Jamal Murray GAME-WINNER sends Nikola Jokic & Denver Nuggets past LeBron James & Lakers | Nerd Sesh
welcome everybody back into nerd sesh as always I’m Carson breber and alongside me is Logan Camden and you already know the drill we’re going to be talking about all the day’s action and for the second time Logan in a week we are going to be talking about a Jamal Murray gamewinner this one to send the Lakers home in five in an incredibly tight intense game which of course we’ve seen several times throughout this series Jamal though man in the biggest moment steps up becomes just the second excuse me the first player ever to make multiple gamewinners within one series just incredibly unfathomably clutch stuff from him what do you make of that performance Jamal’s this is what he does man I was just thinking about you dude in that shirt you got this guy loves Jamal Murray the whole time man I don’t know where it is I should throw that thing on we should hang it up in the back man like you should hang it in the rafters uh Jamal is insane yeah dude him dunking on Lebron was crazy too like Jamal just he’s one of the clutchest dudes I’ve ever seen dude that’s not even like he hits a big pullup three in this one man and the dunk on LeBron is off a back door cut like Jamal just turned it up man he got an easy layup I he flips that switch and it wasn’t a great game wire to wire for him but once he got going man uh he couldn’t miss and this was the best game I think we’ve gotten from Jamal in this game uh in this series excuse me man um just a different kind of level of engaged and finally Carson we got to see the Nuggets I feel like click into gear a little bit tonight man and it wasn’t perfect like I don’t think joic was perfect at all in this game but everybody had their individual impact man Jamal was doing his thing creating by himself Aaron Gordon was dominating on the glass and Michael Porter Jr was banging every single shot dude mpj has been awesome in this series uh and we finally I don’t know we got to see them against their their backs against the wall too and for one this was just a heavyweight battle like watching the Lakers and them go back and forth in the half court sets too what’s so difficult about that man is it’s not any in transition you’re giving each team the ability to set up every time and get their defense set it’s no easy buckets here late it’s all in the half court um Jamal’s one of the clutchest players I’ve I’ve ever seen man uh in the big moments in the big spots this is guy that you got to have and uh I thought it was a great game for the team and even kcp in his struggles uh you know and he’s a little hurt in this one he hits a big three here in the fourth quarter man um but most importantly dude I thought down the stretch I thought the Lakers inability to rebound killed them a little bit they get some clutch offensive boards generate some uh some other looks Aaron Gordon grabs a couple on LeBron uh where they needed him yic gets a switch where he draws ad out to contest a midi on kcp and they get a a crucial offensive board uh it’s a great team win man and this was a battle I want to give a ton of credit to the Lakers dude just in they’re saying it as like a joke in the chat but it really is man last year might have been the most competitive sweep I ever saw this year might have been the most competitive five game series dude to lose like that got to be heart heartbreaking for uh heartbreaking for the Lakers man two Jamal Murray buzzer beaters but it’s not anything new man this is what Jamal Murray does man this is uh this is what his thing is it’s such a special moment for him like this is a moment in NBA history and I don’t know if that sounds melodramatic but literally nobody has ever done this before you understand the scale of hitting two game-winning shots and especially to do it against the Lakers team with LeBron and AD and it doesn’t matter if you’re favored like when you are leading pivotal comebacks as well in both those situations it’s just remarkable joic Murray Twan game is as good as any offense that we’ve ever seen and even though this was still so far from the best punch that Denver can throw and this was still a really disappointing performance of them at halftime and it was an uncharacteristically sloppy yic game seven turnovers in this one and early he was frustratingly passive and the Lakers throwing a lot of doubles at him was just the right decision because he wasn’t asserting himself as a scorer and he was even out of sync with his teammates in certain spots just like completely not on the same page but what pulled through in this game was first of all the collective shot making which they haven’t had throughout this series this was a brutal brutal shooting series from Denver they come into this one shooting 27% from deep and from the start that was different in this game Jamal Murray comes out hot Reggie Jackson HS a couple pull-up jumpers mpj is just consistently exceptional throughout this game and throughout this series my goodness but that was what they needed because the execution wasn’t seamless and then down the stretch what did they do they go to their two best players time and time again Jamal Marie steps into that huge three off the air and an offensive rebound joic gets a brief little cross match against ruie and he easily gives him a bucket and single coverage you mentioned he gets the offensive board off of switch and then when it comes down to it like Jamal is just one of the best mid-range shot makers and one of the best pull-up Shooters in the game and he had been off this series and doing this when he had been so off like it’s what was so incredible about game two as well he was four of 18 deep into that game and yet in the closing moments in that fourth quarter he was exceptional and again the guy has no fear in these moments moment you get him a decent look for mid-range out of pick and roll and he is just going to rise up and nail it in a spot like this it’s just incredible and there are multiple 80s switches in this game where he doesn’t beat 80 off the bounce right but he just gets that step back and the shot making is so so remarkable this is one of the clutchest teams that I’ve ever seen we talked about the net rating in the clutch this regular season plus 25 which is just disgusting and by the way I also want to give props to uh niik yic for one pretty key defensive possession I thought that the Lakers clutch offensive process was solid in that at least two of their last three possessions ended in Lebron aggressive physical downhill drives that got him a layup and got him to the line like that’s what you want to rely on in those spots but there was one situation with just a couple minutes left where he hunted joic on a switch and joic held up in single coverage and uh Lebron ultimately didn’t attack him downhill he kicked out to Austin Reeves and whoever was on Reeves on that Wing I forget wasn’t really sunk in and it was just a very mess shot in that stretch so they just consistent L dial in on both sides of the ball in these situations and to do this when they’re off when they don’t have their aame to do it four times in five games when they didn’t have their aame once like I do think that’s a testament to how good this Denver team is and you may look at this and say well they didn’t play that great of basketball and that’s true throughout this series but the ability to come through in the clutch to have your best players outplay the opposing teams to have your Supporting Cast be so Stellar when it matters most that’s what makes this team special and that’s ultimately the theme of this series yeah and it always felt like we’re just waiting for it man we’re waiting for the Nuggets to start leading to charge back and and they do and even to close it at the end of the first half uh I will say I thought the Lakers should have I thought the Lakers should have been up by way more in the first half man I thought they soundly outplayed Denver and Lebron in this one LeBron’s complete control of the game was so awesome like in year 21 to be able to dictate every single position every single possession excuse me it’s remarkable like he is getting these switches at will with kcp with Jamal and he is attacking all of them uh I mean I was really disappointed in the Lakers Supporting Cast in the first half dude that man I mean Roy was clinging everything dude he had so many open looks at The Rim Where I if the Lakers shooting was just on I mean they should have been up at half by even more the Lakers consistently came out better than Denver in this series they’re plus 38 I believe was what the broadcast said through first Hales in this and you know Denver comes out flat nine turnovers but they shoot four of 16 from behind the arc I was really disappointed with the surrounding shooting in LA because I thought they played a much better first half and then it was a little bit of a a big momentum swing I was disappointed with one after Anthony Davis gets bumped into the shoulder by mpj and that was really strange I I don’t know if that’s a yeah if it’s a nerve thing with his neck and you know because everything goes together uh I’m not going to clown on ad I I don’t know what that was I’ve never really seen that Knees and Toes I think it’s something like that yeah yeah um you could feel the momentum switch a little bit and the one thing I was disappointed with it was the Darin ham didn’t call the timeout man you kind of feel the tie turning in the game and then the Nuggets go on this big run and there’s no one stopping the bleeding there’s no timeout there’s no slow in this rundown and uh yeah the Nuggets Outlast them too dude I mean they were trading all the way down the one guy that that was just so consistent is mpj though man we briefly touch on it but bro I know you’ve said something along the lines this bro he might be one of the greatest Shooters I’ve ever seen yeah he might be like that dude is I don’t expect him to miss man when he rises and fires I am shocked when it when it doesn’t go in and he is so just ready dude at any given moment I think that’s mpj’s best quality is anytime he touches a ball if it’s low at his Sho strings if it’s over here if it’s over there man he’s ready to rise and fire and he has one of the prettiest jumpers I’ve ever seen and I can’t overstate how crucial he was in this series which am’s inconsistency sometimes mpj was just a constant man that you could rely on uh really really reliable and I was really impressed man like you said just with the collective nuggets shop making I thought that was the difference man like the Lakers have a bad shooting first half both of these teams generated a lot of high quality shots um and LeBron controled this game too dude I don’t I kind of feel bad a little bit for LeBron dude this was a super impressive game from him uh outside of him not grabbing those two rebounds at the end where I just thought a little extra effort a little more paying attention uh he played a damn near perfect game dude in elimination and this is just we what we’ve come to known with him but shooting I really think made the difference man the Lakers missed a lot of stuff early and didn’t uh didn’t pay the lead when they could have dude they needed to to stack when uh the Nuggets were slow they got to click in and it was just too close man yeah Denver’s ultimately clearly the better team and even if they don’t have their aame they’re just good or they’re better by a wide enough margin to where they can still pull through that was a hell of an offensive rebound by AG man I don’t even know how hard you can be on LeBron like he skyed for that board he was physical and then he held on in traffic and obviously makes a great read kicking that out to Jamal Murray this is a phenomenal uh C Series from mpj like it was just ridiculous what he did and overall really was their second best player because has two very clutch performances in games two and five and tonight he was just really excellent overall but that hasn’t been the case throughout the series we talked about how brutal his efficiency was coming into this game the most consistent source of offense outside of obviously niik yic this entire series every first half when everybody else started slow Michael Porter Jr was this inevitable release valve just this incredible pure shot maker if it’s in transition if it’s off the catch and I don’t even hesitate to say he’s one of the best shooters ever we’ve never seen a guy at this size off the catch who shoots off movement like this and because of his size like regardless of contest he’s just absolute water like this is ridiculous bro 23 points per game on 70% true shooting in this series with of course improved defense and improved decision-making like when the margins were this slim he was so so special and deserves so much credit for what he’s done for this team cuz this was like not a very good yic game and in the first half it was was just bad joic and throughout this series it’s ridiculous dude he puts up 286 and 10 on 67% true shooting and you feel like he could have played better like if that is an ATT Testament to the fact that the guy is clearly the best player in the world I don’t know what could be but again not assertive enough early just perfectly content to pass out of these doubles and uh joic is never going to have a problem with just making the right play but it’s not passing out of the doubles it’s an issue is just the uh acceptance of okay that’s going to be my entire involvement in this play like late in the first half we saw okay he’s passing out of a double and then he’s cutting and then he’s reposting Anthony Davis and now he’s in single coverage like you have to do stuff like that when you have a switch for even a moment like you have to put up the touch shot over a smaller Defender and early in this game he just wasn’t doing this he has three full-court Outlet passes where he just overthrows the guy which is so uncharacteristic for him so like turnovers not being aggressive enough he even misses a bunny over Austin Reeves late in this game where he scores 90% of the time ad holds up in single coverage on that one play gets the block on the overturned call and npj was really huge not so much in the close of this game but just like for them staying in this game because there were also several offensive possessions throughout this game where things stagnated and then it got to late in the shot clock and I don’t really like seeing joic somore shuffles from deep in those situations like it just felt like they didn’t have everything humming it wasn’t an easy seamless game and they still pulled through super impressive on that front I agree with you on LeBron dude like the last couple games of this series we just got such an impressive version of LeBron James and it was the physicality ultimately down the stretch like again his shot making was really really good in this game and he has that one spot with the joic switch where he should get or he should try to get downhill more like yic was conceding some ground he was going to give him that mid-range pullup LeBron’s not going to take that shot we know that that’s just not in his Tendencies but I really thought that he played a pretty excellent game in this one and it’s just not enough ad absolutely made some really big plays still defensively down the stretch I mentioned the one on joic he had a big block on Jamal Murray but offensively just did not look comfortable asserting himself anymore and like you have those couple minutes where they try to go small ball and then it’s Jackson Hayes and it’s like those lineups are just kind of untenable yic should have been more aggressive in that stretch as well but ultimately LeBron did his job Lakers just aren’t as good as the Denver Nuggets but they came close like this was the Lakers team that you would have hoped to see if you’re a Lakers fan where Austin Reeves is actually carrying his weight and uh do I love him going right into jokic’s body and then going to a turnaround on like the second to last possession of the game I don’t love it I prefer him just getting to those mid-range pull-ups but uh he had been really good in this game as a shot maker and had made some big shots down the stretch D’Angelo Russell was solid in this game Ru haimura was solid in this game like these guys who totally underwhelmed early in this series came through and at least pulled their weight and it ends up being that another team is just better than you and you have to live with that as a Lakers fan like Denver is great they are a reigning Champion for a reason they are to me still the title favorite for a reason they didn’t play their best in the series really at any point but they didn’t have to they played very well when it mattered most is Jamal Murray the biggest villain in Los Angeles like I mean he’s got to be in the history books oh he’s got to be the history books dude like this is just devastating when you think about what he did to them last series like in the Western Conference finals last year when he was just an assassin the entire time 32 a night on 65% true shooting and then to deliver two gamewinners like this I mean how you could ever look the man in the eye he takes their heart twice in this one I yeah yeah it’s just like you said man it’s not enough and it always felt like Denver was just looming in all these games man and oh I’m just I’m so impressed with LeBron’s game and that’s what I hate man like people that are gonna I don’t know use this for arguments or something I’m blown away I’m baffled this was an amazing series from LeBron the shot making like just pulling up top of the key when he needed it he hits the fu3 in this one too man in a clutch spot like but his mismatch attacking was genius and just their process man even there’s this one possession in the first half for example where uh he tries deliberately to go for the switch it doesn’t happen Jamal Murray is so concerned about him switching on to him that dwy backs cut Murray he feeds dwy eventually I think the Lakers end up dowlo misses the three on the backside or something but just for a guy and I know it’s LeBron man but he just he controlled this game so masterfully man and I don’t want to undersell that like this has been a a great series for him man and a really great series for Anthony Davis too it’s a shame that it ends like this and it’s shame it’s a shame that yeah that it ends in five games that’s going to be people’s takeaway I was so impressed with the Lakers star Duo man Anthony Davis even before he got hurt in this one going at Nicole leic and it’s been all series man like this was a different Anthony Davis a consistent Anthony Davis a might I say man like a hungry like I saw a fire in Anthony Davis that I’ve wanted to see that maybe I haven’t seen since you know the bubble like a yeah a dog aspect I want it you know I gotta I gotta go hard and it’s hard to get that out of Anthony Davis consistently every game in this series we got you know really great ad and we got really freaking good LeBron if not perfect LeBron um and it’s just not enough man the nuggets are just better like that is just the reality of the situation I don’t put really any of this on LeBron or Anthony Davis that’s got to be the takeaway if you’re a Lakers fan that’s got to be what you come away happy with the fact that you have to me still two top 10 players I mean the offensive Anthony Davis that we got in this series was exceptional the touch shot making the aggression out of pick and roll and out of post-ups like you see that stretch again in this game where that LeBron 80 pick and roll is just incredibly incredibly difficult to stop if you sit too deep in the drop then ad is just going to kill you with his touch shot making and if you allow him to get behind you well then he’s just this still really high level Target around the rim like he gives you in this series 28 16 and four on 67% true shooting LeBron gives you 287 and n on 64% true shooting last year those two got dogged like just flat out right ad was way too inconsistent offensively LeBron just with the foot with his jumper being off didn’t play nearly at the level that he did this year meanwhile Jamal was incredible and joic as he always is is just inevitably by far the best player on the floor but they really did change that Dynamic this year where they were playing at the level much closer to joic and Murray in the aggregate if not equaling them just because of how off Jamal was for so much of this series and that’s why I don’t think that you can like enter panic mode if you’re the Lakers and I know that a bunch of people will the standard couldn’t possibly be that you were going to beat Denver man and I get it if you’re kicking yourself over missed opportunities and whatnot but like ultimately you got a subpar version of Denver and you still lost in five and that’s with your two superstars playing at a great level but I wouldn’t be like oh it’s so over winning titles just can’t be the standard every single year LeBron is 39 you made a trade for Russell Westbrook that’s at your franchise back years you traded away great role players for a guy who was an awful fit and you’ve been trying to recover from that and there’s going to be so much scapegoating and freakouts and blaming everybody will be blamed D’Angelo Russell deservedly so for early in this series but last couple games he was solid Darin ham of course is going to be put through the ringer and I don’t think Darin is a good basketball coach I also think that people overstate his culpability acting like every missed shot is a product of a Darin ham decision like he’s just a a a more significant factor in the shortcomings of this team when ultimately they don’t have as many great basketball players as Denver does and they don’t have the best player on the floor as Denver does so you take that in the next year you have LeBron and AD I think it’s about addressing point of attack defense I think it’s about moving off of D’Angelo Russell simply because he and Austin Reeves have two similar of skill sets and you need to improve in terms of point of attack defense even though they did a better job than I would have expected on Jamal in this series props to Reeves for that but like ultimately you need somebody who can be a guy in those settings V of course is hurt but uh I think having somebody who would be able to also give you legit offensive contributions would be pretty essential and then I don’t think you’re that far away but what are you going to do where you’re like the title f that’s not going to happen right like the nuggets are phenomenal the timber rals are phenomenal the Thunder are phenomenal and ascending I think Lakers fans would be much better off accepting we are a good playoff team people can say whatever they want the Lakers are a good playoff team they finished in the playin because of lack of isical effort and bad lineup stuff and all that throughout the regular season the level that they played at was impressive in this series overall like they are a good playoff team and that’s not a disastrous place to be as a franchise when you have 39-year-old LeBron James who I don’t think is going to leave I don’t think he’s going to go to another situation like it’s so impressive that he is still playing at this level that he can still drive a team along with Anthony Davis to be this good when the roster around them is still flawed and so that’s just sort of the perspective that I would have they’re they’re not going to win the title but they’re going to be legitimately good as long as LeBron is still playing at this level and I also don’t view it as like a massive organizational failure in terms of roster building this year legitimately the thing that set them back was the rust trade right you can’t give up a kcp and you can’t give up a CZ you can’t let an Alex Caruso walk but that happened years ago now and so you operate within that reality and this was not a bad series for the Lakers not at all I think there’s a lot of positives to take away the biggest thing is that LeBron and AD were able to reach this level that’s the most important thing like in all of this and the beauty of it is is I think the Lakers can actually retool cool enough and get better and that’s the goal right Carson the Lakers screwed themselves a long time ago with that Russ deal that’s old news man all we can do is move on and move forward and so the only thing left to do is to get better for next year and I think that’s an easy sell like you do move off a dowlo uh actually the one thing I wanted to add on the Darvin hand point I don’t really put a whole lot on Darvin for this game other than him not calling that timeout in the third quarter to stop that run uh I will put the regular season results on Dar totally totally with lineups and bad decision making and you know they blamed it all on injuries and stuff I put him playing tar in print so much not going to different looks like I put that on Darvin ham so they’re SE 100% but how this team legitimately performed in the playoffs isn’t a let down the Nuggets of the title favorite right now uh you know consensus um or you know their top three whatever so they were supposed to beat LA and it’s like I am still of the belief that if you put La against any other team out west and I’m sorry for doing this thought exercise if you don’t like it I would have probably taking LA to beat every other team except Denver out west in a playoff series W maybe not Minnesota I don’t know Minnesota is the one is a level up Minnesota Minnesota’s a level up from LA but I think that would have been a competitive series uh that being said I do think this offseason you move off DLo that’s number one for a few reasons one I do think it’s redundant with Austin Reeds to have two shot creators like this I think I’d rather have somebody who’s a little more athletically and defensively inclined who’s going to do a little bit more of the little things uh also this is a second consecutive down Series against the nuggets for D’Angelo Russell Point Blank he’s got the ofer in this series last year he puts up six points two boards under four assists a night on 32% from the field and 133% from Deep yeah this series you know he puts up uh I think around like 15 four and four and he’s sub 40% from the field and sub 37% from behind the arc so he just hasn’t pulled his weight and more over than that the skill set and him underperforming it’s his mentality I don’t like D’Angelo Russells like I don’t know man do you care DLo do you got like a heart man I don’t when guys are struggling it really pains me when his shot is falling just how much of a negative basketball player he is like you know re shot isn’t Fallen I see him hustle a little bit man like yeah when D doesn’t get it it’s that simple and what makes me mad is and maybe this is a I don’t know the I think he’s really hard to coach because I don’t think DLo takes criticism really well and then two I think DLo puts his head down when his shot isn’t falling and I really hate that from a basketball player like you can still impact the game with effort and engagement and activity and he’s one of those guys that well if his jumper is falling he is going to be active and he’s going to be a little up and his energy is going to be good but when his shot stops falling DLo goes into like effit mode like I’m just upset like petulant almost like a child and I don’t like that that is another that is another reason outside of underperforming and skill set redundancy I do not like D’Angelo Russell’s mentality I don’t think he has a winning mentality and that’s another reason why I would get rid of him I think there’s a lot of retooling the Lakers should do you move off ELO and I think you get more shooting and what I mean by that is even if a guy’s onedimensional give me a guy that can go out there with LeBron and AD and just consistently knock down a jumper just more versatile players that can give you different looks man where they have different skill sets I think the other position to address is to get rid of Jackson Hayes and to actually get a good backup four or five man I know we anticipated and we’re hoping that Christian wood could have been that guy for the Lakers uh unfortunately he wasn’t yeah you just need a guy for non a minutes and for other lineups maybe if you want to go jumbo size go big put LeBron at the three ad at the four another guy you know just versatility but most importantly for the non ad minutes uh but again I think it’s a really positive going into the offseason I don’t come away here I’m not shocked I’m not surprised at this outcome and I’m not disappointed in the outcome in the Lakers I didn’t expect them to win I take a lot of positives back from this man LeBron and AD played well and I think they can get better you’re not in like Capell or anything right like Phoenix is you can look at them and go oh man you know they got three Superstars instead of two they’re in cap hell the Lakers for the most part have pretty movable contracts that shouldn’t be that hard and I feel like they’re enticing pieces so it’s going to take a lot of retooling to get better and it’s going to take a lot of work but if the Lakers commit to that and commit to getting better and going all in again on next year on LeBron and AD which is I think is what you have to do uh I think it can be a better season than last year man yeah and I do want to be clear like I’m not trying to exculpate the Lakers decision makers here because first of all the Russell Westbrook trade was terrible and that is still a pinka move like he Bears responsibility for that until the end of time because that was a team that was much closer to contention before that and then ever since then they have been trying to make up ground I also think they should have made a move at the deadline this year and maybe there wasn’t a perfect fit I wouldn’t like have loved Deonte Murray I think he would have had to show significant commitment to the defensive end of the floor that we haven’t seen from him in his time in Atlanta that he’s capable of because of what he did with San Antonio but like oftentimes as guys start thinking with the mentality I’m the star offensively like they just lose that part of their identity and he can be a frustrating player offensively as well he can take the offense out of rhythm he’s not always uh an efficient pull-up shooter like I think Lakers fans would have problem with a guy like that Zack LaVine obviously ends up being hurt but that was a guy who apparently LeBron wanted that was a rumor all along like I don’t think it’s a uh a shot maker like that who really makes the difference in a series like this I do think it’s ultimately about having two guards who fill distinct roles and maybe you could have gotten a guy like that at the deadline there’s only so many who are really valuable and Alex Caruso is like literally the perfect archetype and that’s where it’s just like man sorry Lakers fans sorry but I do think that LeBron and AD are still capable of carrying a a really substanti offensive load and if you just put a good offensive Supporting Cast alongside them the ceiling there is high that was the formula down the stretch of this year both LeBron and AD delivered in that playoff series and in the first three games The Supporting Cast just did not in these last two they did and so you get a win and you get a really competitive game Darin ham also I don’t want to give a cop out because I don’t think he’s a good coach I wouldn’t have a problem with them firing Darvin ham the thing is I just think people look at certain spots in this series and I think about like what we saw in game two where we saw Mike Malone go to the adjustment of putting Aaron Gordon on Anthony Davis out of pick and roll with niik yic therefore able to play as the low man the whole time with kyp on LeBron and I feel like a lot of people were like well Darin Ham’s just gonna sit there like that’s just the general meme right darham just sits there and he doesn’t know what to do and it’s like well ultimately the counter in that situation is that LeBron bullies kcp in single coverage and he makes that an unplayable look because like that was a good solve for the LeBron ad pick and roll AG was doing a really good job on ad and he was sitting and Dro and they weren’t able to exploit the fact that the Nuggets often had a guard as the low man when you have your two biggest Defenders guarding the pick and roll like that was a good adjustment and generally it’s up to the players and guess what the Nuggets held up really well on switches against LeBron in that game and uh specifically kyp held up better physically than I could have expected that’s just one example I don’t think Darin ham is good I don’t think he adds anything I think he messed up the rotations a bunch this regular season I think certainly you look to LeBron as like the cultural leader in this team’s effort sucked for 82 games for the most part but he certainly didn’t help like I I don’t think he’s good and I would have no problem with them firing him my point is just like Lakers fans are going to go to every last scapegoat that they can rather than accept the result that they faced a team that was better and that was the reality here yeah I don’t think Darin H enhances this team and if I’m being honest like LeBron is LeBron is the deao kind of head coach he’s the guy that everybody looks to like I don’t mean this to like undermine darham but everybody’s like looking to LeBron on this team and I don’t think there was I say that darham doesn’t Elevate the Lakers and I don’t think he’s a good coach either I also just don’t think the Personnel was built here to do anything again I think you need a more athletic impactful versatile defensive guard alongside DLo or or re like I think that was a huge glaring weakness I like Haim mura I’d rather have a guy who’s you know a better Defender a better shooter a better rebounder guys who can fill more specific roles and that’s the reality with this Lakers Supporting Cast is that like you said man because of all the moves that we have gotten the domino effect here losing kcp losing kosma losing Caruso like you follow the trail of breadcrumbs and it’s not that hard to find out why the Lakers are in the spot they are I think firing vogle was a fundamental misstep a guy that you won a title with who I like way more than darham you know again I don’t think vogel’s a great head coach but I think he’s better than Darin ham so I I think a lot has I’m really indifferent if the Lakers want to move off of Darin too I mean if they want to and they think they can find a better head coach sure by all means um I think the most important thing about La is just yeah concretely filling this out and getting the best roster you can possibly around LeBron and AD man Defenders rebounders Shooters go compete man and for the Lakers to do real things in the playoffs next year obviously a couple of things are gonna have to go their way like that’s just borderline and they’re not going to be one of the top teams out west I’m probably gonna have OKC over them I’m probably gonna have Minnesota over him I’m definitely gonna have the Nuggets over him but you only got LeBron and ad for a fine item out of time man so you got to make the most of it and you got to capitalize on the time that you do have with two of the top 15 guys in the league I’m still calling them two of the the top 10 dude I guess an is climbing into that party maybe we’ll have to reevaluate but like they played up to that level the one thing I will say is even if in the aggregate they like mostly played up to the level of the Nugget stard Duo because of how off Jamal was in fourth quarters in the closing stretches they didn’t because Jamal elevated his game and ultimately ad especially when you think about game two and in this one where it did seem like he was affected by the injury but like he does kind of become a non-factor down the stretch offensively that’s where Denver won this series and also where their stars were better you can go ahead and fire Darin ham I wouldn’t have any resistance to that I don’t think he’s good again I just think people are going to act like he is the uh lone culprit here or D’Angelo Russell is the lone culprit here and I just don’t think that’s reflective of the situation but as much as I can say the expectation can’t be winning titles every year I do understand the frustration of Lakers fans when your Supporting Cast didn’t deliver early in this series and because Denver didn’t play their game like they’re still better than you that tells you a lot but also there was an opportunity in that a couple of these spots and uh the Lakers didn’t quite reach that level that they needed to although I thought the Nuggets were pretty exceptional down the stretches of games two and five and one when you theoretically did have those opportunities but LeBron is 39 years old and he’s playing at a level at 39 that we’ve never seen like Kareem incredible longevity Carl Malone ble but like you know he was still really good at 39 but like there’s nothing comparable to this dude the stat that is most mind-blowing is that of all players to ever reached their 21st season season LeBron has more points than all of the other dudes combined do you remember what Dirk nitzky looked like at 40 Logan like he scored 15 points in a meaningless game and it might as well have been a national holiday it was the most incredible thing I’d ever seen he’s just moving like a senior citizen man dir could barely walk he was moving like a senior citizen Kobe at 37 right there was a celebration for him getting 15 a night super inefficiently like LeBron is held to this standard especially by those who dislike him that is just completely absurd like if you take away anything other than appreciating and respecting LeBron James from this series for him to be able to consistently play at a superstar level at a top 10 level at 39 years old that has never been done in the scope of NBA history and so at this point it’s all gravy dude like there’s no hurting his legacy if this had been a sweep that wouldn’t have hurt his legacy he is continuing to exceed expectations and before anybody calls me a br glaz or whatever I think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever and you know what I would never do and what I would be pissed if people legitimately did in a conversation if they looked at me and tried to tell me that Michael Jordan’s career was in any way defined by what he did in his 39y old season with the Washington Wizards like first of all he wasn’t playing at nearly the level that LeBron is right now but that’s ultimately not the most important thing of course that’s not the defining stretch what LeBron is doing right now is absolutely remarkable and I just want to give him the utmost credit for that because he did his job throughout this series he did that’s such a dumb equivalence the expectations are so drastically different man yeah MJ let’s go carry the Wizards to a championship that’s just off the table the mere fact that some people think that LeBron and AD are capable of that is a testament to how good he still is it’s exactly no one’s ever been this good at this age man like that’s why I don’t um H well LeBron didn’t win a championship this year so we can’t be my goat who cares man he dominated this basketball game I have never seen a dude this old control the basketball game like this man like he’s just on a different he’s on a different level man I just I I just appreciate him so much bro if there’s nothing else to take away from this for me other than to be astounded and to be thankful that this man is still playing basketball man I don’t want LeBron to retire and when he does I want LeBron too I we need LeBron too man well I have bad news the cloning process went a little bit Wayward there he came out only 62 and uh not nearly as athletic and he really struggled as a jump shooter this year so that’s the bad news but the good news is LeBron was so great down the stretch of this year post All-Star break like the volume and the efficiency was absolutely absurd and yeah he controlled these games when he wanted to were there possessions that he didn’t execute as perfectly as niik yic of course because niik yish is operating on an entirely different level than LeBron right now and frankly I think he’s operating on a different level than every body else in the game especially just on the offensive side of the ball for the most part he abused his physical advantages he was on as a shot maker and uh he generally made quite good decisions and playm made very well and he dissected the defense so I just think LeBron criticism from this is lame and is obviously agenda fueled is there anything else you want to hit on on this game on what’s next for the Lakers on what this means for the Nuggets who we know are about to run into a hell of a basketball team in the Minnesota rules who were as dominant and impressive in game one as anybody they were more dominant and impressive than anybody the only thing I’d be concerned with with Denver is shooting variants you know how up and down their shots were in this series but I’m really impressed at the level that mpj has consistently been at like I trust him uh I’m a little concerned about Jamaal Murray and kyp’s Ankle injuries uh kyp in this one rolls his Jamal we know has been dealing with one all series long that’s huge I mean for Jamal but yeah yeah uh they don’t have a ton of depth here in Denver so anytime you have to stretch into the bench it’s tough you know trusting Christian Brown and Peyton Watson with real impactful minutes shout out pton Watson in this one hits a big three at the uh start of the fourth quarter you know the great energy guys they’re great effort and energy guys and they’re versatile Wings you know they’re athletic they’re going to rebound they’re going to play defense and sometimes they can shoot but I mean there just no replacement for a guy like Murray or kcp I was impressed with Reggie Jackson in this one shout out out man we get a little little Reggie Jackson action hitting some mid-range pull-ups hitting some threes uh he gave him some good minutes but those are the things that I’m probably most concerned about is shooting variant against Minnesota uh the ankle injuries especially with the fact that it’s gonna be tough on this men on this Denver defense going up against Anthony Edwards man the guy is an athletic and physical freak yeah kyp is an elite perimeter Defender man but you need him at full strength you can’t have him hobbling around on the court like was out there today and an is a guy who has got good change in Pace and out of that change in Pace man when he lows you to one side he can just explode out of the other and you need these guys at full health it’s going to be hard slowing him down man those are my chief concerns uh hidden into this upcoming series is contain an ant the ankle injuries to the two guards and the shooting ceiling and kind of honestly in jokic’s uh passivity at some points in this in this series too man when joic wants to it’s like he gets whatever he wants man that’s what’s frustrating about some of these stretches it’s like just take over go go get what you get yoke um those are all of my big chief concerns heading into the match up against Minnesota though absolutely need more aggressive joic and you felt like this was the game right all right come out on your home floor decisively close them out no more Shenanigans and it was quite the opposite and again they’re throwing second Defenders at him a bunch that was the strategy and that’s a good strategy ultimately we’ve talked about it yic post-ups have been a good bit less efficient this year when you double and ultimately when Denver’s perimeter Shooters had struggled as much as they had throughout this series like yeah absolutely I would rather Force those guys to knock down a look I would rather Force joic to make a perfect crosscourt pass even though he probably will but all those things going perfectly together as opposed to like him just barbecuing whoever in single coverage that is probably the right decision but he has to come out and uh in my opinion be more thoroughly dominant against Minnesota I also think he has to be more up to the task as a rim protector than he was throughout this series I thought that there were several games where his effort there just wasn’t good enough I thought this was a good defensive game from yic particularly down the stretch and I think that helped make a difference but you need more consistent Jamal there’s no question and you need healthy kcp and uh that’s scary because this Minnesota team just has everything going right and they check off a lot of boxes as we’ talked about they defend Denver better than anybody they’re playing at a level offensively right now that is outstanding ant is playing at that Superstar level they have so many quality basketball players whereas your depth is lacking a bit and you really really need kcp to be able to take on that Anthony Edwards matchup and to be right in doing so so I’m super excited to see that series I’m still gonna pick Denver but uh with the Casp injury lingering and Jamal still having the CF thing even though he was great in this one I I’m probably gonna go Denver and seven which I would not have expected before this all started so really really fun series overall dude if you’re a Lakers fan and your heart is broken I get it but I think this is an admirable showing and again it’s the Lakers Centric view that frames everything as being this is how the Lakers squandered it this is how they missed out on the opportunity no the fact that they were this close is ultimately a positive in my opinion that’s an impressive thing to do against the Denver Nuggets even when they aren’t playing their best so that wraps up this series some really special moments we are going to take a quick break and then we will be back talking about the other two games today right after some quick words from DraftKings the 82 game pre-season is in the books and it’s finally time for the real season don’t miss out on any of the NBA playoff action at draftking Sportsbook an official sports betting partner of the NBA from the playin tournament through the finals DraftKings Sportsbook has you covered with same game parlays live betting odds boosts and so much more download the draftking Sportsbook app and use code nerds new customers bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets instantly that’s code nerds only on DraftKings the crown is yours last thing I want to say about that series now that I thought about it Aaron Gordon 19 offensive rebounds dude throughout the series absolutely massive also thinking about the Minnesota matchup got to give a little prayers up to Chris Finch dude the torn patella tendon that’s brutal let me tell you something I’ve had some bad dances with patellas back in the day I’ve dislocated my kneecaps three times it’s no fun at all no fun at all so prayer’s up to him man that was that was not a good moment in that game and we’ll see if he’s able to be there on the sideline or if that affects things for Minnesota at all hopefully not but we can talk about Denver and we can talk about Minnesota as the two teams that uh seem to be in our eyes the most dominant forces out west the Oklahoma City Thunder Logan are the one seat and they delivered a sweep out here knocking off the Pelicans today grimy tough game more reminiscent of game one than games two and three which were just blowouts how impressed are you by this OKC team pulling this off I’m very impressed with this team and the consistency that we just got out of Oklahoma City is uh what I like the most man they didn’t never let up you know what I mean like they never gave an inch back to this team when they took care of business like and they made life hard on New Orleans man this is a veteran New Orleans team and they got a lot of guys who are experienced and they came in here and they handled business dude be shoots two of 14 in this game 0 of3 from behind the arc like shout out L dorton them man herb Jones has a bad one in this one like Oklahoma City is gritty too like they may not be like the most physically imposing like size and athletic wise but they’re physic dogs Jaylen Williams literally barked in this series bro yeah dogs that’s their thing man I love it he did it mid game some people think it’s some people think it’s gimmicky man I love it I I love uh I love the young OKC culture and that’s another big thing here man is that this young core is establishing a culture and a a presence here in the league man early like they are setting a tone for the future while being real competitors now this is a real Contender like I’m I’m glad that they didn’t play with their food man they never let up they made every possession hard they made them work and in these grimy environments I really think Oklahoma City is specifically equipped to thrive with two guys like Shay gilis Alexander and Jaylen Williams I want to give a big shout out to Jaylen Williams for what he does in this game and what he does in this series too man the moment could have been big you know too big for any of these guys JD was awesome 217 and five on the series on 53% from the field 39% from Deep 59% true shooting and this one just reliable dude when they went to him he got into mid-range he found his buckets he just did dude Jaylen Williams is so freaking good man it is yeah man it’s absurd 248 and4 he just they just it looks like two sgas out there man it’s unfair when you got two players like that the and that’s the thing man the Thunder can survive in these environments because they play so feisty defensively and then when they set up in the half court they got two guys that can just hunt buckets five out spread out attacking one man and these are isolation Killers man great change in Pace tough pullup jump Shooters that’s where it starts and then down the rest of the uh down the rest of the lineup uh shout out to Chad for what he did defensively at on the glass in this series a tough battle with valent junis he didn’t back down like there were times when yonus was giv him bucks like just easy stuff where CAD couldn’t contest it but Chad was up to the task didn’t never back down had nearly three blocks a game in this one um and the other guy I was really impressed with Josh giddy in this series Carson like I expected him to be a real liability he hits a big transition three in this one where he walks up sets his feet confidently sprays it and he shot the hell out of the ball all series long uh 13 points five boards three assists on 47% from the field and 50% from Deep they’re a team best or excuse me second team best plus 62 in Josh giddy minutes in this series the best Jaylen Williams at plus 74 I thought giddy was going to be a serious liability in this one where you could sag off and you could you know just leave him alone on an island if he’s going to shoot like this you know you got to go guard him and I thought also getting to the rack he had some tough finishes uh in this series he had some good floaters and he played defense hard like he was active there like Josh checked a lot of boxes for me that I didn’t expect him to fulfill I thought he was going to be a real negative in this first series and I’m just proud of Oklahoma City for coming here not playing with their food and finish it off they don’t want to give you any doubt man they don’t want to give you any doubt that they were not the best team in the Western Conference and uh I don’t think they are but they uh they played like it in this one man they did not ever play around with New Orleans uh props in this young group absolutely props dude it’s outstanding like just so uh much an outlier when we look at historical precedents to be this great this young and then to seamlessly get through a playoff series like this of course New Orleans is uh probably the second weakest team in the field looking at either conference like because of the fact that they’re down in Zion I think Miami without Jimmy is even weaker but uh they just didn’t have the offensive punch to compete in this series but that OKC defense was absolutely exceptional dude and of course they’re brilliant on both sides of the ball it was only them and Boston who were top five on both sides of the ball consistently throughout this year but the defense was ultimately what they rode throughout this series they’re number one in terms of defensive rating in these playoffs 93.9 Logan ridiculous that’s some 2004 stuff actually 2004 Pistons wish that they had a defensive rating of 93.9 that’s ridiculous and what is so particularly outstanding we can talk about Chad being one of the best pure Rim protectors in the league and he is his instincts and timing and IQ there are just exceptionally he made so many great uh Rim saving plays but the perimeter defense to me is only matched by what you have in Minnesota it is just ridiculous you have jdub harassing CJ all of these guys their effort around screens is ridiculous and they’re so quick and their Motors don’t stop and then it’s like when CJ gets off of that matchup he draws Aaron Wiggins can’t get separation on him pushes off offensive foul like it’s just incredible and Boston has the Personnel to be alongside OKC in Minnesota I I don’t think that they are just as consistently insane though like they aren’t those sort of diabolical competitors unfortunately where it’s like Minnesota right ball pressure picking dudes Up full court and they have the Personnel the just ridiculous maniacal effort that we see from OKC and they have the personel that’s why I would give them the edge and the star of the show is Lou Dort like what he did to Brandon Ingram dude this is a conversation starting sort of series for Brandon Ingram 14 points per game on 43% true shooting dude that is exceptionally exceptionally brutal that makes a Julius Randall playoff series look pretty good man he just got dogged by Lou Dort every single game and it was some of the best individual defense that I’ve seen over a playoff series like every single possession bi had zero airspace constantly Lou was super physical with him without fouling and uh so bi was like so uncomfortable he didn’t feel comfortable dribbling like he wouldn’t put the ball on the floor he’s turning his back to the basket in all these spots and then he’s getting tough jumper after tough jumper and uh Lou is disrupting his catches like he pokes a ball out in this one it’s just incredible and then you have what SG J and jdub are doing in help like forget just about Chad hren what those guys can do is off ball Defenders with their length and their instincts like they both pick up a monster block helping onbi JB gets a a huge strip like it’s just brutal and then Kon Wallace comes in the game and he’s giving bi fits like it doesn’t stop it doesn’t stop Jay will that being the other jayen Williams as some less sensitive people would call him I call him Jay will Arkansas Jaylen Williams was doing a good job as the low man like bi is always going to get tough shots that’s just the nature of his game he doesn’t have that sort of quickness he also doesn’t take volume pull up threes he’s gonna take a lot of tough twos normally but he did not get an easy shot in this series dude like this was brutal and I think even though there was an outsized burden on CJ NBI to try to produce good offense in this series when neither of them are going to be consistently great enough there to compensate for the lack of Zion I don’t know that any body other than Minnesota could have made life harder on them than OKC and that’s how they win two Rock fight games games two and three it’s sort of like everything is going for them but games one and four like they grind that out on the back of great defense and then ultimately having the best shot makers when it matters most that’s the advantage you have with sgaa and Logan jdub is one of those guys like they already have three to me top 35 players and Josh goody was really good in games three and four he looked confident he looked comfortable he goes eight of 14 from Deep that’s gamechanging right there then again you get to tap into the value of his passing and what he does in transition and he’s also confidently attacking Closeouts getting to his floaters like competing defensively that was good Josh Giddy and the luxury for this OKC team is the reason that even if you get Josh giddy like they did in game one that I’m not freaking out is I do believe that dagnal will be willing to go to any combination of Kayon Wallace or Aaron Wiggins who is so damn good or Isaiah Joe even to close these games or to play extended stretches that’s the flexibility this team has they have dogs everywhere they have skill everywhere they have athletes everywhere even against a a short-handed Pelicans team that had to get through the play and like this was impressive stuff from OKC yeah dude the recipes is Rock Solid you’ve got two elite halfcourt shot creators who can go get their buckets at will you’ve got shooting surrounding them all over the court you’ve got a floor spacing five who is 40% from behind the arc can hand on the defensive side of the ball you’ve got one of the best perimeter defenders in basketball and Lou Dort who’s just a weapon man you can put him out there against any of the best offensive players in basketball and I think Lou can disrupt what they do like he’s strong Stout fast and he don’t quit and on the backside you have an elite rim protector in Chad holgren it’s a it’s a phenomenal phenomenal recipe man and because of that effort category dude yeah I don’t care who they’re going up against like the Thunder are going to make every single game competitive they’re not going to let you off the hook and they’re going they’re going to linger man they’re going to hang around and this is a team when you have two pullup jump Shooters this caliber where they are just so good at getting tough buckets that’s not a team that I wanton lingering because that’s a team that legitimately scares me they can steal games in big moments man um yeah the Thunder have a have an awesome awesome playoff recipe already man pullup Shooters and athletes dud it’s that downhill combination with being damn good mid-range shooters and in JB’s case consistently an elite three-point shooter and good Playmakers like I thought JB made some really nice passes in this game yeah I just wanted to hit on one of the key stretches from Jay duub in the fourth quarter you know Oklahoma City goes on an 18-2 fourth quarter run in this one and jdub has this nasty sequence it’s a pull-up three man it’s a catch and shoot three just like these are huge shots man in a closeout playoff game that was tight you know it was tight and Oklahoma City just pulled away man so much clearly the better team I am disappointed that we didn’t get to see Zion Williamson as a basketball fan I feel a little short change this that I want to see what kind of impact he can have on a playoff series man and how much he swings it like I know what I think of Zion Williamson and his impact and how great of a basketball player he is but I want to see it come to fruition on the playoff stage in a complete series and really see how he can wreck things uh it would have been an interesting matchup but that that’s the one thing that I’m holding out hope for for New Orleans man is that we can get him healthy get him right get him back to 100% and be ready to go when it comes playoff time man I’m I’m salivating I’m salivating thinking about it it would be incredible I hope we get to see Al Zion because the playing game was obviously remarkable the one last thing I want to say about OKC is that when I think about how they project to whoever is coming out of that four or five series if it’s LA or if it’s Dallas I do think it’ll be Dallas I had Dallas winning that series like my pre-playoff picks I didn’t think there was a big gap between that team but my thought was basically Dallas is going to have the best player on the floor they’re going to have as great as jdub is like clearly the better second star offensively as well so just that sort of overwhelming shot creation from the back court is crazy and then in the front Court they’re bigger they’re more physical and I do think that that still matters in these playoff environments but like Dallas would have to show me something man and Luca would have to show me something over these next couple games for me to still feel that way because right now like I’m just thinking about the perimeter defense that those Dallas guards are about to face they’re going to be hounded all series and they have that burden to create everything and I do think that the Supporting Cast like I don’t necessarily dislike Dallas’s depth but there’s always the question of like are any of these guys going to play well in an individual game right you never know any of them could just go ice cold shooting because nobody’s that consistent whereas with OKC I get down to The Quon Wallace and the Aaron Wiggins and I’m like hell yeah dude play those guys 28 minutes when they’re when they’re going or if giddy’s off like I’m so confident in that and also it’s just the consistency OKC comes out and I think this is underrated and it’s a a big reason that they got the one seed they play their asses off every single night and also by the way it’s not just the depth they have a third player on the floor in Chad hongren who is a level up like multiple levels up from the third best guy in Dallas so there’s a consistency there whereas Dallas they’ve started two games this series where they go down 30 like unless we start seeing superhuman Luca donic this Luca not cutting it bro OKC would wax Dallas they would beat them in four or five if you got this Luca donic like he needs to take his level way up and then maybe I could see uh being confident in Dallas but right now OKC’s just the better basketball team and it’s super impressive for New Orleans Logan where do they go from here it’s a great question I think you move off of one of C.J McCollum and Brandon Ingram I think you shop them around and I think you saw something I don’t want to take too much away from one individual basketball game but the one playing game that we did see from Zion Williamson what lineup did they close with it was Jose Alvarado it was Larry Nance Jr it was herb Jones Trey Murphy and it was Zion Williamson they closed with the guys that were playing the best around Zion and and it’s interesting man it’s it’s like I use the Suns not to crap on them but I just think they’re an interesting contrast like you have three players who are fundamentally redundant Zion Williamson is a guy who needs the ball in his hands and so or or is at his best when the ball is in his hands so the way to maximize his abilities and I’m not saying you don’t have any other shot Creator I think to alleviate pressure you need a guy that can reliably create from the perimeter so if you want CJ if you want bi hold on to one of you need that other release valve but I want more guys who can knock down shots who can just defend at a high level around Zion and I think that’s how you get the best version of him out of this bi is not a super impactful defensive wng he’s struggles to create his own shot in terms of Separation like he’s a tough shot maker but he’s not creating easy looks for himself he’s very similar to Chris Middleton in my opinion and he’s way less consistent than Chris Middleton I I do want to cut bi a little slack I know was dealing with an injury down the stretch of the second half of this season and yeah sustained in the dorra chamber yeah that’s just a tough draw man uh I think you got to move off of one of them I would probably move off of valent junis I just think that we’ve seen enough yeah there’s just enough matchups where he’s exposed and honestly I think clearing out the paint you know maybe getting a real floor you know space and five or maybe leaning into Nance more you’re going to open up a lot of paint for Zion to just attack and that’s going to make him even more of a weapon I just think Zion is such a superstar stud that you need to just get players that work and fit around him and there’s a lot of guys I already like here I love herb Jones clamps baby clamps Trey Murphy an elite shooter of the basketball we’ve seen a little bit more of his creation on the ball getting down hillmore into the lane he’s a freak athlete man great touch so I’m getting to that mid-range do the little floaty stuff good Defender too long right those guys work alongside him uh you got Dyson Daniels who is another defensive Hound his shot is coming along but he can handle a little bit he’s a really good Defender and so there’s a solid base here and again the beauty of this is I think McCollum and bi and Valen chunis all have good value to the right teams you know what I mean I think they’re archetypes that can work in different situations I think their value’s probably gone down over the past year it’s not as high as it once was but I think you can get back good value for both of these guys so I’m kind of shopping all three of the other big stars around Zion and I’m just seeing what I can get and if I can find uh pieces at work or future assets I’m very fine with trotting out like herb and Trey alongside Zion on a nightly basis man I really like that configuration but I’m shopping all of those guys I’m not sure Jonas valent chunis is even a quote unquote star anywhere perhaps of outside his specific Hometown in Lithuania I think even in Greater Lithuania he’s getting overshadowed by domas I overheard one dude watching him play basketball and he said like seven times back to back to back as if someone didn’t hear him and that guy looks like Travis Kelce he just kept saying it over and over again God that sounds sick yeah valent junis is obviously gonna be gone and his contract’s up I just think if you could get an athletic switchable big doesn’t have to be super skilled like literally just Larry Nance but two inches taller dude I don’t think that’s a super high bar Like Larry n is very solid but even being a capable floor spacer being a solid vertical athlete being a a relatively versatile Defender a solid decision maker like just give me a plug- inpl solid big like that that’s so much better than what they have with valent chunis and then CJ and bi are just ultimately redundant and the problem is neither of them are like real stars not in the sense where we’re talking about top 30 players right OKC had the three best players in this series by far and when I think about the long-term Outlook of New Orleans there’s no question that herb Jones and Trey Murphy are just more valuable because it’s really hard to find Elite perimeter Defenders who can also consistently knock down spot up jumpers at a really high level especially like Trey being just one of the most special peer Shooters in the league that’s the vision bro that’s when they play their best basketball and I would probably trade bi dude I’ve gone back and forth on that I think they have to move off of one because when all three of those guys were on the floor this year they got outscored by three points per 100 that’s really bad for your three best players and ultimately it just comes down to bi is going to get you more trade value because of his age I do not think he is the long-term partner for Zion I just don’t think he’s good enough I think yes he has these stretches of special shot making but uh the fact that he doesn’t pressure the rim or shoot high volume threes ultimately just leads to this erratic nature as a score because it’s so many tough shots and it limits his efficiency and although I think he’s a good and underrated playmaker he’s not good enough there and your best defensive configurations aren’t going to include him on the wings it’s going to be herb and Trey out there CJ’s 32 CJ can’t be the lead perimeter guy on a true Contender to me but it really depends on what you can get back for bi I think because at that point it’s like maybe that’s how you get your real quality big because you don’t really need more Wings you’re pretty set on the wings but when I just think about how the spacing would improve having just like willing knockdown spot-up Shooters and dudes who bust their asses defensively alongside this ridiculous Rim force that is Zion and even though CJ’s inconsistent and he was bad in this series bi was worse CJ was bad he was like 17 a night on 48% true shooting or something having at least that dynamism as a a volume pull-up shooter from deep and what he does as a floor spacer I think I slightly prefer both those guys are flawed and that’s ultimately what New Orleans is going to have to figure out Zion is crazy like Zion is at least Fringe top 15 when healthy and they have like two quote unquote perimeter stars but neither of those guys are good enough they need somebody who can float that sort of offense as a legit number two and then it’s like New Orleans would be a real Contender they’re not that far away but that is a tough thing to find so I’m excited to see how they address this off season because if they move off Jonas and if they trade either bi or CJ ultimately and uh do get a a highquality big or even if they more stud Wings whatever the exact path may be I would be very optimistic about this team because the configuration right now is just clunky but the talent is there what do you think about Trey young oh man oh man I would do that I don’t know exactly what that package looks like I mean you’re probably giving up because I’m not giving up Trey Murphy no you’re probably giving up bi and you’re trying to see if they’ll take Dyson Daniels with him uh in a you know a bunch of picks I don’t know if that’s if that’s too low for Trey I don’t know what Atlanta would want but I’m thinking about ideal partners for Zan I mean he’s a lead uh point guard he’ll stretch the floor out and he seems to be available like you know I mean there’s a lot of rumors yeah well the good news is New Orleans has picks out the ass bro because of the Drew trade and because they still have at least this year’s because of the ad trade so like and they’ve held on to all of their own which is a rare thing so Atlanta I imagine they’re looking for just an insane amount of picks if they move off of Trey because what is the other direction to take like he’s young like you have to just be going into a more full rebuild you’re not building around de Jon Murray at least I hope you’re not and they have picks to offer and they could offer a Brandon Ingram to where like you’re still competitive now it’s not a totally illogical option I don’t know we’ll see but to me having that sort of pick and roll creator like having that sort of over-the-top shot maker Trey doesn’t have to be your best player Zion can be your best player they can trade off and then you’re going to defend like crazy on the wings and you have really good spot up Shooters like that’s a contender Logan and that to me is the direction they have to take I think running it back with both CJ NBI would be kind of a waste of a year and Zion staying healthy is the Ultimate key unlocking all of that but he’s been so good when he is healthy I would bet on it I would go all in on it I don’t really see a better option that they have all right let’s talk about this last game Celtics heat unfortunately really the thing most worth talking about from this is that kristofh porzingis gets injured it’s a non-c contct injury comes up holding his leg now he’s in a walking boot post game sent out an optimistic tweak at the very least but it doesn’t look good overall if they have to operate in the world without christops porzingis Logan how does that affect the outlook on this team I think it changes everything for the Boston Celtics uh there were multiple plays in the first half two before he actually injured it and walked off the floor too there was a little thing where he rolled his ankle he clearly was you know was already not at 100% And then I’m not 100% sure what happened you know he gets they kick it to him it looks like he’s about to explode with the ball and just can’t when he goes to plant uh he just stops has to give up the Rock and that’s what I really didn’t like is immediately this guy with a history of you know he has an injury history so he knows his experience with these things immediately stopped started moving gingerly put his hand up needed the sub grimaced and when he left the court I didn’t like the fact that kristofh was putting his head in his jersey man I I didn’t like the body language I didn’t like any of it and so I hope that they’re okay and I’m not ready to make any big declarations about Boston in terms of if they get to the finals or not uh I think this is still one of the most talented teams in all of basketball and even without Kristof porzingis I think they’re better than last year because they got Drew holiday like the defensive ceiling that this team can consistently reach or not consistently let me rephrase that the defensive ceiling that hypothetically Boston can reach when they’re engaged is very very high consistently h i mean they hold the Jimmy Butler and Terry Rosier List Miami Heat to 84 points and 88 points in backtack games and I’m not going to come out here and give them a big cake and a bouquet of roses and for that because that’s what you should do but that is what Boston is capable of because they have that kind of personnel and so I think they’re better than last year with holiday with the level that deric White’s at I think Jason Tatum’s better I think Jaylen Brown is marginally better like I think Boston would still probably be my favorite to get out of the East without kristof’s porzingis but what I will say is it does two things I don’t think they’re better than Denver I would pick Denver right now with healthy christop so I would still take Denver without him because I do think porzingis is The X Factor for this team how iable he has been as a floor spacer like he’s 7 foot three can just shoot over everybody he’s the elite post scorer again mismatch attacker can just go get what he wants at will when he gets a smaller guy on him and he’s been a dominant rim protector for the Boston Celtics you can’t understate kristof’s uh impact on the floor this season but I will say all this is if porzingis is out for an extended period of time I think it opens a door up for the New York Knicks to potentially make a Eastern Conference Finals and finals R well no they meet in the Eastern Conference Finals so make a I think it opens a door for the Sixers or the Knicks to make a finals run and that’s why I think it’s important that either team capitalizes on this opportunity if Chris Toops is out like Philadelphia your back is against the wall you are down 3-1 it is time to find that grit find that energy find that heart because you don’t know when these things are going to open man and Boston is so talented that they’re going to be right back here next year man it is going to be just as hard to get through the Eastern Conference next season Boston’s not going anywhere so you got to strike L of irons hot man if you’re Philadelphia if you were New York the time is now man you got to make that push I like the Knicks more I I like the way they’ve been playing more I believe in their recipe more so the Knicks of the team that I’m really looking at man if christops is going to be out that it’s your time to strike man it opens the door for a Knicks finals run I was not anticipating this and to be clear I would still take the Celtics I still think they’re the most talented team out of the bunch but it was just a window just a little crack in the window man we’re about this big now we got a door now we got a door if you’re the Knicks man if Kristoff is going to be out I have viewed the Celtics as unbeatable in the East I just think the talent Advantage is too significant and as well as the Knicks are playing and even though I think Julius Randle can be a negative I also think he unlocks a ceiling having him as a legit second star shot maker and just the physicality and the size that New York probably needed to knock off Boston because they would need both him and Brunson playing at this unreal level and I just think Brunson carrying that load against the Boston team this good that’s overwhelming but I do think that there is now uh a vulnerability with Boston that there just wasn’t now they are still 21-4 without KP on the floor they’re plus 12 points per 100 possessions without him on the floor like this team is just so good that they’re still going to be a damn good basketball team with the absence of any of their one F of their five key starters Tatum obviously would be the most significant but even then like you would have great point of attack defense really good spot up shooting one big physical Wing shot maker in Jaylen and you would have KP like they’d still be a good team they wouldn’t be the favorite in the east in that situation but uh they should be able to survive they’re so damn good but KP has been insanely valuable I think has been the second most valuable Celtic over the course of this season had some underwhelming moments in this playoff run like game two against Miami was awful but to have a guy who provides such distinct value as an elite pure rim protector as an elite shooting big as the most effective mismatch attacker the most effective post scorer in the League this season like the guy’s a unicorn and he has been playing like a unicorn this year and so when you lose that you’re losing a lot and specifically I just get worried about the big depth here because they need both him and Horford available and so they can still get through the East without KP and I would honestly still pick it but then you get to Denver and you just have no chance I just don’t think you can physically match up whatsoever and I don’t even think KP is a good matchup for joic because of a few things he’s not a great pure post Defender he’s a great a great rim protector but joic can bully him physically he’s not a great rebounder joic can kill him on the glass that’s not a very easy matchup for him to hunt mismatches like there are various reasons I don’t think KP is at his best there but if you take him out like Al Horford being your lone big who I actually believe in like we better not see any Luke cornette minutes bro against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals so that’s what would suck if he’s not available hope he is okay of course I love the guy I’ve had so much fun watching him this year if he isn’t Boston is still so talented and this East is so flawed they would still be the pick to get out but there’s a much more legitimate chance that they lose and ultimately I don’t think that team can win the title without christops porzingis and that is the concern with KP it all always has been availability and of course he missed a decent number of games throughout this year but he was mostly healthy and to see it pop up at a moment like this it just really really sucks because windows in the NBA don’t last forever man the Milwaukee Bucks you win in 2021 you think you’re on top of the world Chris middin gets hurt in 2022 next thing you know you’re a first round exit the subsequent two years Boston is in a much better place because so many of their players are still at the peak of their powers and they have these guys under control through next year like Boston should be every bit as good as they are next year but to lose any opportunity due to injuries really really would suck for them the other thing to discuss from this game Logan is just the Derek white master class I mean some quick words on him getting 38 in this one yeah man yeah what a great Derek white game on the series dude what a great series 223 and four and 55% from the field 47% from Deep 72% true shooting uh Derek white too a lot a lot of these points were like Boston making a defensive play and then them just getting out in transition and white getting to the rim or hitting a transition three like they dominated Miami I know the final score doesn’t make it look like they were killing them in the first half and that’s kind of when you could turn the game off and turn the lights out on Miami makes eight of 15 threes like Derek white is just he’s one of those perfect role players man and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way but like the fact that you can put him alongside Superstars and he’s going to make winning plays winning decisions play his ass off defensively knock down a high percentage of his threes and he’s versatile you know some of these guys can get pitch and hold into roles like white can handle a little bit he can playmake he can make good decisions he can get to the hoop like they’re quite awesome man shout out the boy shout out a dominant gamer he was just best player on the court how you can survive a Tatum and JB game like this man the boy D white uh great defensive effort too from everybody in this game in Boston man and Tatum said it he had a quote you know everybody knows how talented we are can we be the tougher harder playing team that’s what Boston’s out here to prove and uh they were tonight man I was impressed with white and the whole Collective but yeah man I definitely wasn’t expecting this from uh from the bald Wonder himself that’s all it took man you shave the head and then you’re closing in on 40 points dude that’s the key I think I think you should maybe do a I think we could see you like Ascend man your final Pokemon form no I appreciate that that the kind words but I already accidentally tried the buzzcut thing not really for me and also Logan just frankly we can’t both have shaved heads that’s a really really really bad look so I’m not gonna do that one but shout out to Derek white dude buddy balled out and that is what makes this Celtics seem so dangerous is the fact that any of these guys the numbers well any starter other than Tatum who like you expect to play at that consistent somewhat Superstar level like any other member of the St five can play at an All-Star level on any given night and none of them are ever that far off from it and Derek white stepped up in this one like ridiculous spot up shooting attacking in transition consecutive cuts into dunks off of Drew holiday post-ups like come on dude that’s awesome that’s like that’s like some some four five action from your one and your two that fired me up and uh he was running their offense down the stretch which is just hilarious but like he’s a ridiculous weapon to have and when neither Jaylen or Jason play well and you go down KP it’s big to have that this Heat team is so short-handed they’re so lacking in Talent compared not just to Boston but like everybody like the fact that they got a game is both deserving of some props on their front and also like merits a good old-fashioned uh reaming of the Boston Celtics which we delivered after game two that was really bad at least they haven’t had another one of those I still don’t think they’ve played their best basketball in this series or really uh anything all that close to to it but we know what they’re capable of with KP out there and it looks like it’s a calf strain for KP which is not the end of the world like that should be multiple weeks depending on the grade but like theoretically if you get to the finals you would think he’ll probably be backed from that W said that it doesn’t look like there’s damage to the Achilles which is of course the fear when you see a guy pull up like that so hopefully he’s right and hopefully we can get Boston in the finals because whoever it is out of the West I’ve presumed that going to be Denver Minnesota’s playing an extremely high level like there’s so many great teams out west but Boston is still a level above everybody else out east when they’re right and I I would like to see them in the finals that would just be to me best for the basketball product any final words on this amazing day of basketball before we get out of here Logan Nas Reed Nas Reed Nas Reed Nas Reed rip Darin ham probably don’t think that he is going to last the night and I don’t have a problem with that one but again I will say Lakers fans you cannot expect to win the title every year and you can’t expect to beat the best player on the planet and when also his Supporting Cast is better so that’s going to do it for us here today guys hope you enjoyed what a fun series that was what a fun night of basketball that made this if you want more nerd s content we are going live after basically every night with these shows so you can find those across our YouTube channel you can listen to the shows across audio platforms and we are also doing video essays in-depth video breakdowns on our YouTube channel diving into some of these specific topics and player performances that we are seeing throughout these playoffs if you want to follow us across social see our trivia content clips from the show we are at on Tik Tok nerd SES Instagram nerd Twitter nerdcore SES if you want our merch like the flags behind us the hats that we have Logan’s not wearing it today he’s out of uniform but those are atth volume. and if you want to join our Discord to talk with the fellas and do have a chance to speak to the one and only Matthew spawn hour the link to that is at the link tree across our social media bios so with that as always appreciate you guys I been Carson breber I have been Logan Camden and this was nerd sash
The nerds break down how Jamal Murray’s game-winning shot lifted Nikola Jokic & the Denver Nuggets past LeBron James, Anthony Davis & the Los Angeles Lakers. They also react to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder sweeping Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum & the New Orleans Pelicans. Finally, they discuss how Kristaps Porzingis’ injury will affect the Boston Celtics’ title chances.
35 Comments
Incredible common sense takes… More subscribers are inevitable.. A+✅✅
Jokic, Murray, Gordon, KCP, and Reggie Jackson took 74 shots combined and got 1 FT attempt, meanwhile for the Laker's Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and Spencer Dinwiddie got 8 FT attempts on 8 shots.
Lakers fan here – it was a hard fought series and I really respect the nuggets. I actually hope they win the chip this year. But this season was very stressful and we'll see what the Lakers do in the offseason to address our issues
Ty for a great season and breakdowns 💕 i will not be able to see MPJ shoot 18 percent and Murray miss buzzers against the wolves 😑
naz reid
Crazy seeing MPJ unrealistically shoot 49% from 3PT this series. He won’t reach that percentage in any other series
Wolves in 6
Who in gods name would want to coach Lebron’s Lakers? Leave your balls at the door…
Lebron wants his coach to be a eunuch…
Stop 🛑 the Cap nuggets was the better team by far 27 to 9 free throws insane
Jokic was getting double teamed in BOTH post and PNR(they would literally let Murray drive)…Jokic's impact is beyond the box score stats, his gravity created so many easy baskets.
The Pelicans didn’t even average 90ppg in a four game series. That shouldn’t even be possible in 2024 but life, uh… finds a way.
“ at 39” bro they lost
Completely disagree about DLO. He’s shakey but he’s a COMPETITOR who has have off nights. On the nights he puts it together, he’s one of the most desirable guards in the game. I would love to have him on my roster.
Ultimately the Lakers need to have a bigger/larger team who can match up against bigger rosters. Their core can win games. They just need to size up against other teams effectively…
They also need a better coach who can concoct in game schemes for his team. As of now it seems as if the Lakers are playing freelance basketball with no guidance other than from Lebron and AD. AD even said that they didn’t know what they are doing during stretches of the game. The Lakers need a real coach to step in and navigate them. Otherwise this is a self coached team…
If you get paid as all star, make all nba teams, then dont mention his age. Or was the all nba teams and all star spot were undeserved? Lifetime achievement award by default? Which one is it? Lebron has an all star all nba team mate and a former all star while jokic has none of those. Nuggets bench is deandre fkn jordan 😂
It was so funny! The refs tried really hard to push another game!
Can't believe Jamal has never made an All Star team! What a disgrace!!?
The difference is Lebron has AD. And people do tear down MJ for Washington
Need on the right with the silent scream of apparently ' let's gooooo' or somethin. Dunno how u got on Jason LTs show but fair enough.
To lose when you're GIVEN EVERYTHING BY THE REFS and still lose is unfathomable 😂😂😂😂😂
The refs won they kept it within the spread, but would have accepted a lakers win or perhaps it was the other way around they would have preferred the Lakers win, but were content with the Nuggets staying within the spread. Either way they did their job.
I'm confused how losing in 5 makes you a good playoff team.
It’s annoying actually that lakers drew the Nugs bc now the media can just pretend like they weren’t glazing them all season and that it wasn’t ridiculous to have the 9 seed in the West as the no 4 contender. Nah they were really good, closest gentleman’s sweep ever. No one thinks that Nugs-Clips was close and it went seven. Denver walked them down each game bar one and took them out in five. IMO all of the teams in the top four if healthy probably spank the Lakers, even OKC. We just saw how much a regular season matchup means in the postseason.
Jamal Murrays nickname should be Handyman. He's handicapped half the time or half the season, but he comes in handy when you need him in a jam
It sucks how people are going to come away from this series saying LeBron is a choke artist. Dude played well, Denver is just the better team with the best player in the world.
I thought MPJ's 3s were the biggest reason Nuggets were able to stay in the game. That and the offensive rebounding near the end. Lakers forced misses but couldn't get a rebound at key moments.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Denver missed so many wide open shots all series. Not really sure LA played better. It's a make or miss league and the Nuggets shot poorly and won in 5.
Hellllllll yeahhhhhh! We wanted to prolong the suffering for Lakers!
Lakers could have won this game. I believe the big disparity was between Mike (daddy) & Darvin. There are levels to this 💩. & Hamm is 'bout 4-5 rungs 🪜 below Malone. IMHO ⛏️🏀🏆✌️ How's he never won COY???
Biggest moments this game: 1. Clutch murray to win 2. AG offensive rebound over LeBron 3. Murray dunk (and shouldve been And-1) on LeBron 4. Lakers missing way too many free throws
Guys refs kept games close….Calm down your tits, if Nuggets get calls like Fakers, every playoffs would be 16-0 sweep , Nuggets would have won 8 chips so easy by the time team gets old…
I been saying don’t sleep on the thunders just because they’re young.
The west is a slugfest. Whether it’s Nuggs, wolves, or thunders. I think they will be capable enough to beat the EAstern champs
Nuggets get wiped by the twolves. Its so clear to see now. This is gonna be amazing to see
Do you guys ever talk of Lebrons steroid use?