Lakers a DANGEROUS Play-In team in the West? + How far can Luka & Kyrie take the Mavs? | NBA Today

Lakers a DANGEROUS Play-In team in the West? + How far can Luka & Kyrie take the Mavs? | NBA Today

Basket can just start to look bigger and bigger and bigger knocking down shot after shot after shot I think that we’ve seen so many 50-point performances 70o performances this season sometimes that gets diluted it’s hard to feel special no no this is just how special was it

How did he get this for sure and he’s a guy that scored 70 before because he’s done it so many times people think it’s a regular day at the office but we’ll check out a couple players of how he got open um you know the pick and roll game

For him this year has been great he’s in career high points per possession to pick and roll nurkic ke this is a stack action and because Grayson Allen is such a great shooter they have to stay close to his body and he slips out he’s able to get a disadvantage with a switch

Nerkish setting that screen a legal screen I’ll just say he sealed his man for you know book to get an easy two-point conversion at The Rim to get him in Rhythm and right here pick and roll once again he’s handing on the ball a lot more Bradley Beal has been out no

Point guard coming off pick and roll he’s hot from three and once he’s hot doesn’t matter who’s how good a Defender is he’s going to knock down those shots I mean you said it right there no point guard right this is what we said about

The Suns all year along and I think that when you have Devin Booker able to have games like this when you have he can he can make up for the fact that they don’t have that traditional point guard that sometimes Bradley Beal has the ball in his hand sometimes Deon Booker does they

Put the ball back in book’s hands he has a game like that he also had nine assists by the way so he can do it all but he shouldn’t do it all right like that’s the can he do it all yes should he probably not and I think that’s been

A gaping hole for this team all year is not having that traditional point guard they had one of those his name was Chris Paul right the point God not just guard state right so there’s a couple of things that when we talk about the Phoenix Suns especially at this time of

Year that continuously come up one how they’ve handled the fourth quarter they’ve been near the bottom of the league for the for the majority of the season in several categories in the fourth quarter that’s not what you want to see particularly offensively the other thing we look at is their strength

Of schedule at this time of year because if you take a look at the Western Conference standings currently everything is mumbled and jumbled right now because the Clippers the Mavs they in the four and five spots if we can pull that up please director Kathy there

It is the Pelicans they are clinging to six the Suns they have the tiebreaker over New Orleans one game against the Pelicans remaining on their schedule so Phoenix controls their own destiny for six although D who’s that oh yeah that’s the Lakers that’s the Kings coming in hot Zach so

Which team do you think is going to shoot that shot and we’ll have six when it’s all said and done first of all that music is reserved for the Miami Heat Okay so they get the JW they get the JW I’m sticking with New Orleans just because Phoenix’s schedule down the

Stretch is like a cruel joke I don’t know what the I what they did to anger the schedule makers it’s like unbelievable how hard their schedule is and yeah they’re only one game back they have the tiebreaker they have a head-to head game New Orleans schedule isn’t

Angel food cake but if you compare them I mean there is no comparison Phoenix’s schedule is just no it’s overrated kick um it’s just one heavyweight after another so I will go New Orleans clings to six maybe Chase is Fifth and the Suns the unthinkable for the Suns they have

To go through the play in tournament oh my gosh I I think the suns are going to get there I think that getting that getting that tiebreaker last night was was big for them because they maybe they do finish in that tie and and I tend to believe they play better against better

Teams like even though that schedule is brutal yet but they play they play up to their competition and they have this whole entire year but how much of a catastrophe would it be if the Phoenix Sun are not able to be that sixth seed and are a playin tournament team that is

Not what they were put together to do no and this season has been a disappointment and even with book going off last night you do have this lingering sense of they’re still not adding up to something greater than the sum of their parts and that’s what

They’re going to have to do to beat Elite teams over and over in the playoffs but catastrophe look if they finish seventh they’ll have the edge to get out of the play in tournament and then after that if you get in the playoffs it all depends where Denver is

Seated because I think they could beat any other team in a first round series I’m not sure I’ll pick them but Denver is a different animal so if they avoid Denver there’s there’s an Avenue for them unlikely as it may seem to get somewhere you know it’s funny I I talked

To the owner of the Suns Matt isby about that you know they’ve gone way over the second apron and like their idea the second apron is here we’re just going to keep zooming it was a suggestion it yeah not a not a rule and I think they’re

Going to keep doing that like his like they they’re not backing down from that strategy maybe they have to adjust and the the takeaway from this year is okay those guys have to be healthy they haven’t had nearly enough time together but also they need a real point guard

Like they really have missed Chris Paul this season yeah I mean I like where they’re at even though their schedule is tough I think they make the jump uh New Orleans no be Brandon Ingram I think hurts them a lot and a lot of teams it’s

A weird time of year like you said before there’s people sitting out people hurt arresting I think they have a chance to jump those spots and not have to be in the play well and being a playin team isn’t necessarily a death nail right we saw both the Lakers and

The Miami Heat last season make deep runs even though they were both playin teams and that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to see that again there is some it is well I was going to say it’s March it’s not it’s April now oh my goodness but there is still that

Sprinkling of Cinderella stories that came with both the Lakers and the Miami Heat but Danny who in the west do you think can make a run this year I think most people will agree with me when I say the Los Angeles Lakers is the most dangerous team out of those four um they

Made a run last year they have the same makeup same kind of group and LeBron James and Anthony Davis one healthy you can’t bet against them um so I like their chances if they get everybody back they said Gabe Vincent was might be available I know exactor with them

Defensively was V uh Vanderbilt so I don’t know where he stands but if they’re healthy I think this is the most dangerous team in the league not just the West he came back and then was back on the injury report he he said he thinks that everybody would agree with

Him I’m going to agree okay yeah that’s I’m I’m sitting right next to and it’s not just because we’ve known each other a long time I agree with you that I think the Lakers are the most dangerous team in that plan I the Warriors have been playing a lot better but nobody

Wants to see LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the seven game series well Danny Zach and I all got the you know raspberry very ber I are you feeling the Lakers Juju too we’re going to send it an email next time are you guys nuts the Lakers are the most dangerous of these

Teams the Suns did you see what Devin Booker did last night the if the suns are sticking in seventh if you’re asking me which of these four teams the kings are decimated by injuries the Warriors and the Lakers have been up and down Lakers trending the right way their

Offense trending the right way the answer is the Suns man with KD and Devon Booker it’s the Suns you said are you nuts I mean I look the Suns have been the Suns all year long and I think they have the big three that can do something in the place

If they get there but the Lakers have Anthony Davis and LeBron James who went to the Western Conference finals last year different conference different conference different different top different middle different bottom everybody’s better in the west this year this is a totally different conversation of Sacramento’s healthy though I like

Sacramento with those other guys but without Sacramento I’m going with the Lakers the Malik monk Kevin herder double blow is really tough for them really really difficult for the Sacramento King so arguably the biggest game though tonight is the Mavericks against the Warriors that’s in the bay

The Mavs they are the hottest team right now in the NBA winning 11 to 12 they have voled themselves out of the play in they are in sole possession of fifth right now the Warriors they return home after going 4- one on their five-game road trip they sit two games above the

Rockets who are chasing them for that last play in spot so speaking of the Mavericks and the Warriors right Luca and Kyrie they have made a serious impression the season scoring wise the duo has combined for more points per game than any any season of the Splash Brothers which is pretty shocking but

What really matters right when you’re talking about the Mavericks it’s the postseason right they’ve proven that they are one of the best teams since the trade deadline but how far zacko do you think that Luca and Kyrie can carry this Dallas Mavericks team it all depends on

The Denver avoidance scale and how long you can avoid Denver who is but the favorite in the west a meter for that the Denver avoid the yic avoidance skill uh but I think they could make the Conference Finals if they avoid Denver until then I think they’re that good and

To me their defense is really picked up and that’s the biggest change of the team Kyrie and Luca are unbelievable their chemistry is unbelievable but the center play they’re getting from Gafford and Lively over 48 minutes uh there’s the rim Defense number one after the trade deadline I mean like it’s they’re

Like one combined super center it’s like 25 points 12 rebounds great Rim defense totally changes their team catching lobs from Luca it’s a great time being a Dallas Mavericks I mean and they’ve also Gotten Good perimeter defense back like and I I think this is the formula they

Had when they went to the Western Conference Finals a couple years ago against these warriors uh but they didn’t have Kyrie Irving back then and I they had jayen Brunson of course but but they had this team I think is all of a sudden sneaky dangerous in the Western

Conference depending on their matchups because of how deep they are and because they’re playing what is what is sneaky dangerous I I think they match up with anybody I mean I I wouldn’t pick them in a series against Denver but I think they could give him a I think they can give

Him a series so other than Denver if they are somehow able to avoid Denver you think they could go go to the Western Conference yes I mean look with the way they’re playing right now I mean Luca just can close his ey I he hit the shot off the backboard the other night

Like I’m I’m with you too on that I think they have the potential to be wherever they want to be with Kyrie and Luca but the pieces they’ve added after the deadline have definitely made a big jump for them Rim protection and PJ Washington stretching the floor a little

Bit just giving Luca and Kyrie more weapons around them to make them harder to guard I think the the the yage factor the Denver factor is the same for many teams feel pretty good about even some of the younger teams Oklahoma City the Minnesota timber Wes unless they have to

Face Denver in you know the second round and this is a strange season I don’t remember the last time we had a three- team Race for the number one seed that was this close you’re not going to be able to game the seeds like you had in

The past it’s something that I cannot wait to see but I have some video that we all need to see before we head out for the day no this is not an uh oh this is Iowa moments ago taking photos they have landed in Cleveland uh but really

They are already having a time we’re just shaking hands kissing babies who whose baby is that adorable you th’s [Applause] [Applause] coming

Lakers a DANGEROUS Play-In team in the West? + How far can Luka & Kyrie take the Mavs? | NBA Today
Zach Lowe, Danny Green and Ramona Shelburne discuss the Western Conference Standings, which team is the most dangerous Play-In Team in the West and the dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
#nbatoday #nba #espn

0:00 Breaking down the West Standings
2:20 Which team is most likely to be the 6 seed in the West?
5:15 Who is the most dangerous Play-In Team in the West?
7:20 How far can Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving take the Mavericks this season?

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