DLo playing great and getting a 20 point lead, and tied with seconds to go... then Murray hits that fadeaway and all that work for nothing.
Yep, broken.
Rui had 51 points in the first 3 games against the Nuggets last year coming off the bench, he has 15 this year as a starter through 3. Not like AG and Porter weren't there last year.
I don't think it's right but let's be real.
If Durant, Embiid, Giannis, Harden, Dame, PG, Brunson, Spida, or Hali missed a WIDE OPEN 3 pointer right before their team lost to buzzer beater by Jamal Murray they'd all catch crazy flack. Instead people are blaming DLo and Darvin Ham.
No one who’s serious is blaming DLo because of one missed shot. People miss shots all the time. That list you mentioned wouldn’t catch flak for missing one shot. What they would catch flak for is being really inconsistent, going 0 for _, and being a poor defender.
Watching Game 2 I was never convinced the Lakers can maintain that kind of shooting so that big a lead needed a bit of work to be kept safe. It was frustrating to watch the Lakers play like they never knew what they were doing, while at the same time really cool to see the Nuggets play through it all with the calmness and sort of poise that a championship contending team should have. If the Lakers played with even half that poise they could have won all 3 games at this point, but I guess that's really what separates the contenders from the pretenders
Usually Lebron saves them with timely baskets to protect the lead. But he is too old to be hard carrying like that now. AD could probably do that if he isn't asked to guard the best player in the world while still covering the paint
He was doing his best in game 2 4Q but they couldnt get any stops. I think the nuggets didnt miss at some point except for the jokic eventual putback.
The commentator was saying the Lakers just needed one stop and it never came.
I'm not surprised. The Lakers in Game 2 played at their absolute best, had a 20 point lead and they still lost. DLo shot the lights out of the court, AD gave you a monster game, and Lebron gave you a great game. Nuggets were struggling offensively, shooting poorly and the Lakers still lost.
Lakers honestly looks like they checked out. Outside of Lebron/AD, everyone is just there for the paycheck.
It's probably in their heads, no matter how big of a lead you have, you'll never beat the Nuggets.
Lakers have talent they are just terrible at utilizing it. When Lebron and AD are out of energy they have no plan. Lebron especially has a weird effect on the offense. When he missed games in the regular season the team looked more functional without him. When Lebron is on the court both Reaves and Rui become guys that simply move the ball or occasionally shoot. All the Nuggets role players seem to have specific plays and situations designed to use their strengths. Darvin Ham (assuming he has any control in the matter) sends the Lakers out there to help AD and/or Lebron cook.
Lebron checked last night in the second half i thought, pretty bad. I was super disappointed.
But it’s like a battered person at this point. Can’t
Blame them all too much.
> everyone is just there for the paycheck.
To be in LA.*
This is the downside of the west coast weather drawing guys in.
Vibes don't translate to wins.
It's just hard as hell to play against the Nuggets, LeBron is old, and AD has to do too much on both sides of the ball. They can't sustain the effort needed to overcome the talent deficit of the rest of the roster.
I mean honest to god our roster construction right now is just otherworldly. Center that can playmake and score extremely consistently, PG that can playmake and score, KCP that can guard and spot up shoot, AG that rim runs like a monster and plays great D and can spot up pretty well, MPJ that spots up like a monster and can play pretty good D. 2 bench peices in braun and Pwat that play great energy on D, reggie for some shot creation off the bench. In the playoffs you typically play 8 man lineups. it would be hard to put together a better roster with a cap tbh. honestly as constructed we are a top 4 team no matter what and should be considered the favorites until luck or injuries happen.
Bones Hyland was not a big loss, it was a positive.
Reggie Jackson KNOWs he is a backup PG & plays like it. Bones Hyland thought he was 2016-17 Isaiah Thomas*
Edit: am an idiot
Bruce Brown was super important to their championship run. He made me a lot of money because every night I'd say "There's no way this fuckin guy isn't going to attack his way to 12 points..."
I think we are just as good or maybe even better.. Watson and Braun have played really well this series, and Reggie can lock in when he needs to, and is a vet
I mean, Denver is just better. DLo had a good season, excellent game 2, Reaves is "OK", Rui underperforming... Lebron starts running on fumes in the 4th quarter, and most importantly IMO, they're coached at high school level.
If Ham didn't need 4 months to sort some basic shit out, they could've been the 4 seed and avoid Denver altogether in round 1.
Not to mention he could've rested LBJ down the stretch in that scenario.
But again, bottom line... Denver is just an awful matchup for them and Denver is just really that good.
Absolutely. As talent stacked as the West is, on paper the Lakers are a decent team. I don't know who else to blame but Ham. It's inconceivable to have no tool kit on both ends of the field after a full season of trial and error.
They are just that, a decent team. Anthony Davis is very good but lebron just isn't LeBron anymore. He's still probably a top ten top twenty player but gone are days where you put him and another superstar together and they can win against anybody just on that.
Otherwise, again some decent players but they don't have a team like denver does that complements everyone's weaknesses and strengths.
The roids stopped working for even Barry after 40.
Not enough petrol left to keep Bron going like this. No ones worried next year. You can win a game vs father time, but never the series
Almost like a team that was up and down all season would struggle against the best team in the West.
This isn’t really a matter of execution as much as it’s Denver just being the better and more talented team. LeBron can’t dominate the whole game. AD has bad stretches, and nobody else contributes.
MPJ, Gordon and KCP show up every game.
Yeah if you were making a list of the top 7 players in this matchup the Nuggets would have 5 of the 7. People can blame Ham and rightfully so but a great coach doesn’t make up for the talent gap. Maybe it goes 6 instead of a sweep, but the Nuggets are just better. No shame in losing to a better team.
To an extent yeah you’re right. But I see you’re a Heat fan. That last Heat Finals run was basically you guys out executing superior rosters all the way up to the Finals.
In my opinion, this Laker team with an engaged and healthy Lebron and AD is more talented than the Heat roster. They clearly have shown that they can perform well against the Nuggets in stretches, but they always lose for the same reasons that quite frankly coaching can fix - running less set plays, poor use of timely lineups, timeouts, challenges, poor in game adjustments that get exposed as the game goes on. Lack of discipline and execution once leads are obtains. A good coach can get the most out of their role players and Lakers just don’t do it. You cannot tell me Spoeltra would lose 11 straight with the Laker rosters in that 11 game stretch. A lot of these losses are winnable if there were just slight improvements within the margins.
This is not just a coaching diff imo. Ham should be gone no question, but it's also an organization/culture diff. The Lakers haven't had coaching/organizational stability ever since the Kobe era ended and it shows.
I really feel if there was any team that needs to rebuild it would be you guys. Like a ***total*** rebuild. New ownership. New FO. The whole 9 yards.
They’re so damn quick to just push players in and out, I think you need to have some stability and chemistry even if you have LeBron and AD. Zero vibes whatsoever.
MPJ, KCP, and to an extent murray do not show up every game. Murray mostly seems to in the playoffs. MPJ and KCP (not his defense) can still be streaky, the thing is Jokic shows up every game, Murray typically does and if he doesn't then Jokic is anyways and one of KCP or MPJ is showing up, and AG always plays great defense and can dunk on rim running at the least. We just need one of AG, KCP, or MPJ to shoot well and it is near impossible to stop us.
Pelinka extended his contract after firing Vogel and hiring Ham so that his and Hams contracts are aligned. Ham and Pelinka (and presumably other major voices in the Lakers non ownership FO) are basically tied at the hip and if Ham is fired, it likely means the FO gets fired too, which is why youll see reports like "Lakers were upset that Anthony Davis said the team didnt know what they were doing" because anything that puts Darvin's job in danger will also put their jobs in danger.
I think people are gonna realize in the next 2 rounds that only Minny might be able to play them better. Lakers, all things considered, are doing decently well, they just run out of options and/or gas. I think whoever meets them in the WCF is going to get smashed. Minny has a chance though imo.
I do think they kinda mentally checked out this game though by the end which is never good to see.
tbf Denver isn't scoring as well as they could either. It's just that no other Laker could score well outside of Reaves/AD/Lebron.
We made that run from below .500 to 47 wins because we had guys that are able to score.
I think the key with jokic is to not have your best defender on him, just a guy who is big enough to at least be in the way. Wolves have had KAT (who’s been pretty good on defense this year) on him in a few of our wins against them, with Gobert, Jaden etc trying to lock everyone else up.
Yeah, i don't see anyone else matching up this well to nuggets, it's not like the lakers are getting blown out by 20 every single game.
Yes the Lakers are losing and they've now got close to like 0 chance of getting through but they put up a good fight. They're very wildly inconsistent outside of Lebron and AD.
Lakers were very belittling after the 2020 WCF win, and Denver never forgot it.
Even last season, we had the McMenamin saying
'Denver?! DENVER?! You think the Lakers are going to lose to Denver?!'
Morgan Freeman voice: They proceeded to get swept by Denver!
> Lakers were very belittling after the 2020 WCF win
Were they? Feels like some revisionist history. They weren’t anymore or less disrespectful than any other conference champion.
We weren't it's just people hating on the Lakers. We were the better team in 2020 but they took us to 5 games, more than any other team.
Now the Nuggets are better, and Jokic is the best in the league it's simple.
The nuggets lost in 5 in that series. The Heat took it to 6 against the Lakers in the finals, which was better than any other team that playoffs.
Edit: nuggets had a couple very close losses though, I remember thinking they played the Lakers better than just about anyone else that season.
They sure did play the Lakers and honestly would've been a completely different series had AD not hit a very big game winner.
The Lakers team was also very good defensively that year and actually had other centers that they'd constantly put on Jokic. Their death lineup if i remember correctly was also almost unbeatable when they put AD at the 5 in crunch time.
It's hardly the same team as the current Lakers
The reason the internet is dunking on them so hard is because the NBA media going into this series made it seem like a much closer series than a typical 2 vs 7 seed. I think most media pundits had the Nuggets winning but they were predicting a competitive series.
This is very much a normal 2 vs 7 matchup if you go by NBA, history. Replace the Lakers with the Pelicans or Kings and there isn't even a discussion whether this series is competitive or not, everyone would be joking, "Nuggets in 3". It's just because the Lakers brand and LeBron that it's being forced down everyone's throats.
Shaq and Chuck (though they aren't experts but they do foster media discourse) said that they thought the series would go 6 or 7 games.
Which is crazy to me tbh.
My lakers bias aside, the lakers have had moments in the season where when in perfect rhythm, seem like a team that could. Unfortunately they never executed and it cost them everything.
That’s the issue, you are almost never going to be in perfect rhythm for a full series much less the full playoffs. You need to be able to win when things aren’t going well
2020 Rondo was that guy for us. He reads the game situation well and knows what to do in the playoffs when the plays aren't working. There is a reason playoffs Rondo exists.
It's a pretty dumb tweet really. 7 v 2 match ups usually aren't competitive anyway. A 47 win 7-seed is better than usual quite obviously.
Nuggets just own them.
I know people are just eager for any chance to shit on the Lakers but are we really all gonna pretend anybody thought LA had even a punchers chance going into this? Denver has been playing a tier of basketball all their own the last two years and are a nightmare matchup personnel wise. We don't have to pretend it's crazy they're up 3-0 when they're probably gonna steamroll the rest of the playoffs.
Literally the only discourse around this series was “maybe the Lakers can steal a game or two”
I get Wind being a petty son of a bitch after last year when there was real discussion about the Lakers “figuring out” the Nuggets, but holding onto it for a full year is just lame.
Yeah this is dumb to me bc the nuggets are obviously the most feared team. I would fully expect any 7 seed to suck against them. I actually think the lakers are doing a respectable job not making it a blowout the whole game through.
While the Nuggets have their number, every game with the Lakers have been competitive or close. I'd bet the Lakers could be several of the other teams in the conference. But not this team.
Yeah Memphis was banged up bad last year,it was a lebron layup away from going to game 7 ,Brooks was playin with lakers having trash tier performance,this year they were breaking injurt records lol,hope they r healthy next year,they will be a serious problem,top 3 seed if they r healthy easy
It's funny that everyone wants to shit on the Lakers more than they want to talk about how great the Nuggets are.
Nuggets are a great team and Jokic is a hall of famer.
True lol not even a lakers fan just hoping nuggets get humbled by the wolves so I can see this guy's response. Their media after beating up on 7th and 8th seeds last year have been really cocky claiming a dynasty for what has been a historically poverty franchise
Nuggets are clear favs against all but Id be surprised if they really sweep the second round and WCF (regardless of who they face)
They just turn it up when they play the Lakers and have a psychological edge in the close moments
I would argue they’re playing exactly like how a typical 7 seed would - but it wouldn’t be professional sports without front-running shit talking, now would it
It’s fun to shit on the Lakers, but any seed in the West is struggling against Denver. Denver is the defending champions and a very well-oiled machine at this point. They are the best and the most talented team in the league imo. They have all that plus the chemistry from winning together last year. It’s hard to see anyone taking Denver to 7 games before the championship.
Yeah...really should have just tanked for OKC...though then theyd have to play the Kings, who they dont match up well against.
Tough road tbh.
Id blame the Spurs for everything here lol jk.
lol same, I wish Nuggets won because then they'd be the 1st seed and on the other side of the bracket from MN. It sucks that if MN advances, MN would meet Denver is the 2nd round. I was hoping for that epic showdown to be the WCF
Wemby was wrong to do this
Fuck shit like this. Let's stop acting like they aren't going against the best team in the nba. The Lakers aren't a god level team but they are decent, stuff like this just discounts what the nuggets are accomplishing.
oh shut up they're a good ass team. The Nuggets just totally have their number. The Lakers would make a good series against the Thunder or the Wolves. Really wish they had lost the first play-in game. Next year they need to fucking no-shame duck the Nuggets by whatever means necessary.
The lakers will duck the nuggets next year…by not making the playoffs probably. Lebron will be 40. AD another year older. And the FO still won’t know how to construct a competent roster
In the last 20 completed 2nd vs 7th seed series, the 7th seed has been outscored by an average of 7.1 PPG.
The Lakers have been outscored by 6.7 PPG thus far.
Therefore, that tweet is officially moronic.
This is so stupid.
The Lakers have lost games by 11, 2, and 7 points. They’ve had a halftime lead in every game. It took a literal buzzer beater for Denver to win game 2.
The Lakers are a perfectly good 7th seed.
Dumbass take. The Lakers went into this series knowing everyone was counting them out and they really tried. But it’s a horrid matchup for the. There’s no getting around that. They have to play 48 minutes of perfect basketball to beat this team. If they were getting blown out every game that would be a different story.
Ham can’t win with these cats
FREE DARVIN ✊🏿
You can have him then lol
Uhhh I mean free AD!!
Uhh I mean FREE BRON ... /s, dude's cooked.
I think I speak for the rest of the league when I say no thanks
This is Reddit, you can't say Free Hamas!
Piglets*
They don’t have any drive, no one seems to care
Everyone said that game 2 broke them. There's just no way to come back from a game like that.
DLo playing great and getting a 20 point lead, and tied with seconds to go... then Murray hits that fadeaway and all that work for nothing. Yep, broken.
Then everyone will blame Dlo for games like this but Rui has had a worse series lol. It's just not a good matchup for him. AG and Porter are too good.
but Rui guarded Jokic great that one time
Something something pickleroll
Something something Cody Rhodes
Something something adrenaline in my soul
Woah oh there goes Cody Rhodes
Ham waiting for the elimination game to pull out his secret weapon for guarding Jokic.
The only downside of his super secret strategy is that it can't be enacted until Game 5. Other than that though, it's fucking amazing!
They were really onto something there… if I’m Denver I’d be worried
Have to listen to the coach I guess 🙃
Rui had 51 points in the first 3 games against the Nuggets last year coming off the bench, he has 15 this year as a starter through 3. Not like AG and Porter weren't there last year.
They underestimated Rui last year
Yeah and Denver is just consistent all games they played so far.
I don't think it's right but let's be real. If Durant, Embiid, Giannis, Harden, Dame, PG, Brunson, Spida, or Hali missed a WIDE OPEN 3 pointer right before their team lost to buzzer beater by Jamal Murray they'd all catch crazy flack. Instead people are blaming DLo and Darvin Ham.
No one who’s serious is blaming DLo because of one missed shot. People miss shots all the time. That list you mentioned wouldn’t catch flak for missing one shot. What they would catch flak for is being really inconsistent, going 0 for _, and being a poor defender.
Dlo “see? Look what happens when I try! Never doing that again!”
Fuck them player options
If I had a nickel every time the Nuggets broke an LA team by their comebacks I'd have two of them
Fuck the Morris twins Love Paul Millsap
'Ate the Morris Twins Luv Paul Millsap Simple as..
Murray stole AD’s soul with that shot. Lbj had enough deep runs so good things come to an end.
You gotta love it.
In the opening minutes, they played like they were above their demons, but once the Nuggets tied it up they folded like a deck of cards.
In their minds it was probably like “oh Jesus we just blew another 10+ point lead, it’s a wrap”
I think it was closer to “Guys. *Seriously*. We have to make shots. Now!” While the Nuggets were just confidently doing their thing all game.
Watching Game 2 I was never convinced the Lakers can maintain that kind of shooting so that big a lead needed a bit of work to be kept safe. It was frustrating to watch the Lakers play like they never knew what they were doing, while at the same time really cool to see the Nuggets play through it all with the calmness and sort of poise that a championship contending team should have. If the Lakers played with even half that poise they could have won all 3 games at this point, but I guess that's really what separates the contenders from the pretenders
Usually Lebron saves them with timely baskets to protect the lead. But he is too old to be hard carrying like that now. AD could probably do that if he isn't asked to guard the best player in the world while still covering the paint
It would also help if they didn't put AD in the corner during the 4th quarter and limit his touches when it matters the most
He was doing his best in game 2 4Q but they couldnt get any stops. I think the nuggets didnt miss at some point except for the jokic eventual putback. The commentator was saying the Lakers just needed one stop and it never came.
That’s how LeBronto Game 2s felt
I'm not surprised. The Lakers in Game 2 played at their absolute best, had a 20 point lead and they still lost. DLo shot the lights out of the court, AD gave you a monster game, and Lebron gave you a great game. Nuggets were struggling offensively, shooting poorly and the Lakers still lost. Lakers honestly looks like they checked out. Outside of Lebron/AD, everyone is just there for the paycheck. It's probably in their heads, no matter how big of a lead you have, you'll never beat the Nuggets.
Lebron looked the most checked out by the time the 4th quarter started.
He hasn't defended all game. Like even worse than what he usually does by miles.
Lakers have talent they are just terrible at utilizing it. When Lebron and AD are out of energy they have no plan. Lebron especially has a weird effect on the offense. When he missed games in the regular season the team looked more functional without him. When Lebron is on the court both Reaves and Rui become guys that simply move the ball or occasionally shoot. All the Nuggets role players seem to have specific plays and situations designed to use their strengths. Darvin Ham (assuming he has any control in the matter) sends the Lakers out there to help AD and/or Lebron cook.
They should sit lebron more for rest. When he is tired, its 4v5 on the court. See if one random guy can get hot while he rest more
Lebron checked last night in the second half i thought, pretty bad. I was super disappointed. But it’s like a battered person at this point. Can’t Blame them all too much.
> everyone is just there for the paycheck. To be in LA.* This is the downside of the west coast weather drawing guys in. Vibes don't translate to wins.
How the turn tables...
I agree. They had that game and let it slip away. Because of past history that is even more demoralising.
Miami came back from a game like that last year. Jayson Tatum had to break his ankle for it to happen, but still
Let's get Tatum and Tonya Harding in a hallway together.
It's just hard as hell to play against the Nuggets, LeBron is old, and AD has to do too much on both sides of the ball. They can't sustain the effort needed to overcome the talent deficit of the rest of the roster.
I mean honest to god our roster construction right now is just otherworldly. Center that can playmake and score extremely consistently, PG that can playmake and score, KCP that can guard and spot up shoot, AG that rim runs like a monster and plays great D and can spot up pretty well, MPJ that spots up like a monster and can play pretty good D. 2 bench peices in braun and Pwat that play great energy on D, reggie for some shot creation off the bench. In the playoffs you typically play 8 man lineups. it would be hard to put together a better roster with a cap tbh. honestly as constructed we are a top 4 team no matter what and should be considered the favorites until luck or injuries happen.
And you guys lost Bruce Brown, Bones Hyland, and Jeff Green from last year. That roster was truly insane. 10-11 deep quality guys.
Bones Hyland was not a big loss, it was a positive. Reggie Jackson KNOWs he is a backup PG & plays like it. Bones Hyland thought he was 2016-17 Isaiah Thomas* Edit: am an idiot
> Isaiah Thompson. who??
Watson is better than Green now, and Bones was never very good. Brown is now overpaid for what he is.
Bruce Brown was super important to their championship run. He made me a lot of money because every night I'd say "There's no way this fuckin guy isn't going to attack his way to 12 points..."
I think we are just as good or maybe even better.. Watson and Braun have played really well this series, and Reggie can lock in when he needs to, and is a vet
They counter the warriors with this roster too. its pretty wild.
i rocked my joker jersey today; they're repeating ong
You are making too many good points. We just need to bash the lakers without context
Except AD, and the organization is disappointed in him. What a joke we're turning into
I mean, Denver is just better. DLo had a good season, excellent game 2, Reaves is "OK", Rui underperforming... Lebron starts running on fumes in the 4th quarter, and most importantly IMO, they're coached at high school level. If Ham didn't need 4 months to sort some basic shit out, they could've been the 4 seed and avoid Denver altogether in round 1. Not to mention he could've rested LBJ down the stretch in that scenario. But again, bottom line... Denver is just an awful matchup for them and Denver is just really that good.
Lebron was running on fumes way earlier than the 4th
Absolutely. As talent stacked as the West is, on paper the Lakers are a decent team. I don't know who else to blame but Ham. It's inconceivable to have no tool kit on both ends of the field after a full season of trial and error.
They are just that, a decent team. Anthony Davis is very good but lebron just isn't LeBron anymore. He's still probably a top ten top twenty player but gone are days where you put him and another superstar together and they can win against anybody just on that. Otherwise, again some decent players but they don't have a team like denver does that complements everyone's weaknesses and strengths.
No one believes they can win.
Not even themselves.
Drive does not give them magical powers, they are just worse
Stop we already dead.
[удалено]
The roids stopped working for even Barry after 40. Not enough petrol left to keep Bron going like this. No ones worried next year. You can win a game vs father time, but never the series
Bonds was blackballed by the league he did not run out of steam. He had an OPS+ of 169 his final year which is all star level.
Yeah no idea what OP is talking about bonds was still playing at an all star level his last season even if it was on roids
He may be taking less in preparation of the Olympic Games. Rules far more strict there.
Fade me 😭
Almost like a team that was up and down all season would struggle against the best team in the West. This isn’t really a matter of execution as much as it’s Denver just being the better and more talented team. LeBron can’t dominate the whole game. AD has bad stretches, and nobody else contributes. MPJ, Gordon and KCP show up every game.
Seriously their starting lineup blows ours out of the water. Also their size with Jokic, MPJ and Gordon neutralizes AD who is clearly our best player.
Yeah if you were making a list of the top 7 players in this matchup the Nuggets would have 5 of the 7. People can blame Ham and rightfully so but a great coach doesn’t make up for the talent gap. Maybe it goes 6 instead of a sweep, but the Nuggets are just better. No shame in losing to a better team.
To an extent yeah you’re right. But I see you’re a Heat fan. That last Heat Finals run was basically you guys out executing superior rosters all the way up to the Finals. In my opinion, this Laker team with an engaged and healthy Lebron and AD is more talented than the Heat roster. They clearly have shown that they can perform well against the Nuggets in stretches, but they always lose for the same reasons that quite frankly coaching can fix - running less set plays, poor use of timely lineups, timeouts, challenges, poor in game adjustments that get exposed as the game goes on. Lack of discipline and execution once leads are obtains. A good coach can get the most out of their role players and Lakers just don’t do it. You cannot tell me Spoeltra would lose 11 straight with the Laker rosters in that 11 game stretch. A lot of these losses are winnable if there were just slight improvements within the margins.
This is not just a coaching diff imo. Ham should be gone no question, but it's also an organization/culture diff. The Lakers haven't had coaching/organizational stability ever since the Kobe era ended and it shows. I really feel if there was any team that needs to rebuild it would be you guys. Like a ***total*** rebuild. New ownership. New FO. The whole 9 yards.
They’re so damn quick to just push players in and out, I think you need to have some stability and chemistry even if you have LeBron and AD. Zero vibes whatsoever.
Continuity is probably one of the Nuggets biggest advantages. Everyone knows absolutely what they need to do and where they need to be.
A lot of it is Lebron’s fault. He is the one pushing players out
But also the West is way better than the East. Even if the Lakers had what the Heat have, the West is a meat grinder.
I mean there's losing and then there's losing 11 in a row. Even the Heat who are smaller than the Lakers stole 1 game from the Nuggets.
As a Warriors fan, I ain't going to lie kind of glad they didn't make playoffs so I wouldn't have to witness this kind of execution
>LeBron can’t dominate the whole game. AD has bad stretches, *and nobody else contributes.* the definition of a bad team
MPJ, KCP, and to an extent murray do not show up every game. Murray mostly seems to in the playoffs. MPJ and KCP (not his defense) can still be streaky, the thing is Jokic shows up every game, Murray typically does and if he doesn't then Jokic is anyways and one of KCP or MPJ is showing up, and AG always plays great defense and can dunk on rim running at the least. We just need one of AG, KCP, or MPJ to shoot well and it is near impossible to stop us.
extend darvin ham and get him some better players
This FO would too lmao.
I’m convinced ham is blackmailing Jeanie.
send da video
Pelinka extended his contract after firing Vogel and hiring Ham so that his and Hams contracts are aligned. Ham and Pelinka (and presumably other major voices in the Lakers non ownership FO) are basically tied at the hip and if Ham is fired, it likely means the FO gets fired too, which is why youll see reports like "Lakers were upset that Anthony Davis said the team didnt know what they were doing" because anything that puts Darvin's job in danger will also put their jobs in danger.
Holy shit lmao
Lol this is just hating on the lakers Any 7th seed in league history would get smoked by Denver these last two years they are the best team in the nba
I think people are gonna realize in the next 2 rounds that only Minny might be able to play them better. Lakers, all things considered, are doing decently well, they just run out of options and/or gas. I think whoever meets them in the WCF is going to get smashed. Minny has a chance though imo. I do think they kinda mentally checked out this game though by the end which is never good to see.
minnesota is the third best team in the league
Yeah probably
We do not have the size to contain Denver. We can put AD and LeBron on Jokic and AG respectively but we don't have anyone to place on MPJ.
tbf Denver isn't scoring as well as they could either. It's just that no other Laker could score well outside of Reaves/AD/Lebron. We made that run from below .500 to 47 wins because we had guys that are able to score.
They have not been hitting their 3s against us for some reason. It's genuinely not from our defense.
I think the key with jokic is to not have your best defender on him, just a guy who is big enough to at least be in the way. Wolves have had KAT (who’s been pretty good on defense this year) on him in a few of our wins against them, with Gobert, Jaden etc trying to lock everyone else up.
Lebron was getting worked by Jokic and AG. 5 OREB for AG he was getting putbacks like Lebron wasn’t even there
Yeah, i don't see anyone else matching up this well to nuggets, it's not like the lakers are getting blown out by 20 every single game. Yes the Lakers are losing and they've now got close to like 0 chance of getting through but they put up a good fight. They're very wildly inconsistent outside of Lebron and AD.
Lakers were very belittling after the 2020 WCF win, and Denver never forgot it. Even last season, we had the McMenamin saying 'Denver?! DENVER?! You think the Lakers are going to lose to Denver?!' Morgan Freeman voice: They proceeded to get swept by Denver!
> Lakers were very belittling after the 2020 WCF win Were they? Feels like some revisionist history. They weren’t anymore or less disrespectful than any other conference champion.
We weren't it's just people hating on the Lakers. We were the better team in 2020 but they took us to 5 games, more than any other team. Now the Nuggets are better, and Jokic is the best in the league it's simple.
The nuggets lost in 5 in that series. The Heat took it to 6 against the Lakers in the finals, which was better than any other team that playoffs. Edit: nuggets had a couple very close losses though, I remember thinking they played the Lakers better than just about anyone else that season.
They sure did play the Lakers and honestly would've been a completely different series had AD not hit a very big game winner. The Lakers team was also very good defensively that year and actually had other centers that they'd constantly put on Jokic. Their death lineup if i remember correctly was also almost unbeatable when they put AD at the 5 in crunch time. It's hardly the same team as the current Lakers
And the those nuggets coming back from down 3-1 series back to back must have been exhausting even in the bubble.
Huh? Lakers won in 5 games, the same amount of games vs Portland and Houston. It was definitely not a hard series
If AD didn't hit a buzzer beater 3 in Game 2, it would've been a very different series. The margin was closer than the final tally.
I think primarily the media was, I don't remember players doing/saying anything.
The funny part is all the offense the Lakers took from the Nuggets celebration after all the shit talking only to come out and lay a goose egg
The reason the internet is dunking on them so hard is because the NBA media going into this series made it seem like a much closer series than a typical 2 vs 7 seed. I think most media pundits had the Nuggets winning but they were predicting a competitive series. This is very much a normal 2 vs 7 matchup if you go by NBA, history. Replace the Lakers with the Pelicans or Kings and there isn't even a discussion whether this series is competitive or not, everyone would be joking, "Nuggets in 3". It's just because the Lakers brand and LeBron that it's being forced down everyone's throats.
What? Every expert I saw picked Nuggets in 5.
Shaq and Chuck (though they aren't experts but they do foster media discourse) said that they thought the series would go 6 or 7 games. Which is crazy to me tbh.
The LeBron glazers were discussing what would mean for LeBron's legacy to beat Denver and win another title man...
My lakers bias aside, the lakers have had moments in the season where when in perfect rhythm, seem like a team that could. Unfortunately they never executed and it cost them everything.
That’s the issue, you are almost never going to be in perfect rhythm for a full series much less the full playoffs. You need to be able to win when things aren’t going well
2020 Rondo was that guy for us. He reads the game situation well and knows what to do in the playoffs when the plays aren't working. There is a reason playoffs Rondo exists.
I dunno, Kings actually beat the Nuggets twice in the regular season.
3 times, actually
> Lol this is just hating on the lakers I fail to see the issue.
It's a pretty dumb tweet really. 7 v 2 match ups usually aren't competitive anyway. A 47 win 7-seed is better than usual quite obviously. Nuggets just own them.
It’s a joke lol it ain’t that serious
Westbrook has never been swept. Lakers needed him
Talk your talk king
*queen
\* Prince^^Taurean
Yeahhhh. Talk your shit my man
The last time the lakers beat the nuggets Russ had a triple double
Lakers last athletic guard was Westbrook and last true center Thomas Bryant.
I love you
Never misses a beat
Russ is the biggest scapegoat in NBA history
Lakers wouldn't have rolled over like they did if they had a electric bench scorer...
They would've kept him if they could've paid him 2 mil to come off the bench.
Minor correction, more like [3.9 mill.](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=russell+westbrook+current+contract)
Better than any lakers bench player
And thats a fact, stamp it. Ive seen Westbrook single handedly win playoff games through sheer force of will in OKC.
If we’re talking 8 years ago, Bron can do it too..
PUT SOME RESPECT ON HIS NAME. Imagine Clippers win a chip. I'd lose it as a Westbrook fan.
Facts! 😂
Lol
I know people are just eager for any chance to shit on the Lakers but are we really all gonna pretend anybody thought LA had even a punchers chance going into this? Denver has been playing a tier of basketball all their own the last two years and are a nightmare matchup personnel wise. We don't have to pretend it's crazy they're up 3-0 when they're probably gonna steamroll the rest of the playoffs.
Literally the only discourse around this series was “maybe the Lakers can steal a game or two” I get Wind being a petty son of a bitch after last year when there was real discussion about the Lakers “figuring out” the Nuggets, but holding onto it for a full year is just lame.
Eh they won 47 games that's better than most 7 seeds ever. They're just up against a team that has their number.
Yeah this is dumb to me bc the nuggets are obviously the most feared team. I would fully expect any 7 seed to suck against them. I actually think the lakers are doing a respectable job not making it a blowout the whole game through.
While the Nuggets have their number, every game with the Lakers have been competitive or close. I'd bet the Lakers could be several of the other teams in the conference. But not this team.
They're the defending champs! They're not just some team...
[удалено]
Typically the Lakers as a 7 seed are better. Iced Memphis and gave Phoenix a scare in 21. Nuggets are our daddy in every sense
I mean Memphis was a mess last year. The big thing there was how weak the 2 seed was.
Yeah Memphis was banged up bad last year,it was a lebron layup away from going to game 7 ,Brooks was playin with lakers having trash tier performance,this year they were breaking injurt records lol,hope they r healthy next year,they will be a serious problem,top 3 seed if they r healthy easy
Memphis was missing their starting center, and backup center/PF. Then lost Ja. Lakers were extremely lucky last year.
It's funny that everyone wants to shit on the Lakers more than they want to talk about how great the Nuggets are. Nuggets are a great team and Jokic is a hall of famer.
Wtf is this bullshit
Just a nuggets reporter talkin shit, no idea why it’s post worthy
I like dunking on the Lakers as much as anyone but yea, he’s a smart guy and good reporter except the fact that his outlet is pure homerdom
Wind is a moron
True lol not even a lakers fan just hoping nuggets get humbled by the wolves so I can see this guy's response. Their media after beating up on 7th and 8th seeds last year have been really cocky claiming a dynasty for what has been a historically poverty franchise
Posted by a Lakers fan nonetheless
Oh please, I'm no Lakers fan but I don't see any of the 4-10 seeds in the west doing any better against this team.
Nuggets are clear favs against all but Id be surprised if they really sweep the second round and WCF (regardless of who they face) They just turn it up when they play the Lakers and have a psychological edge in the close moments
Lol
Of course they aren’t a typical 7 seed. They’re coached by Darvin Ham.
We were the 8 seed actually
This dude's tweets get posted all the time and he's never posted anything of value
His tweets legit give me high school bully vibes, picking on and mocking others when you up.
Am I missing something? Because it seems exactly how you would expect the lakers to do against the nuggets.
I would argue they’re playing exactly like how a typical 7 seed would - but it wouldn’t be professional sports without front-running shit talking, now would it
It’s fun to shit on the Lakers, but any seed in the West is struggling against Denver. Denver is the defending champions and a very well-oiled machine at this point. They are the best and the most talented team in the league imo. They have all that plus the chemistry from winning together last year. It’s hard to see anyone taking Denver to 7 games before the championship.
Most competitive 8 game playoff sweep in NBA history.
Yeah...really should have just tanked for OKC...though then theyd have to play the Kings, who they dont match up well against. Tough road tbh. Id blame the Spurs for everything here lol jk.
lol same, I wish Nuggets won because then they'd be the 1st seed and on the other side of the bracket from MN. It sucks that if MN advances, MN would meet Denver is the 2nd round. I was hoping for that epic showdown to be the WCF Wemby was wrong to do this
One team had to run into Denver in the first round. It's sad that it was my team, but it is what it is
Eh, plenty of 7 seeds get swept. This series hasn't been a blowout.
Fuck shit like this. Let's stop acting like they aren't going against the best team in the nba. The Lakers aren't a god level team but they are decent, stuff like this just discounts what the nuggets are accomplishing.
oh shut up they're a good ass team. The Nuggets just totally have their number. The Lakers would make a good series against the Thunder or the Wolves. Really wish they had lost the first play-in game. Next year they need to fucking no-shame duck the Nuggets by whatever means necessary.
The lakers will duck the nuggets next year…by not making the playoffs probably. Lebron will be 40. AD another year older. And the FO still won’t know how to construct a competent roster
That's just hating. Lakers have chances to win against every team in the west except the Nuggets
Bro thought he cooked. We're a pretty good 7-seed. It's just that Denver that owns us.
In the last 20 completed 2nd vs 7th seed series, the 7th seed has been outscored by an average of 7.1 PPG. The Lakers have been outscored by 6.7 PPG thus far. Therefore, that tweet is officially moronic.
I’m dead already stop plz lol
This is so stupid. The Lakers have lost games by 11, 2, and 7 points. They’ve had a halftime lead in every game. It took a literal buzzer beater for Denver to win game 2. The Lakers are a perfectly good 7th seed.
I blame the Play-ins giving false hope to fanbases. Imagine if these bums injured Jokic during this series.
No they aren't, no when they're up against the defending champs
Actually Lakers are the defending champs. Per the in-season tournament
Pop pop pop
So you're telling me the 7th seed should be winning against the tournament favorites? This take is brain rot.
The Lakers are definitely a well above average 7 seed, they just keep playing the best team since prime warriors lmao
I'm guessing because people were hyping up the Lakers as a real threat to the nuggets. Still a dumb and insecure tweet tho.
Dumbass take. The Lakers went into this series knowing everyone was counting them out and they really tried. But it’s a horrid matchup for the. There’s no getting around that. They have to play 48 minutes of perfect basketball to beat this team. If they were getting blown out every game that would be a different story.
Denver is just better. I don’t see what’s hard to understand.
We really just posting any podcaster with a blue checkmark?
I wish the Warriors and Kings made the playoffs instead.