Lakers question coaching, Celtics challenge Nuggets & Rachel Nichols’ best team | NBA | UNDISPUTED

Lakers question coaching, Celtics challenge Nuggets & Rachel Nichols’ best team | NBA | UNDISPUTED

Rachel please help us how do you explain what happened last night in the Lakers crazy roller coaster inconsistency yeah well after the game Darin ham said that the early foul trouble that some of the Lakers got in particularly Anthony Davis really got the Lakers unglued in fact

The quote he used was frustration makes cowards of us all which is sort of a version paraphrase lardot fatigue makes cowards you know that one right so so I understand what he going for but first of all Lakers had a uh trip to the free rine differential 25 right to just 12

For Sacramento so you can’t really cry F half was 21 to6 yeah so you can’t so so so I get it early fou trouble second I don’t care who you’re quoting or quoting of quoting I can’t imagine the guys in the locker room loved him using the word

Cowards right just you hear that as a play and that doesn’t make you feel good to me the Lakers problem was more that they were just atrocious defensively it was so bad for three quarters I’m sitting there watching the game these guys are hanging their heads they’re not

Getting back they’re doing all the things that a team that is not connected defensively does and look you got to give the Kings credit sabonis Fox those are excellent players but here’s how you know this was more about the Lakers than it was about the Kings Darren Fox tied

His career high for 44 points that means that he has never in his entire career gotten more successful looks at the basket than he did last night that is a Lakers problem and look on that front I do want to quote Anthony Davis here he addressed the defense a little bit th

This is interesting take a look at this he said some of the things we were in defensively allowed Darren Fox Malik monk to get whatever they wanted to Live and Die in the paint and if I go help then sabonis is wide open so they did a

Good job manipulating what we were doing now I personally feel like Darin ham gets a little bit too much criticism from Laker fans but honestly it doesn’t matter what I think it doesn’t matter what the fans think it matters what the guys in the locker room think and key

That gave some insight right to what the guys in the locker room think yeah when you start when you start doing that it it it it it you talk about frustration that’s the frustration on Anthony Davis toward the defensive staff or who’s put the defensive game plan together correct

There’s no question about that and you talked about the defensive issues that they had first of all the boards sabonis has 16 defensive rebounds that’s a problem yeah and I understand Anthony Davis is saying yeah he got into early foul trouble but to allow somebody to

Get 20 boards on you and you the big especially on the defensive side where are you at from an offensive standpoint are you out there hanging out by the three-point line when the ball is at The Rim like what are you what are you doing in that situation in that case Malik

Monk is another issue that you have all of a sudden Malik monk turned into an Allstar for them last night remember an ex Laker yeah but that he does this to you every time he comes back here or in Sacramento he likes to take it out on

The Lakers he does and I think you know when you start talking about the I don’t want to call them role players but the guys that are the contributors they didn’t rute at all that they was in foul trouble yeah so they didn’t contribute the guys that come off the bench your

Your sixth seventh eth nth they didn’t do anything that would make you think that the Lakers had any hope against OKC which is a smaller front line they went out and they played well D’Angelo Russell struggled last night from beginning to end he didn’t play well at

All and so when you go back and you look at some of the games that they’ve been able to win recently they pretty much had everybody in the box scores doing what they were supposed to do now ruy played well he did a good job but it

Stops and starts with Anthony Davis for me it just does okay and so the irony and I appreciate you bringing up that quote and reading it because that is clearly a shot at somebody on the coaching staff from the player that you blamed the quickest and the most when we

Opened the show today you did not like his energy last night no I didn’t like the energy but just like almost called you Michelle that’s myle name it’s fine just like just like said though you’re not getting back defensively and like I told you earlier skip when you showed me

Those 18 shots in the second quarter everybody standing around they just standing there looking at the ball going the basket you didn’t see anybody hustling out to the three-point line trying to close down in the lane they were all just kind of look at that look they just standing around like you got

Them standing around and looking you look at that that’s not because that’s not because Anthony Davis got in fail trouble late in the first quarter and by the way in the second quarter he was back with eight plus minutes to go so so there you go okay so how do you explain

How they flew out of the gates last night and looked like they were going to blow Sacramento off the floor it was 34 to what was it 18 I got to do the math on it they were by it just looked like they had this right and Kean laughed at

Me but I’m going to say it again speaking of Defense Austin Reeves tries hard on defense he is not the most wildly talented Defender that’s ever come down the pike in Los Angeles but he made the dearon fox work out of the box last night the for the first he played nine

Straight minutes and dearon fox did not score a point for nine minutes that’s why 44 is so spectacular to me and trust me because I was watching because I brought it up yesterday Austin Reeves just made him work for shots and made him miss several shots and then all of a sudden Austin

Had given it like he played a whole game in nine minutes because he was fighting his ass off and all of a sudden he goes to take his first rest and all of a sudden down last three minutes of the first quarter boom boom boom dearen goes

Shot shot shot make make make and they take off and he ends up taking what was it 32 shot 32 shots 44 points and here’s what kills me about the Kings they they had just lost three out of four games they had just lost at home two nights

Ago to Chicago and Chicago did beat Utah last night at home but but still they just lost to Chicago they had lost to Miami at home they had lost at Denver as most people do but the point was I thought they were at least right for the taking because they had beaten the

Lakers three straight times here in LA and six of the last seven and the early statement was watch this and then I keep telling you it’s like the movie like The Ice Cube movie are we there yet are we there yet is that enough did we do

Enough you guys going to quit now no they’re not going to quit this team loves to play the Lakers and loves to beat the Lakers in that building dearon does Malik does all of them do sabonis does and not only did they not quit they relished in rubbing your nose in the

Fact that you were up 19 and all of a sudden you’re down 15 at a halftime and they never let up on you and they could have named the score after that right okay that that’s it’s the all-time humiliation to me that at home you

Allowed that to happen a 54 to 20 run at home is really pathetic for a team that I still have a lot of respect for in the Lakers they they I don’t know it’s just hard to figure court advantage is not the sameers You could argue that this is the

Lakers worst loss of the Season just the way unfolded and sort of the seating position that they could have been in they could have been half a game behind the Kings for seven now they’re in 10th and they have lost all hope of any tie Breakers but but look you talk about uh

Darren Fox and how he got going that ties in to what I was saying before about the low energy he is one of the quickest if not the quickest guy in the league right now and the fact if you are not bothering to get back in transition

He takes that first step and that is the end of you it is gone we also have to talk about LeBron because he did leave the court toward the end of the fourth quarter he was grimacing he was limping a bit that ankle clearly flaring up the

Way it has off and on all season and he said afterward he’s like I’ll be fine it’ll be okay but I did ask him off to the side I said what are the doctors saying to you how is this going to get better what do you have to do and he

Said rest and and then he smirked a little bit because he cannot rest on this team he just can’t here’s the Lakers next four opponents bucks Timberwolves Kings Warriors now the Wolves just had a pretty bad injury to Carl Anthony towns but still those are tough tough opponents he can’t sit out

For those games he scored 31 last night that was the fourth time in eight games he has SC needed to score over 30 that is what this team needs for them to function is for him to be a Superman again at age 39 and I reminded kesan a

Few minutes ago he’s averaging 35 minutes a game which ranks 19th in the NBA so he’s top 20 in minutes at AG 39 you remember that but but but but outside but but outside of his young Lebron Miami Heat days he’s always had to play 35 minutes and

Score 30 points for his teams to do anything if Anthony Davis doesn’t come to the party and if DLo is instead of three for 10 he’s nine of 10 from three he’s always had to do these things he’s always had to carry the load so it’s not

Anything that he can’t do he just got to rest up and not sit on the end of the bench Rachel s okay yeah but sum this up quickly about the Lakers before we leave them behind 34 and 30 right now just Treading Water keeping the heads barely above water and

Above 500 is there any fear in your mind of them being caught from behind by Utah it’s five and a half games to be out of the playoffs no they’re they’re they’re good they’re going to get into the plan the question is if they play The

Warriors which it now is it stands would Steph Curry can beat you on any given night and then from there it’s going to be matchup driven if they play Oklahoma City in the first round they’ve shown they’ve got the the length to beat Oklahoma City if they play Denver in the

First round it’s my prediction they will lose that series and then you’re out in the first round and what does that say about bring Denver on in the first round so we get rid of them yeah good luck ke you know what I I I don’t disagree with

You get rid of them bring them off so we can get rid of them we’ll talk about this in the next segment we we will well said right now the best team in the NBA is Denver Denver Denver Denver before the year start Denver Denver Denver they

Have the best player in the ba and not by a little bit in my opinion and we know in a playoff series the team with the best player usually wins and I know they’ve been inconsistent at times this season that is what a championship hangover is it happens in every sport

Consistently but since the All-Star break yes they lost an overtime game to Phoenix and Kevin Durant but they have won six of seven and mostly against plus 500 teams yic is locked in now Murray is locked in now he’s played some great games the veterans no their roles they

Know what to do the young players they have have clearly come up and improved throughout the season this is a team that sees the stretch run and knows what it has to do and the fact that they are so good at the end of games is something

You should really look at the Lakers game that they played over this last weekend they just kind of played with their food a little bit throughout the game and then it got to the last five minutes it was three minutes really they they went on a 13 to four run close it

It was just oh oh oh oh right the game’s about to let’s see what we can do let’s let’s see how this happens and and I will say the Celtics are the other team that could have the crown here but if there is a question about Boston is the games that

They have let become close which has been very few they don’t still look like they know what to do at crunch time and that’s the most important part of a playoff game what are we what are we talking about here are we talking about the best team as it stands right now

Today today what do you see what’s Your Gut tell you what it it it’s hard to know other than what Rachel just said about Denver because the other teams are not fully healthy when you talk about the Phoenix Suns they they’re they haven’t really been on the floor with

Their three guys in a consist there was no book the other night when they went to Denver and one and and Denver kind of forced overtime when you talk about Milwaukee they getting Dame Lillard just got there kind of still trying to find his way and he even mentioned the other

Day that he feels kind of lost in Milwaukee and then Yannis is is in and out of the lineup you know so they’re not healthy then when you get to the Los Angeles Lakers we’re missing players we we got a 39 year old who ankles is bothering him you got Golden State that

That’s trying to find their way so I’m not really sure Clippers the Clippers you still you you you don’t know what that is yet does Denver look like the best team in the NBA today right now yeah they do yeah they do but then so does Boston so does Boston and we’ll see

What Boston and Denver look like when they play each other we’ll have a I know tonight we’ll have a real gauge at what that is and if Boston walks in and say well everybody talking about child of favor well we the favor now so we’ll get

A real good look at what those guys are all about so I’m not ready to just Crown Denver again and say they gonna win a championship when everybody else isn’t healthy let’s see everybody else on the even playing Ground And everybody’s healthy and then tell me it is hard for

Me to argue with Rachel right now Rachel Michelle Alexander Nicholls is that right thank you that is excellent that was good that was very good it’s hard to argue because those two guys are really good at what they do when it’s time to

Do it it’s hard for me to give up on the Lakers I still like this roster I don’t love how the coaches interacting with the locker room that’s all starting to concern me deeply mhm but if they do get Gabe Vincent back and he’s getting close

To coming back if they do get Jared Vanderbilt back they have Firepower they can go tin deep on you and here’s the point against Denver and you can laugh at me if you want because I this is a laughable statement Denver has beaten the Lakers eight straight times but six

Out of the last seven times it went to the wire it went to the wire all four Western Conference champ uh confence fin yes all four of them went to the wire and Jamal and Joker said no we got this and LeBron and AD could not figure out

How to close those four games they have now played two more games this year were there right there LeBron the other night in the game you talked about they have the ball it’s he’s dribbling the ball up the floor they’re down one and he lost the handle and everything went to hell

They lose 13 to4 down the stretch and lost that game at home by 10 points because Jamal and Joker said watch this watch this watch this and watch this they each scored two baskets your point actually tells you the difference between these two team teames yes there

Have been close games but every single time Denver knows what to do at the end of games Mike Malone said recently he said we have no doubt at the end of games we have no doubt and that to me again is the difference between them and

The other teams that are close to them Boston is a great team and they certainly could prove me wrong by the end of this uh playoffs they could win the NBA Finals easily I’m not saying that they can’t but every once in a while Jason Tatum just loses it yes they

There is doubt sometimes in Boston there is doubt definitely in la and that is the difference between Denver and these other teams and that matters in the playoffs see I I I don’t take the the one you know I play you in January then

I see you at the end of January I play you in March and I see you in the middle of March I want to see a serus with the Nets again I want to see those with the with the with the Nuggets I’m sorry with the Nuggets again see series with the

Nets I know how that’s with the Nuggets again so that’ll tell me I’m with you it just feels like if the Lakers could break through and win one game maybe maybe it starts the turn a different it’s a different feel sound like you just a nugget fan to me please no they

Are the best team look I I would have told you a few years ago that another team was the best team they have been the best team they had the best player you cannot argue what a got any serious against Phoenix for the Nuggets what

What will that look like look well I saw it last year and it didn’t look healthy I’m talking about healthy yeah but but what would tell you from the way the season has gone that Phoenix has any chance of being healthy consistency consistently over two and a half months

Of the playoffs nothing and by the way Yousef nurkic had a very good game against Denver the other night you give me a seven game series I will be happy to take yic over Yousef nurish okay thanks for watching Undisputed fans do you want more highlights from the show

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Rachel Nichols joins Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson on Undisputed to discuss the latest in the NBA including the Sacramento Kings win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis cryptic postgame comments, Darvin Ham and the trio identify their best team thru 60+ games.

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Lakers question coaching, Celtics challenge Nuggets & Rachel Nichols’ best team | NBA | UNDISPUTED

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