Can the Lakers find CONSISTENCY and turn things around to ignite a playoff run? 🤔 | NBA Today

Can the Lakers find CONSISTENCY and turn things around to ignite a playoff run? 🤔 | NBA Today

You know any event we don’t get top six you know you got to go through the whole playin um kind of process again uh you know we don’t really care what you know CVN uh we proven that last year you know it doesn’t matter um I think this goes

Like with anyone you know you just try to get in and then you know play off with different animal so um you know we don’t look at it as you know we want to we rather have this match up than this match up you know for

Us it’s just about getting in and tack on each opponent from there some hard fought wins by the lake Squad the Lakers have the eighth toughest remaining strength of schedule by opponent win percentage including a pair of games left against the Timberwolves and bucks now the Lakers they have 19 g games left

In the regular season they’ve won seven of 10 as of late but they still sit right ninth in the west so la hasn’t moved up in the standing since late December so Zack do you think that the Lakers are primed right now for a playoff

Push primed for for what a play can we table the whole can we table the whole Lakers playoff run thing until they’re at least eighth can we table it until they’re in the top half of the of the playin bracket because right now they’re in the losers bracket of the playin

Tournament which means they have to win two games just to get into the playoffs and know who their matchup is their point differential for the season is minus 21 minus they have been outscored for the season yes they’re playing better they are finally starting the

Right lineup that is a step in the right direction they’re tough they’re physical Anthony Davis is playing as well this season as he has in almost any point in his career in any one game they can beat anybody the playoffs are not about one game they’re about four wins in seven

Games and right now before we talk about all these high fluen discussions about how far the Lakers can get are they ready for a playoff push can can we just get to eth please eth and then we can have a better discussion okay director of grouchiness I see that in your in

Your title I look this no it’s not grouchiness it’s the re it’s director of reality this is reality the Lakers are ninth ninth look I was at the game last night when dowlo hit those three threes there was no reality other than he was having a heat check and it felt like

Those same Good Vibes that they got going then in the stretch run last year we coming back in the building now it was lost on nobody that the Thunder was playing on the second night of a back toback they didn’t have their their legs they but it also is lost on nobody that

This would be a very difficult first round matchup and could be the first round match up if the Lakers do get to eighth if the Thunder win the West that’s your one8 matchup and the Lakers are a tough out because of their size because of their star power and

Especially when they get things rolling defensively I think what struck me most about this game was the Lakers look like the younger fresher team and yes again the Thunder second night of a back toback but the Lakers shut down their transition shut down the Thunders transition offense the Lakers were the

Ones getting out and running the Lakers were the ones getting their defense set and it changed the whole dynamic of the game when the Thunder was not able to put their style of play on the on the much older and more veteran team look to me the Lakers just have to focus on

Being consistent right now I know you talked about them the thunder on back to back last night but the Thunder had been the best in the league and play back to backs and they’re young team the Lakers imposed their will they play physical against them the Lakers can match up

With any team in the Western Conference not named the Denver Nuggets and so right because they’re 0 and eight against the nuggets and uh in in their last eight tries that is the team they they probably need to avoid early on in the playoffs but I think if they

Continue to get consistent play I still see this is a very dangerous team I don’t care that they’re sitting in ninth spot right now uh when it’s all said and done I agree with Anthony Davis they just need to get in once they get in they’re GNA figure way to be one of

Those eight teams playing in the playoffs and they found consistent success especially with the starting lineup of ad hachimura uh James Russell and Reeves but really honestly this Lakers and Thunders matchup could very well be how the first round of the playoffs shaked out so let’s welcome in

The best in the business Tim legler Tim what did you see out there last night well n last night Anthony Davis took advantage of I think the one thing we can question about the Oklahoma City Thunder that size on the front line and when he’s playing with this level of

Determination he’s a problem not just for the Thunder but really for the entire Western Conference take a look at some of the examples of how exactly he took advantage of that and here you go up the floor and I like this one because Anthony Davis is coming up the floor and

I think he’s thinking about going over and setting a ball screen but as you can see his eyes are up right now and this is what he’s looking at right here this is his Defender Mike mcal and he’s looking at him and he sees how high he

Is on the floor and more importantly he sees these two Defenders that are high backpedaling but not in a dead Sprint which means there’s a lot of room back here behind that last Defender so I want you to watch Anthony Davis Sprint right past mcalla right there takes off and

Now that Ball’s just going to be thrown up in the air with Anthony Davis you can throw it pretty much anywhere it’s exactly what happens here the catch the dunk great read on his part to see there was not enough backline defense on that in this one the Lakers want to run this

Action right here with you’re going to get a double screen for LeBron James Anthony Davis setting the second one they love this pet action LeBron will take this all the way over to the right wing see what they can get out of it but Anthony Davis observes something he sees

That the defender right here Chad hungen his weight and body is in this direction so now Anthony Davis as he comes in to set this screen he’s just going to slip it so now as LeBron James comes over here there’s going to be a gap in a

Pocket to make this pass along the Baseline for Anthony Davis to catch receive and finish there aren’t a lot of guys sh that are going to catch this basketball in traffic on the move and still get up something on balance at The Rim Anthony Davis is Elite in that

Regard and that’s exactly what he does so he took advantage of certain situations in this game and by the way this is no longer as ad goes the Lakers go because ad has been going every night we’re not seeing some of the inconsistency we saw in the postseason a

Year ago that is a great sign for the Lakers going forward sh let’s check in on Milwaukee no Giannis no problem it was Dame time in Milwaukee last night Yannis an TMO though tried to go in warm-ups but is out battling left Achilles tendonitis doc River said Giannis has been dealing

With this issue for the past few games so he did not play but picking it up in the fourth quarter I mean Bobby poris showed up big in the crowd loves it oh he’s the emotional lead leader of this bug team I love to see that Bobby Porter Milwaukee just loves loves this

Guy and I think La kind of likes the version that they’re getting of James Harden Harden had 29 points and eight assists this was going back and forth but watch that beautiful Euro Step and one son the Bucks Trail 8784 after Dame’s free throw now later in the

Fourth Patrick Beverly for three Bev had 12 points9 rebounds oh he was extremely tough physical Doc Rivers kind of player boy he’s going to make this team a tough out in the playoffs absolutely but also who else will make this a tough out one Dame Lillard who had 41 where is he

Shooting from like that’s ridiculous from the parking lot on guys now next possession for Milwaukee right here pis knocks down the jumper and Yannis loves it with the stank face a little bit bucks up 100 one 105 100 and another floater here for big bucket Bobby is that the new nickname I

Guess so Milwaukee still leads by seven and then Beverly finds poris for the corner three Porter had 28 points 16 rebounds as the Bucks win 113 106 now the Bucks have won six straight games out of All-Star break behind get this having the League’s third third best offense and best defense during this

Time say that again third best offense and best defense during this time post Allstar yes best defense and by the way Ramon by the way Ramona this includes wins over top West teams in the Timberwolves and the Clippers and Tim legler has more on how the Bucks have

Been able to turn around their defense well chanet you know I’ve coached a lot of basketball in my life and one of my favorite play sets defensively was named play harder it’s sometimes really that simple and I’ve seen that out of the Bucks as they’re improving their defensive numbers right

Now and also their schemes have been good the two three zone They pled last night really affected the Clippers let’s talk about both things and why the Bucks were able to get this win so the play harder component and I’ve seen some of this during this winning streak starts

Right here Damen Lillard turns a basketball over and if you can’t really see where he is just take a look this is Damen Lillard here he is completely trailing the action and you can see the Clippers clearly have numbers you got four guys up the court with a surge and

A fast break and a lot of talent running this break with Lillard that far behind behind the play as the Clippers come up great ball reversal stop it right here you’re going to see Amir coffee run to this corner and look at the space that he has when James Harden makes this pass

To the corner but Damen Lillard never quit on the play look at the ground he covers to force him to run off the three-point line first and then he counts on getting help on the back line that’s exactly what he gets right here galinari comes over to stop dribble penetration three players

On the weak side Zone up waiting on that next pass to come out which it does and I want you to look at Malik Beasley come out there get not only a close out but get his hand in the passing Lane that leads directly to offense now this is

The second part of what I talked about improving defensively scheme and communication they went to this Zone primarily the entire second half and it really affected the clippers because they could not get into their ball screen or isolation game and one of the big reasons they just didn’t occupy this

Area of the floor offensively which is critical against the zone They never really did it Paul George starts there but then slips away when kaat Leonard catches this basketball this would have been a great opportunity right here for Paul George to flash middle receive the basketball from the wing and then force

On the back line a reaction from one of these two players which would have meant a wideopen three-pointer in one of these corners but because the ball didn’t get delivered there and instead there was dribble penetration the Bucks are able to stay in their two3 Zone in match up

Now Kawai finally does Flash middle but watch the reaction great one here on a part of Brook Lopez he has to come all the way up from the back line to play him oneon-one tries to turn the corner go up over one of the best shot blockers

In the league gets a piece deters Kawhi Leonard right at the rim and this was during that stage in the game when the momentum was changing and the Milwaukee Bucks were taking control I thought their defense was exceptional in this game and it has been during the winning

Streak Chan let’s see if they can keep it going Forward he

Ramona Shelburne, Scott Perry, Tim Legler and Zach Lowe join Chiney Ogwumike on NBA Today to discuss the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff concerns and the Milwaukee Bucks defensive turnaround.

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