FIRST TAKE | Curry struggling to own LeBron; Warriors move up in standings win vs Lakers – Stephen A

FIRST TAKE | Curry struggling to own LeBron; Warriors move up in standings win vs Lakers – Stephen A

To win this game and alas the Golden State Warriors they walk out with the 128 121 win now they’re tied for ninth but technically technically the Golden State Warriors are just percentage points ahead now for that ninth seed Stephen A Smith what did you see in this

One well I saw Klay Thompson show up in the first half and remind us of what he can do what he’s capable of doing and obviously that changes the complexion of what you think about when you think about the Golden State Warriors I saw Steph Curry come return from a

Three-game absence and looks like he didn’t lose anything at all just took a quarter to get going and and after that was completely dominant and I saw a Los Angeles Lakers team that still can’t seem to play defense they haven’t been able to play defense since the All-Star

Break it’s like they left their game in Indianapolis for crying out loud defensively like 28th defensively so you’re not going to go anywhere unless they improve defensively spoke to uh Roa Linka before the game he was talking about they’re hopeful that they could have Jared Vanderbilt back in a few

Weeks and that would change things but they clearly need them because they don’t they can’t seem to stop a cold we’re going to need to stop the segment down and restart because the shot clock didn’t actually start at the beginning of this segment Bob How concerned are

You with what you saw from from the Lakers here what did you walk away with um yeah I’m just collecting my that the chot clock thing does kind of mess up little yeah yeah we were waiting here you know 80 went out and that changed the complexion of the game really and I

Mean he was doing a pretty good job the Warriors always have trouble with him and rightly so a lot of teams have trouble with Anthony Davis but look Vanderbilt coming back like Stephen A said would be huge for their defense the Lakers have scored well lately last

Month they’ve been doing a good job scoring they scored well tonight but um you know it’s I just can’t seeing these two teams play and imagining a nine versus 10 and one of them’s going home we’re going to get that you know we probably it looks like will on a a crash

That’s where it’s headed cuz this game probably made that even more likely I suppose I mean cuz the Lakers are hanging around 910 it’s just I can’t believe it I I can’t that one game would set some sort of viewing record on the other hand you lose

Hall of fam M plural if you have that game yeah they don’t have it I do too because they want to see those players play Beyond one game but do you see a path out of the 910 for for these team no not for not for these two teams but

I’d like to say this yeah you know Steph Curry LeBron James you want to see if no doubt about it but some of these young thorough breads that we’re going to see in the playoffs to Anthony Edwards of the world the Shay gilis Alexanders of

The world and then you add the Lucas the Kyrie and I mean wait a minute now dearon Fox and and and Sacramento and what have you just look at some of this young Talent we going to have real interesting playoffs he’s going to be excited without Steph Curry well the

League is going to have le how to cope with this Stephen they’re going to have to learn they’re going to have to move on reluctantly cuz we don’t want to move on I don’t want to move on we’re we’re already at the point where we’re CL I’m

Okay with moving on I just want to see them in the one more one more play not a play in I’d like they can lose in the first round you you you want your first one from the media standpoint at least at least get able to watch

These want see what we seen that’s going to do it for us sport Studio my twin the legend Stephen A Smith the one and only Michael Bob Myers I’m Malika Anders the Golden State Warriors they lead the Los Angeles Lakers by 16766 at halftime largely behind a 21o Outburst here from

Klay Thompson his second most in the first half the season Stephen A what are you diagnosing well I’ve been saying it all season long when Klay Thompson is playing on the guys like Kinga and others you’re hopeful but you’re enthused about them it’s about an experienced veteran who’s one of the

Greatest Shooters this game has ever seen in Klay Thompson and when he does stuff like we saw him do in the first half the Golden State Warriors are a different animal Bob Myers is the only one who picked the Warriors to win this game I’m not going to you know overdo a

One-point leaded half but well Anthony Davis if he doesn’t come back it looks even better CU he’s a huge problem for the Warriors he always Lakers 57 somebody’s going to have to string together some stops the problem like Stephen A said you talk about Klay Tom

You could pick a lot of these players besides maybe Curry LeBron it’s consistency that’s been the problem for both these teams you can see them look great one night one game one half but putting it together for a string of games has been hard for both teams two

Over’s Ensemble looks better and the Warriors play best that way and when you get those contributions Stephen A and I are talking about something pregame Bob I want you to win or early in the game is kaminga the most improved player in the league he’s up there you’re Kobe

White your guy you’re Chicago guy there’s a couple guys J jayen Williams but he’s in the convers abely but I would say jayen Williams okay I’m when he gets off when he has that kind of contribution in that Ensemble effort right that’s when the Warriors look like

They can get out of the play in into the playoffs right and you know you’re going to need that as of assets and what have you I think we have to look at it from this perspective I was waiting and I thought that it was a little bit delayed

Maybe late that Moody and kaminga ultimately would Elevate their level of play and make a contribution now we see kaminga arguably the second best player on the squad the way that he’s balling he’s figured it out we see Steph Curry still playing at a very elite level as a

Superstar in this game okay Draymond Green elevates them defensively I know that Klay Thompson has struggled okay people bring up clutch points you know he like dead last of the 27 qualified players over 500 I I forgot what it was but I will say this to you Klay Thompson

37% shooting from three-point range a career worse I’ve said this to Shannon on numerous occasions I know about 2017 that would want somebody that can shoot 37 7% from three-point range if not more I mean excuse me what’s a bad year to Klay Thompson is a good year to about

80% of the league the brother listen he’s just struggling right now but he’s struggling according to a standard that he set as opposed to really really struggling the brother can still make a contribution and you know this better than any any of us JJ Shooters get hot

And if Klay Thompson got hot at the right time with kaminga and Steph Curry balling in the way that they’re balling with Steve Kerr coaching the way that he’s capable of coaching I can’t rule anything out about the Golden State Warriors you could say something about

LeBron and the size and stuff like that in LA but there’s too many more question marks in La compared to Golden State even though Golden State the big thing is that they’re so small but I would say Steph before LeBron James in terms of more likely to win a fifth ring right

Now that’s where I’m at with it so are you going to put fertilizer in those guys shoes so they can grow no because thing that’s been getting them beat getting them beat this year is their size their inability to rebound the basketball and you mention Steph say

Well there excuse me clay you said there are 15 20 other team that would have uh that would take clay but clay has measured against himself right so if we’re measuring him against himself he’s not even close to being what he once was that’s why he got moved to the bench

Because if he was what he once was he’d still be in the starting line up St contributed he contributes but he doesn’t contribute with the consistency that he want did I love kaminga Draymond is going to be Draymond he’s going to do a little bit of everything and you’re

Absolutely correct Steph Curry is still playing at an MVP level although his team is so bad he’s not going to get any consideration but when I look at the Lakers they have two top 75 players I believe they have two top 10 NBA players and if DLo can continue to play the way

He’s played we see Austin Reed solid Ru came in the other night with the absence I like what I’ve seen JJ I don’t know about you what I’ve seen in the two Gam games without LeBron that has impressed me the most it lets me know that you

Know what this team in a in a seven game series can cause somebody a serious problem so I’m still going to go with LeBron James because I still believe he has a year or two in him at this level shanon it’s just semantics uh but

I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you that the L the Warriors are the third best rebounding team in the NBA this year uh so I just wanted to point that out uh you know the question here is is the likely that’s the key

Here for me I don’t think either of these teams are likely to win a championship this year the good news is both of these teams going into All-Star break started to Trend in the right direction Stephen A brought up kaminga he’s been awesome now for a few weeks their defense with Draymond Greenback

Has been much better the Lakers offense because of the shooting of Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russell and Roy hamura they’ve been so much better offensively these teams are trending in the right direction I still don’t think they’re in the upper tier and we we could talk about sleeper teams in the west they’re

Not even on my list of sleeper teams I would put the Dallas Mavericks or the Phoenix Suns or or the New Orleans Pelicans as sleeper teams you know teams outside of the top four the other point I want to make just about this likely thing let’s let’s take it outside of this

Season you look at the teams at the top of the standings right now in the East it’s the Boston Celtics neither of those guys are joining the Boston Celtics and neither of those guys are getting players from the Boston Celtics to come to their teams and you look at the top

Of the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder are building a dynasty the Denver Nuggets aren’t going anywhere the Minnesota Timberwolves had figured out this pairing with their two bigs they’ve got a budding Superstar and Anthony Edwards the Los Angeles Clippers a little older team they’re to me the best

Team in the west right now if I’m looking at it through a playoff lens I don’t think it’s likely that either gets a fifth title unless they’re willing to go somewhere else because I I just don’t see either of those teams being capable of making a move that moves the needle

In the next few years I just don’t see it because who’s the next guy that’s available Donovan Mitchell maybe I mean that’s the rumor I I I I think he’s been fantastic in Cleveland I hope he doesn’t leave Cleveland Joel MB is not leaving Philly like who’s Shannon just take it

Oh here he go don’t do that don’t do that now all of a sudden you tired all of a sudden again you saw the greatness 3620 a career high 20 rebounds in year 21 at the right old age of 39 did it all did it all oh I remember I heard people

Saying he’s afraid I heard Stephen A say he’s afraid to drive the ball late in game I said that a decade ago see that’s that nonsense right there I said that a decade ago you now you now you reaching cuz I said a decade ago research that’s what

Happened Ain ain’t great research when he trying to act like I said it yesterday said it did you say it yes many times a decade ago a decade ago I have not said that about LeBron yeah e spe e speee spe e for spe Spe foree spee spee e h for e spe for for e you for

FIRST TAKE | Curry struggling to own LeBron; Warriors move up in standings win vs Lakers – Stephen A