Lakers defeat Thunder, LeBron nears triple-double & AD talks playoffs | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Lakers defeat Thunder, LeBron nears triple-double & AD talks playoffs | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Coming up tomorrow it’s the return of Nick’s tears but this time basketball edition we didn’t rename this one and you have a new outfit on I don’t have a new outfit on yeah he used to wear that orange jacket for tears tears promo oh you’re right but that’s that yeah look

Great I like that thanks why is LeBron on there the top 20 players uh Thunder now half a game back in the west what did the Lakers prove to you last night bro well I I would go to the shoulders and dust them off but I wasted that at

The intro yeah you probably should have um I should have cuz they proved exactly what I said yesterday which is Denver’s better the Clippers have been in a swoon lately but I think if they you know they’re better close I mean it’s close but I probably take them slightly over

The Lakers and that’s it o they we gonna get to Anthony Davis’s comments but they own the Oklahoma City Thunder who may very well end up as the number one seed they are and they got a bright future hren is going to be great obviously SG already is and those other guys yeah

They’re good like they’re going to be they got a bright future future all right I would take the Lakers in a series over them and I wouldn’t even think twice all right I think they got too much experience I think there’s the LeBron factor of just his Aura these

Guys grew up idolizing LeBron James like so they just prove that they own Oklahoma City and they have been playing well lately and the key I think they’ve won 10 of their last 14 and D’Angelo Russell is been huge all right he’s averaging 21 points over like the last

Two months and the thing is he’s been when he’s aggressive and playing this well last night he had 26 he kind of broke it open with a bunch of Threes in the top of the fourth quarter but ad is going to be great defensively every night and offensively sometimes he’s

Going to be awesome sometimes he’s going to be okay when D’Angelo is playing like this it allows you to survive the okay nights because then Austin Reeds can step up as well and so look the Lakers are playing well and as I said yesterday Denver and the Clippers and really Denver

Definitively are the only two ahead of the Lakers and if people didn’t watch the game it was not as close as the score suggests it was 25 point lead for the Lakers Midway through the fourth and they pulled the starters and listen it was DLo and LeBron W you know there’s a

Viral clip going around where DLo would hit back to back threes he comes up for The Possession passes to LeBron and LeBron angrily passes it back to him like Hey take your heat check man and then he T DLo takes what I would consider you know let me rephrase what

I’m certain Paul George would consider a bad shot but he makes it and they call timeout and DLo and LeBron celebrate and LeBron is in Lebron is very interesting in how he handles teammates because up until the trade deadline if he thinks they can improve he will make it very

Clear uh we should probably improve this spot but the moment it is these are the guys I’ve got to run with he will turn it to I I love I’ve always loved this guy I am gassing him up and I we’re going to need him and I’m going to need

Him and my concern and frustration with DLo is in the playoffs does he become unplayable because of the defensive side of the ball but during this stretch they’re the number two offense and if the you can’t sustain a awful defensive player if he only raises your level of

Offense to you know above average but if all of a sudden you’re going to have an elite offense then you can sustain some defensive weaknesses but Wilds this is why talking the Lakers is so tough because you’re right they’re the nine seed and now again it’s jumbled and they

Could be the they could be the six seed in a week and a half the problem is they as well as they’ve been playing the West the whole West is playing well they can’t even move up Absol but the reason I was saying it’s tough is I people like

Ah you guys talk too much Lakers LeBron ad either n but I agree with Brew aside from Denver I like their chances against any team in the west I’m not saying they’re a Head and Shoulder favorite over those guys they even definitely favorite in some of them absolutely but

I there’s only one team wild that I think they can’t beat in a series and probably there’s only one team that if the series were to start that wouldn’t that I would pick over the Lakers in the west I’m talking and that’s Denver I don’t I don’t trust Minnesota I

Certainly don’t trust OKC and a lot of it feels like Memphis last year like Memphis is the two seed Memphis this I was like okay so yesterday they were at home they’re not going to have home court advantage for the playoffs unless they somehow go on a crazy run and teams

Fall they’ve won 12 games at home they’ve won in one of the games was at the Clippers so I’m asteris it it’s 12 with an asteris they won 12 games at home or on the road sorry theyve won 12 games on the road they’ won 12 games on

The road teams with less wins than Lakers on the roads here this is the full list in the west the Jazz the Rockets the Blazers and the Spurs so you think you’re I understand the LeBron factor I understand Anthony Davis’s defense and maybe D’Angelo will get hot

And stay hot but do you think a team that has won 12 games on the road is all of a sudden going to go in go and like be steal one or two games we saw it a year ago and the warriors were even worse the warriors were way worse what

They went six I don’t that was that was such a weird right but they I mean they were worse than the Lakers on the road and that experience enabled them to go as far as they should have gone you know and they they beat Sacramento and also I

Gotta I mean I’d have to look at it but I was just trying to like Rush do the math in my head cuz you just listed five teams with fewer Road wins or four teams with fewer Road wins well if they’re the nine seed there’s only six teams with

Fewer overall wins than them in the west home they but they have struggled the road I no I understand that but I I guess guess my point is are they a two game Road winning streak away a two game Road winning streak away from being

About what the typical 78 seed is on the road you know what I mean where you’re around five a couple games under 500 on the road and then a little a couple games over 500 at home like I don’t I watch lers a lot I don’t look at them as

A team like the Warriors last year that I was like they can’t win on the road and even the Warriors to bruise credit won a game seven on the road all it took was Steph Cur we saw we went to that Nick’s game we’ve seen 8% of their Road

Wins 9% of their Road wins that’s how they won the championship last year hold on a second got swept in Denver like doesn’t matter you saw what happened last year uh your reaction to that bro well I get where he’s coming from because if if they’re in the seventh or

Eighth seed they get OKC well we don’t know how it’s going to play out but they could get OKC or Minnesota that I think a lot of people would pick the Lakers to win one of those Series right yeah all right and if you I mean right now

Denver’s third they could end up number one but my my point is this I get where he’s coming from because as Nick and I said there only there’s only one team out there that they think they they they feel like has their number to use LeBron’s turn you’re making fun of AD

But I think you actually 100% agree with him I like I like the sort of confidence like we’re not we’ll take anybody take all comers but also like I I’d want to get out of the play well that that I agree with the problem is that in a

Oneand done against Stephen Stephen Clay could get hot right uh Luca and Kyrie could get hot if that’s who you play and then next thing you know you’re out and so I I hear you on that you never want to be in a oneand done situation in the

NBA and then you brought up D’Angelo Russell’s defense offensively he’s not the same in the playoffs last year goes from 17 points to 13 points in the 17 in the regular season 13 in the playoffs shooting goes way down in the playoffs so that’s the thing too with with the

Lakers all right so two quick points one is I the reason I said I think you’d agree with actually what he’s saying is last year the Lakers no matter what their seed was went literally as far as they could have gone you think if they were the one they the Denver series

Would have gone different of course not you know what I mean no they were going and they they were the seven they basically inherited the path of the two and got as far as could which was facing Denver and so I I I get that piece of it

I think the so the Lakers with LeBron have been in the playin twice and both times they’ve won those games but I think there is a big difference between it’s not oneand done if you’re the seven or the eight right I I agree with you no

But I’m saying I agree with you guys I don’t think you’re going to see a team be the nine or the 10 and go on a deep postseason run maybe as long as this playin thing exists because that would what that really means is you have to

Win six out of nine you know what I mean super high leverage games against two the first two against teams as good as you in the next four against a team way better than you but I the Lakers number one if you let me put it like this if

Denver’s the three and it’s the last game of the year and Denver’s locked into the three and the Lakers are like win and we’re the six lose and we’re the seven I would lose and have to play with that play you know what I mean and so in

That regard age it’s about avoiding Denver yeah I agree why is that they don’t match up well with them no say it no you say no one’s beating Denver in a seven game series you should get a tattoo about that you know what I thought yeah never a doubt thanks for

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Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes discuss the Los Angeles Lakers win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James’ performance and Anthony Davis postgame comments downplaying the importance of playoff seeding for the Lakers.

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Lakers defeat Thunder, LeBron nears triple-double & AD talks playoffs | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

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