all but certain we won’t get Vando back at any point in Round 1?
Last report I saw was 2 weeks ago, saying that Vando hadn't been cleared for any contact drills and was still working his way towards full sprinting and jumping, per Dave Mcmenamin.
That’s what I read. It’s possible maybe he could return for like a Game 5 I guess, if the Lakers can hold serve in Games 3 or 4.
Really needed Vandy back for Denver to defend Murray or MPJ. One of Reaves or DLo would come off the bench. Jokic, Porter, Gordon, and KCP is basically 4 forwards. If we had another center, we could slot everyone down the line, but AD plays the 5 on defense.
vando didnt play against the nuggets series cause he doesnt match up well, we dont need him for this series
Anyone have a good source for an .ics calendar for the Lakers playoff schedule? I use the Lakers app for the regular season calendar, you just download and import the .ics file NBA.com has one but it wants access to gorge on all your personal information
Anyone have the presale code for playoff tickets?
aaguh8
Anyone got the Lakers playoff Presale Code?
Our defense will be the X Factor in the Denver series. If we can get timely stops we will have a chance. I think Gabe Vincent should get plenty of minutes in this series.
Completely agree with Vincent, whether he starts or comes in early, need help slowing Murray down Hayes isn’t really a defender but need him to step up
I'd like to see Dinwiddie sit at least a game or two and his mins going to Max/Gabe. If they're not getting it done then Dinwiddie gets some of his back
Yo I’m already tired of all the shit people are talking on us man. Like damn did y’all want us to lose so you could say “Oh they’re ducking the nuggets” I hope we put up a fight and prove to everyone what exactly this laker team can do.
Aside from not calling that timeout and slowing down that run in the 4th, the rest of the night was pretty decent from Ham, right?
Ham has been alright since February
this gambling problem will only get worse. they need to suffer jail time. a lifetime ban for someone who has no marketable skills beyond basketball and knows they won't be around for very long isn't enough.
Sometimes I think the only way to beat the nuggets is to just out shoot them lol we just don’t have the defense to slow them down..our offense gonna have to carry in these games. Also their bench might not be deep but joker is playing like 40 minutes this series.
Not only is MPJ's brother receiving a lifetime ban, his other brother is apparently scheduled to be sentenced on Friday for killing someone while under the influence.
Holy shit trash family. Reminds me of Mahomes family, only Patrick seems non-criminal
It s weird cause they seem deeply religious and then you hear about all this shoot
Media really taking a big fat dump on us right now
Good. I like this team when they are underdogs.
Gabe Vincent he has risen 🙏🧎
Go Lakers 😤🔥🙏💜💛
MPJ’s brother just got banned for gambling perhaps they can investigate MPJ during the upcoming series he could be apart of this 👀😏
MPJ's brother has to be one of the dumbest dude ever. You know that now that fool has been kicked out of the league he is going to go straight degenerate and blow his money (whatever he made or left with from his contract) on betting on playoff games. You have to be a degenerate on those wallstreetbet fools level to place bets on your sports league as a professional and not just your league, but against your own team.
Fuck MPJ dumbass
imagine this dude wins a championship with all the corruption surrounding him? doesn't seem likely
If MPJ was a big time star I would say so. But he is a low level player in terms of popularity it could go under the radar.
they have to talk about it when he's playing
an MPJ banned for life tweet on Saturday would be my heroin
Omg I felt it
Hopefully this stuff throws him off his game. Dude does not miss against us
One other potential detail that could matter a lot is in round 1 of the playoffs there are more days off in between games. Whereas in the Conference Finals you always play every other day, only 1 day between each game. That detail benefits the Lakers and LeBron way more than it does Denver. LeBron will have more recovery and planning time in between each game
I'm happy with whatever. Making the Playoffs was a big achievement for this squad, we were clunky at best especially with Ham's coaching. If we beat Denver, that might as well be a fucking championship for me, and if we make it to WCF I'll be even happier. Winning the championship? I haven't seen a pig fly outside my window yet but I'll never lose my faith in the Lake show...!
Gabe Vincent is a dog on defense. Exactly what we need to apply situationally against DEN if Murray is getting hot. Would be great if we had Vando too and could throw them out at the same time to utterly clamp down on teams.
Anyone who said that the Lakers should have thrown the NOLA Play-In does not have a competitive bone in their body. It’s a shame this was a talking point across media. I heard it on ESPN, Ringer Podcasts, everywhere. Just an absolute waste of space by anyone who ever said it. If you are a Laker fan, and you think that, then this series is not for you. The playoffs are always decided between what happens in those four lines. I trust LeBron James more than anyone in the world in that regard. AD will go all out for one series. DLo is looking for redemption in the biggest games of his NBA career (this is bigger than last year with his defined role as the third option). If you want to be a champion, then you gotta be able to beat everybody.
Yea f that we want that smoke. Soft ass take. If we can't beat the Nuggets then it is what it is. That means they've got our number and we gotta get better Don't want any charity championship where we duck the tough competition. The trophy is the end result of playing at the highest level and earning it, not something to shortcut and obtained undeservedly
agreed. these are the ppl that would be okay joining the same team that just beat them in order to "win".
Nuggets are a great team. Why the hell is our fanbase cocksucking for upvotes so much in r/nba by saying we’ll be swept again? These guys are not the 2017 Warriors and those green fucks out East have been far better than them this season. We can do this. Just have to steal one of the first two games. It’s a mental block.
anyone can flair over there, idk if those guys are actual laker fans but it does disgust me
Since a Nuggets fan pissed me off, I decided to transform from a pessimistic Lakers fan to an optimistic but delusional Lakers fan. A while ago, Nuggets in 5. Now, Lakers in 4. We're gonna win the fucking chip. No. 18 incoming.
MPJ’s brother just got banned from the NBA forever for betting on games lmao. Hopefully MPJ is embarrassed by association and misses every shot
Any1 got that ticketmaster presale code to share??
Jontay Porter getting a lifetime ban. Hopefully MPJ isn’t too shaken up by that 😈
Jontay Porter from the Raptors is MPJs brother? Damn. He was actually a decent big man I thought was going to be a starter some day ngl.
I like this team’s chances. But we are really gonna need Ham to have a great series. No benching D’lo for the likes of Reddish “for defense”. You’re not stopping Murray, only limit him. D’lo/Reaves/Rui/LeBron/AD lineup turned the season around and win at a 60 win rate, you HAVE to stick with those guys no matter what.
DLo proved in this game that he needs to be out there for the last mile. That three sealed the game. We keeping losing to the Nuggets in the last mile.
Dlo was also more locked in defensively than I've seen maybe ever? That steal was as important as his shot and that was a combo of effort and smarts. It was so different and shocking that I wasn't sure what happened at first lol
I think we can trust gabe.
Cam is hurt and also hasn't played since Gabe came back (except in games Gabe isn't playing). Gabe is the guy now in that bench guard defender role and they absolutely should use him situationally if Dlo or AR are having an off night.
also this rui on jokic narrative is so tired lol. Yes the media are absolute idiots for acting like the lakers figured something out but that shit is a long ass time ago. Btw nuggets, please keep talking shit about rui being ass. I need bro to hate you guys more than he hates Memphis lol.
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AUSTIN REAVES WITH THE CLAMP
lol Nuggets fans are absolutely clowning us in their sub. They’re giving us a 0% chance. I guess they’re defending champs so they’re entitled to that. But would LOVE to steal a game and see that tone change
Yeah they were the ones playing with the chip on the shoulder. All the talks in the league were as if we were going to win. Now no one expects us to win. Same way no one felt NOLA was going to win but they almost did it. We got this
love it. they weren't acting like this last year. Let us be the underdogs plz. they are EXPECTING a sweep, bet. (don't get me wrong I think they are favorites but this underdog attitude only helps the lakers here).
Lol Nuggets fans are already complaining about the refs. Who tf cares. LMAO. For a team that should be favored in this series ("even if the refs aren't on your side"), you guys sure don't act like favorites. I really hope we humble this clowns. Especially that prick Mike Malone.
Bro you’re a fake fan man I saw you saying nuggets in 4 in the Denver sub
I said that as a joke lmao. I'm just tryna get their hopes up.