Episodit
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- Keyontae Johnson
- Who can compete with Gonzaga?
- LaMelo's first couple of games
- Ja Morant looks to build upon ROTY
- Did OKC strike gold with Poku & Maledon?
- Emergence of THT
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The Thunder and Lakers have reached an agreement to trade Dennis Schroeder for the 28th pick in this yearâs NBA Draft, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA. Danny Green is expected to be apart of this trade as well to match salaries. The Thunder will look to expand this trade to flip Danny Green for more assets.
The Detroit Pistons have traded G Bruce Brown to the Brooklyn Nets for F Dzanan Musa and a 2021 second round pick, sources tell ESPN.
OKC has traded Chris Paul to Phoenix for Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and draft compensation, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
Milwaukee Bucks have traded Eric Bledsoe, George Hill, and three first round picks to New Orleans Pelicans for Jrue Holiday, sources tell @ShamsCharania.
Houston Rockets are trading Robert Covington to Portland Trailblazers for Trevor Ariza, 2020 first round pick, and 2021 first round pick, sources tell @wojespn.
Milwaukee Bucks are trading Donte Divincenzo, Ersan Ilyasova, and DJ Wilson to Sacaramento for Bogdan Bogdanovic in a sign & trade deal, sources tell @wojespn.
Milwaukeeâs Wesley Matthews will decline his $2.7M player option for the 2020-21 season and become a free agent, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. With the impending trade of Danny Green. We shall most likely see the Lakers make a strong push to sign Wesley Matthews to fill that role.
Avery Bradley is expected to decline his $5M player option with the Lakers and enter free agency, via ESPN.
Updated look at OKC Thunder's future draft picks
2020:
Nuggets 1st round pick
Lakers 1st-rd pick
2021:
Own 1st
Heat 1st
HOU pick-swap
2022:
Own 1st
Clips 1st
Suns 1st
2023:
Own 1st
Clips pick-swap
Heat 1st
2024:
Own 1st
Clips 1st
HOU 1st
2026:
Own 1st
Clips 1st
HOU 1st
The Hawks are in talks with the Celtics about acquiring Gordon Hayward. I do not know how the numbers get to matchup with the lack of big contracts on the books of the Hawks to match Haywardâs $32 million contract. They would have to combine Capela, Dedmon, and few young pieces to make it work and I do not know who if it is worth the Hawks to gut their future to win now. Russell Westbrook wants out of Houston. Where will he end up? Reports are that Westbrook wants to return to his role as the lead guy of an organization. At his age and coming off of an injury, who will be willing to sacrifice for maybe a couple of good years left? There have been reports that the Rockets are in trade talks to trade Westbrook to the Wizards for John Wall. It would be great to watch Westbrook play with Bradley Beal especially with the evolution of Bradley Bealâs game reaching new heights last season as he averaged 30 PPG. Will James Harden get traded? If so, will it be Brooklyn? They have moved up the list for him but it seems that some Netsâ players are reluctant on bringing Harden to Brooklyn. The other teams mentioned have been the Sixers & Heat. The Nets seem to be prepared to throw the âkitchen sinkâ to the Rockets without including Kyrie or KD. Personally, I would make rather see Harden in Philadelphia with Embiid as the Sixers trade Simmons to Houston. That duo would be one of the best in the league if not the second best behind LeBron and AD. It would be somewhat similar.To become a monthly supporter of the Back Em' Down podcast, click this link: anchor.fm/cody-johnson4
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Puuttuva jakso?
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What would be the best landing spot for Jrue Holiday? Will the Lakers get their third star? What should the Lakerâs offseason blueprint look like? Who should be the #1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft?
- Anthony Edwards
- LaMelo Ball
- James Wiseman
- Deni Avdija
- Tyrese Haliburton
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The 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers are the champions of basketball as they win Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 106-93. LeBron James - 4th ChampionshipDanny Green - 3rd ChampionshipJ.R. Smith - 3rd ChampionshipJaVale McGee - 3rd ChampionshipRajon Rondo - 2nd Championship Quinn Cook - 2nd Championship Anthony Davis - 1st Championship KCP - 1st Championship Dwight Howard - 1st ChampionshipAvery Bradley - 1st ChampionshipDion Waiters - 1st Championship Kyle Kuzma - 1st Championship Alex Caruso - 1st Championship Markieff Morris - 1st Championship Jared Dudley - 1st Championship TCT - 1st Championship Kostas Antetokounmpo - 1st Championship--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cody-johnson4/support
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1Q: I donât understand the Lakers staring down Dwight in the post. Miami is going to take that every time. KCP has been huge early with his dribble penetration and threes. Miami hasn't been as disciplined with the help and the closeouts. The threat of Duncan Robinson shooting is opening things up for Miami. Bam being aggressive offensively is huge for Miami. If he's able to score 1v1, especially vs. LA's smaller lineups, that helps Miami sustain offensively. The Lakers hold a 27-22 lead after the 1st Q, despite committing 7 turnovers to Miamiâs 4. They made up for it at the 3-point line, hitting 4 of 5, and on the glass, with an 11-6 edge. 2Q: Miami's defense at times has been a coach's shell drill dream. Lakers have not figured out how to penetrate Miami's help defense. Since they've adjusted to selling out to take away the paint, Lakers have been very perimeter based. One of those halves where both teams probably feel ok. Lakers haven't played well but are still winning. Miami not shooting well from deep but have bothered AD. One big thing I've noticed from the Anthony Davis doubles. Miami is forcing him to his left (or middle), towards the help, and then hitting him then. Impacting the face up game, getting a double team but not opening everything up. Miamiâs defense, especially in fronting the post, has bothered LAL considerably towards several of their 9 turnovers, but the Heat have converted those TOâs into only 6 points, matching LALâs 6 points off MIAâs 5 turnovers. Miami showing a wall vs. LeBron in transition ala Giannis. Dribble penetration going to be so key for the Lakers with how Miami is defending. Has to be patience but with tempo and attack. LAL take a 49-47 lead into halftime despite not playing their best basketball, shooting 45% from the field, only getting to the FT line 3 times and turning it over 9 times. They held MIA to 42% FGâs and 4 of 15 3âs while hitting 7 of 16 3âs on the other end.3Q: Lakers go small to start the 2nd half, with Morris in for Howard. This is the lineup the Lakers used effectively against Houston in Round 2. LAL have been out of rhythm offensively here. Have to hand it to the Lakers. They haven't played well and they are staying in the fight even if it's in the mud. LeBron in P&R attacking Robinson/Herro continues to be a pressure point. Lakers switching to having Anthony Davis go under those screens with Jimmy Butler handling has been a big difference. The other thing is LeBron on Bam. Allows LeBron to be a helper on the weak side. Can stay in a drop if Jimmy is in P&R. Itâs been very interesting the impact Miami has had on the LeBron/AD P&R as they havenât allowed for LAL to get much out of it. Davis is doing a great job making his presence felt on Butler at the rim here. He wasnât able to do that as much in Game 3 due in part to the foul trouble. LAL up 75-70 heading into the 4th Q. 4Q: Going under vs Jimmy Butler has been so big. Not giving him the matchups. Miami has to find a way to create an advantage out of the Lakers playing so far back. This is where Herro, Robinson and co. are going to have to step up. With LA going under vs. Jimmy Butler in P&R, they have to take advantage the other way around. Lakers haven't had an answer for Jimmy coming off P&R on the side. Miami hasn't had an answer for LeBron coming off in P&R vs. Robinson. This is excellent from both teams. Lakers getting the second chances. Miami running offense through Tyler Herro with 4 minutes left in the Finals is wild. Kudos to Vogel and the Lakers, with everything they have and what they had working, they put Rondo in P&R with Anthony Davis and got two key buckets out of it. Lakers win Game 4, 102-96. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cody-johnson4/support
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Lakers/Heat
1Q - Miami is competing, but that should be to no surprise for anyone who knows this team. They made it priority to protect the paint and recover from there. Heat picked up right where they left off offensively in Game 2, leveraging the gravity of their shooters as much as possible to create easy baskets. Short closeouts, early help, not putting themselves in a position where they can be beat off the dribble. Living with the kick outs and protecting the paint. This is the complete game plan from Miami defensively. A little past halfway the first quarter mark, the Lakers have more turnovers than shot attempts. This game is mirroring the Game 1 start, when LAL fell behind 23-10 into the first time out because of the sloppy play from the Lakers as the Heat took advantage of the turnovers. LAL had 9 turnovers in Game 2. They have 9 turnovers already with 4:48 left in the 1st Q. LALâs margin for error is quite high from a talent standpoint especially with Dragic and Bam out. After all that, LAL trail by only 3, at 26-23. A really disappointing end to the 1st quarter for the Heat after their hot start.
2Q - Kuzma gets more opportunities to score/find a rhythm with Davis in foul trouble. Reason for his scoring drop off in the postseason is mostly due to LeBron+ADâs minutes going up, and Rondoâs increased role. The defensive game plan from Miami is eerily similar to the one employed vs. Milwaukee when they went all out to stop Giannis, but this one is solely focused on stopping dribble penetration. The big thing for the Heat in this game has been keeping the Lakers out of the paint so far. LA only has 12 points in the paint, also have only gave up one offensive rebound too. Butler has taken 9 shots in LALâs paint already, making 6, taking advantage of the absence of Davis against LALâs lineup with Morris at the 5. As solid as Miami's gameplay and help has been defensively, the doubles still aren't working. LAL trail 58-54 at the half. Credit a resilient effort from Miami, though LAL also hurt themselves with 14 turnovers.
3Q - Miami's offense is making strides. Feels like the Lakers have been in rotation more tonight than in the first two games combined. Short closeouts. Show help. Protect the paint. It's what Miami continued to do all game. Harder for LAL to switch AD over to Butler, as they have selectively in the series, due to his foul trouble. The Lakers defense hadnât been sharp in this game (it wasn't sharp in game 2 too). The Heat were able to get a lot of great looks on the 2nd pass off of drive and kick actions. LAL closed on a 9-2 run to make it 85-80 heading into the 4th Q. After the last play of the quarter I would expect a heavy dose of LeBron in P&R in the 4th. This feels like a game where the Lakers are going to have to use LeBron to bend Miami's defense. That feels like the one action Miami hasn't felt as comfortable guarding/sending help/showing help. Davis started to pick things up in the 3rd, hitting 4 of 6 FGâs for 10 points.
4Q - LAL open the 4th Q on an 11-4 run, after closing the 3rd on a 9-2 run. Thatâs 20-6 overall, turning a 12-point deficit into a 91-89 lead. Lakers with just 4 points in the paint about half way through the 4th. 30 overall, the Heat have done a good job defending tonight. Butler got going and the Lakers were giving into the switch just too easily. Miami have turned to Jimmy Butler for isolation scoring down the stretch, with LAL not double-teaming, and itâs been effective enough to maintain their lead. Miami defeats the Lakers 115-104 in Game 3 as LALâs lead is now 2-1 in the series. Jimmy Butler went off for 40 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds.
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Lakers/Heat
1Q - Lakers only have two fast break points but they are getting early offense if not a transition bucket. Dwight Howard with six early points. His verticality is helping the Lakers break down the Heat even when matched up with Leonard. They're just so much more physical than the Heat. You just have no chance defensively against LeBron with the Robinson-Herro-Leonard trio. LeBron + AD picking apart Miamiâs zone here with interior passing. Miami is playing this zone to spread out by trying to takeaway three. This won't be much of a game too much longer if they don't start to protect the paint. LAL took a 29-23 lead out of the 1st Q. They generated good looks inside and out, and shot 52% from the field despite missing a bunch of open 3âs (3 for 12), while MIA shot 41% on tougher looks.
2Q - Miami needed to do a way better job in these mins where LeBron is off the floor, unlike last game. That they did as it is just a four point game. Hell of an effort by Miami which never stops moving and screening on offense. Butlerâs basically driving everything that happens within Miamiâs offense to begin with. Jae just keeps plugging away. Fighting hard at the top of the zone and also making plays on the offensive end. Lakers defenders have to make a ton of decisions every possession. Lakers are getting completely wide open 3âs as Miami sells out to try and protect the paint. They have still found way to get to the rim, and are 10 for 13 in the paint. Meanwhile, theyâve allowed MIA only 7 attempts (4 makes) in their paint. Beautiful offense from the Lakers utilizing pass fakes against the zone. LAL held a 68-54 halftime lead. As much as MIA sold out to prevent interior scoring, LAL still outscored them 30-18 in the paint. No team has been able to keep LeBron and AD specifically away from the rim.
3Q - Gonna be tough for Miami if Anthony Davis can keep hitting those midrange shots at the baseline. Without Bam, the Lakers are getting whatever they want inside. Davis is utterly dominant. Heat are playing hard but this is just steady, incremental accumulation of one team being better than another. Heat found some offensive traction using Butler as the roll man, to take advantage of that switching defense. Miami found success hitting the roll man against the Lakers' screen coverage might force an adjustment or two. LAL led 103-93 after 3. Miamiâs using Frank Vogelâs pre Game 1 key, the FT line, to hang around. As they were a +15.
4Q - The Lakers' switching has taken away many of their usual actions. Best offense has been Butler getting downhill. Itâs cool seeing all the ways Tyler Herro has learned from Goran Dragic offensively. The ball-screen craft, the probing in lane to keep his dribble alive, attempting audacious finishes at the rim. Since the Lakers always defend and score inside, they can live with the odd off shooting night from KCP and Green. Rondo has hit some MONSTER shots this postseason. There was another one. Just some pretty terrible offense in the 4th. Miami's had plenty of chances to get this closer. Not getting quality looks. Big closeout here by LeBron, not quite Game 5 WCF vibes but he's hitting some big shots. Lakers fight off the Heat to win Game 2 by a score of 124-114 to take a 2-0 series lead.
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- Doc Rivers and the Philadelphia 76ers have reached an agreement for him to become the franchise's next head coach.
- My breakdown of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
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And Here. We. Are. after all of the uncertainty of there being a restart to the NBA, if the players were going to continue playing after the Bucks decided to not play and the NBA taking a few days off before resuming the season once again; it is time for the NBA Finals. The Lakers, owners of the Western Conference's No. 1 seed and seeking out an NBA-best 17th championship, will face the Miami Heat, a No. 5 seed on a Cinderella run to the Finals after several years out of contention. These playoffs couldn't be ending any better. It almost feels like March Madness. The Lakers may be entering the series as heavy favorites, but the Heat have been the lower seed in each series and won since the playoffs began. They won't back down against anyone.
This marks LeBron Jamesâ 10th Finals appearance and first with the Lakers, who last played for the championship with Kobe Bryant in 2010. It is the Heatâs first Finals appearance since 2014, when LeBron James led them to the last of four straight title shots.
The Lakers won both regular-season meetings between the teams â 95-80 in early November and 113-110 in mid-December âneither were representative of this version of the Heat. Miami was still starting Kendrick Nunn and Meyers Leonard, neither of whom cracked the rotation in the conference finals. The Heat had also not acquired Crowder and Iguodala. Also, neither Herro nor Robinson were playing at the level they are now.
What we do know is that LeBron James & Anthony Davis completely outplayed Jimmy Butler & Bam Adebayo in their two regular season matchups. For Miami to have a chance in this series, this cannot be the case unless they get superhero like play from the likes of Dragic & Herro.
Matchups to watch:
Anthony Davis vs. Bam Adebayo LeBron James vs. Jimmy ButlerWhat I will be watching:
How will Miami decide to guard the Lakers in this series? They have used different game plans defensively in all three series and were able to execute. The first key for the Heat will be to shrink the floor vs. Lakers similar what we saw the Nuggets do. Shutting down the LeBron-Davis PnR will be priority number one. They were only able to generate 0.9 points per direct possession in the regular season, according to Second Spectrum. Another way Miami can negate the Lakersâ offense will be their switching scheme which will take away some of the off ball actions. This will find Adebayo guarding on the perimeter at times which will level the Heat susceptible to offensive rebounds as Howard/Davis will be attack the glass. It will be imperative for Miami to rebound well as a team. What Miami is effectively able to do better than any other team is run a zone and the Lakers offense has experienced a drop off when going against the zone. Lakersâ shooting - It is known that the Miami Heat are one of the best shooting teams in the league while the Lakers rank towards the bottom. This puts a lot of pressure on the likes of Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Kyle Kuzma to hit shots from the perimeter. One of the keys to breaking Miami's zone is consistently shooting the 3. That responsibility falls on more than just one player, which is why Green, Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma are all being highlighted. They are shooting a combined 36% from 3 and 39% on C&S 3s. If this trio is knocking down the 3-ball, it'll certainly open things up for James and Davis inside.Prediction: Lakers in 6 Games
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Doc Rivers has been fired as the Clippersâ head coach. The two possible replacements are Ty Lue & Jeff Van Gundy. Victor Oladipo wants out of Indiana. His services would be greatly appreciated in LA with the Lakers/Miami/Phoenix.
Heat beat Boston, 125-113. Miami wins series 4-2.
Miami found their guys, built their guys up, developed their guys, didnât just add the top tier talent but the talent that fit right into what they do. Erik Spoelstra gets the most out of his players. Puts them in the best spots to succeed. Adapts to his teams strengths and weaknesses.
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- Celtics beat the Heat, 121-108, to force a Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals. - Lakers beat the Nuggets, 117-106, to win the series 4-1 and advance to their first NBA Finals in 10 years. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cody-johnson4/support
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Celtics/Heat
Celtics are than happy with Bam Adebayo taking fallaway jump shots off the catch. Three paint touches, Boston gets a corner three. That's what Stevens wants. Multiple paint touches on each trip. Boston's defense has done a good job taking away Miami's back-cuts. It comes at the expense of opening up shooters on occasion. Heat are going without a real center right now, so Time Lord is guarding Iguodala. Couple of early tweaks to the sub patterns from both teams. Kemba Walker has been really active so far. You can tell the days off has really benefited him. Boston isnât doing much to contest Iguodalaâs perimeter shots and he is hitting them. I would they are going to live him shooting compared to Dragic/Robinson. Heat lead 24-23 after one.
Jayson Tatum hasn't looked like himself at all. Looks a step slow on offense and all out of sorts. Quite the start from Tyler Herro as everything is going his way. Stevens has been begging for them to run to not have to play against set defense all series. The Celtics best offense has been going directly at Duncan Robinson with whoever he is guarding. Boston were getting great looks against the zone so far. They were not making the shots. With Smart having three fouls, no "Best Five" lineup for Boston to close this first half. Heat lead 50-44 at the half. As messy as that first half was, Boston is fortunate to be down just 6 points at the half with 11 turnovers.
If the Celtics were ever going to reverse their third quarter woes, this would be the game to do so. Like a lot of the first half, the second half begins with a turnover for Boston. Adebayo-Robinson DHO game is borderline unstoppable. Iâm not sure how Boston can get the offense going, but it's not going to be with Marcus Smart shooting. Marcus Smart is up to 9 assists. 5 of them have come in the third quarter. Smart is doing a good job of driving the zone and finding shooters. Tatum was able to shake off that first half on his way to 16 points in the third quarter. Heat lead 77-76 after three.
Wonder if Tatum will go the rest of the way here? It was going to be hard to take him out. The Celtics really needed to put Marcus Smart on Tyler Herro at this point. It took too many possessions, but in the halfcourt, Boston has Kemba Walker hiding on Andre Iguodala now. Marcus Smart is on Goran Dragic and Jaylen Brown has Tyler Herro. Tyler Herro's shot-making has been the difference in the game. He was ridiculously good. Celtics needed to try attacking from the baseline more against the zone, especially when Miami has Dragic and Herro as the low corner guys. Offensive rebounds continued to haunt Boston throughout the night. Goran Dragic with the dagger off of a terrible decision to trap Andre Iguodala. The Celtics should be embarrassed with how they closed this game. Miami didn't even shoot well. They just played harder and took care of the ball. I hate to see the injury to Bam Adebayo- hope he can recover quickly for Game 5. Heat win 112-109. Lead series 3-1.
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Lakers/Nuggets
1Q: Lakers have come out locked in like a team 2 wins away from the Finals. Denver has to take the punch and hang on. Physical game so far, with Jokic being very aggressive moving the Lakers around inside; weâll see how that goes when Dwight Howard gets on him. Howard hasnât typically played in 1st Qâs, but Jokic also hasnât been this aggressive in 1st Qâs. Jokic's footwork is simply incredible underneath the rim. Baffling to me how it's Game 3 and the Lakers are still occasionally doubling off of Murray, who is the one perimeter guy you can't double off of. Think Denver is finding something with the early handoffs before the Lakers can load up. LAL trail 29-27 after 1, with Jokic scoring 11 points for DEN. LAL allowed 12 of 20 FGâs from the Nuggets, including 9 of 10 in the paint, where they usually force a much lower percentage. LAL were also out-rebounded 10-7. LAL shot well too, hitting 11 of 20 FGâs.
2Q: I never understand the point of going small and deciding not to switch. The Nuggets starters are going to play A LOT based on the rotations we're seeing. Last game Murray subbed out in the first quarter and the Lakers went on an 11-1 run. Now Murray and Jokic haven't subbed out at all. LALâs bench has been really good all postseason, but theyâve struggled so far tonight. Uncharacteristic defensive breakdowns continue for LA. This game hasnât been about lineups or personell; Denver is simply playing harder, with more desperation so far. Too many turnovers really hurt LA and allowed for Denver to score early in their offense and mostly against a not set Lakers defense. The Lakers offense in this stretch: Anthony Davis. The margin is 63-53 after a lackluster 1st half from the Lakers. They picked things up late in the 2nd Q to close the gap, but allowed 56.4% FGâs to DEN, and were outrebounded 23-11, a staggering gap on the glass for this big Lakers team, allowing 7 offensive boards. Monte Morris was huge in the first half. Jokic set the tone but he, Grant and Porter Jr contributing offensively changes things. Those guys have to be threats. And the thing Jamal Murray has proven in these playoffs, once he gets going, the task gets a lot harder.
3Q: Dwight starts the 2nd half, as he did Game 1. It was the small ball group that hurt LAL in the first half. Theyâre +2 in McGeeâs minutes and + 6 in Howardâs. Dwight's defense has more value in this series than his role as an enforcer. He's got to realize that and not pick up some of the cheap ones. Jerami Grant was the main reason Denver was able to extend their lead. His offense has been critical. If Denver doesn't have anything on the first option they keep playing. And it's not just passing and screening anymore they are looking to attack the Lakers off the dribble and play out of that. Denver has mixed up the pops and rolls from Jokic in P&R and it's throwing the Lakers off. Lakers were settling for too many jump shots even though they got positive results every time they got paint touches. LAL were outscored by 8 for a 2nd straight quarter, and trail 93-75 heading into the 4th Q. They continue to struggle on the glass, trailing 33-18, and are 5 for 18 from 3. They've looked complacent on offense, confused on defense, and frustration has been adding up.
4Q: Jamal Murray with the huge dunk that seems like the dagger in this game, but not the case as the Lakers transition game really turned it up as they cut into the lead. LAL finally getting something positive going with better defense. Defense leading to transition offense here. Lakers zone has taken Denver all the way out of their rhythm. Tempo and flow is gone from Denver vs. the zone. Jamal Murray with a couple of huge threes from deep to shut down a Lakers comeback. Very impressive final effort by the Lakers, but the middle quarters did them in. Nuggets win 114, Lakers 106.
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Lakers/Nuggets
1Q: This should be concerning for Laker fans, Green hesitates on the first open look he had, then misses one in the corner. If he's going to get gun shy from three, that is a serious problem. Aggressive early from LeBron ⊠heâs 3 for 4, and the rest of the team 0 for 8, including a couple missed tap ins inside from Davis. Game is being called differently inside. Tight whistles in Game 1, more loose here in Game 2. Lakers have to adjust and play through it. The Nuggets got to think about sending a double when Davis is facing up on Jokic. Make him into a passer, can't leave Jokic on an island.
2Q: LALâs defense has dropped of without AD on the court ⊠Nuggets scored only 21 in the 1st Q (AD played 12 minutes). They already have 15 points at the 7:20 mark of the 2nd Q. Great cut from Kuzma with LeBron in the mid post and Grant loading up. Murray isn't staying connected to James. This is the value of playing Rondo with James, it turns James into a cutting option for the Lakers with the trust that Rondo will get him the rock. Dwight's been consistent all season, struggled at the start of the bubble but he's been big defensively for the Lakers in this series. Doing his job. Denver has to attack the switches better. These two games are the best the Lakers have looked on both ends in the playoffs. Nuggets were not able to capitalize on the minutes that LeBron spent on the bench as the Lakers lead expanded.
3Q: Denverâs done a better job of keeping LAL out of the paint of late, but ADâs now starting to rain in mid-range Jâs. Lakers havenât been getting into Denverâs lane much at all, doing a lot of settling for jumpers against a packed paint. When the Lakers have AD at the 5 and Jokic defends him, itâs similar to the Portland series for AD, when he could get a wide-open look at a mid-range jumper whenever he wanted against Nurkic or Whiteside. Jokic has to be aggressively posting up on these switches. LA has to double but coming from first pass away is always a bad idea. Too easy of a pass to make, especially for Jokic. Lots of uncharacteristic mistakes and breakdowns from the Lakers in the 3rd Q, and Denver took advantage.
4Q: Mike Malone stressed Denverâs transition defense above everything else, and the Nuggets have done a much better job getting back tonight. LAL had 6 fastbreak points in the 1st half, and only 2 in this 2nd half. LAL had 54 points in the paint in Game 1. They have just 34 tonight. This is due to the adjustment made by the Nuggets to pack the paint in and force the Lakers to beat them from the perimeter. It resembled the pack line defense. The Lakers got to get into their actions much earlier and be more deliberate with what they want to do. It is like they are just trying to figure it out on the fly. Hard back in from Jokic, who scores over Davis. Thatâs 11 straight from the Serbian center, and DENâs lead is 1 with 20.8 left. But Anthony Davis answers with the game winner from 3 as the Nuggets make a huge mistake communicating on a switch which shouldnât of took place anyways. Defensive sub Plumlee just completely blew that coverage. Wasn't even screened and just pointed for Grant to switch off LeBron.
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- Giannis Antetokoumpo named Kia NBA MVP. This is solely a regular season award and you can sit there to try justifying why Giannis won the award. He was not the âMOST VALUABLE PLAYERâ in the league. His team would not be as worse as if the Lakers were without a LeBron. Bucks were a +2.4 without a Giannis compared to -1.9 for the Lakers without LeBron. Thatâs almost a five point difference. NUMBERS DONT LIE! NOT EVERYTHING IS WATCHING THE GAME. WHY DO YOU THINK ANALYTICS ARE APART OF THE GAME.
- A complete breakdown of the 1st and 2nd Half of Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
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- In this episode, I go through quarter by quarter talking about different aspects of Game 2. This includes what worked well for Miami and Boston, but also where improvement must be made by Boston to get back into this series as they find themselves down 2-0.
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Los Angeles Lakers are officially facing the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. LeBron James and Anthony Davis now prepare for an opponent they had very few issues with during the regular season. The Lakers defeated the Nuggets in three of four meetings during the regular season, with the only loss coming in a game where James did not play. Their most recent matchup came in the bubble, where the Lakers won off of a game-winning 3-pointer by Kyle Kuzma. But the Nuggets are feeding off confidence as they have made two 3-1 comebacks in a row in the first two rounds. I do not know if they can dig theirselves out of a hole again if they get down to LeBron James and the Lake Show.
Matchups:
LeBron James vs. Jamal Murray (Lakers)
Danny Green vs. Gary Harris (Nuggets)
KCP vs. Jerami Grant (Lakers)
Markieff Morris vs. Paul Millsap (Nuggets)
Anthony Davis vs. Nikola Jokic (Lakers)
Lakers Bench: Rondo/Caruso/Kuzma/McGee/Howard
Nuggets Bench: Morris/Craig/MPJ/Plumlee
(Lakers)
Things to watch in the series:
How much will the Lakers put pressure on Jokic in the PnR?
The play of Nikola Jokic vs. Lakersâ bigs.
Cutting aspect of the Nuggets' offense
How will the Lakers guard Jamal Murray?
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NBA announces that the official date for the NBA Draft is Nov. 18.
All-NBA First Team:
Luka Doncic (2nd Season)
James Harden
LeBron James (NBA Record 16th Selection)
Giannis Antetokoumpo
Anthony Davis
All-NBA Second Team:
Chris Paul
Damian Lillard
Kawhi Leonard
Pascal Siakam
Nikola Jokic
All-NBA Third Team:
Russell Westbrook
Ben Simmons
Jayson Tatum
Jimmy Butler
Rudy Gobert
Biggest omissions:
Joel Embiid
Bam Adebayo
Bradley Beal
NBA All-Rookie First Team:
Ja Morant
Kendrick Nunn
Zion Williamson
Brandon Clarke
Eric Paschall
NBA All-Rookie Second Team:
Coby White
Tyler Herro
Terence Davis II
PJ Washington
Rui Hachimura
Biggest Omission:
RJ Barrett
Celtics/Heat - Game 1 Breakdown
Clipper/Nuggets - Game 7 Breakdown
In the 2009 Playoffs, Kobe:
- Beat the Rockets in the 2nd round
- Beat the Nuggets in Conf Finals
- Won his 4th ring in Orlando
In the 2020 Playoffs, LeBron:
- Beat the Rockets in the 2nd round
- Facing the Nuggets in Conf Finals
- Trying to win his...4th ring in Orlando
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MDA out in Houston Posted a 217-102 record in his four seasons with the Rockets. He reached the WCF once & semifinals three times. Expected to be hired in Indiana Clippers/Nuggets
1Q
Nuggets are going to get a good share of open shots today with how aggressive LA is against Jokic and Murray. Today will come down to the role players making enough of them. Landry Shamet's speed attacking closeouts always catches defenders by surprise. Adjusting the bench rotation to play JaMychal Green more paid off immediately for LAC with 6 points.2Q
Clippers defense is locked in right now. A huge end of the quarter for the Clippers. It has all started on the defensive and that triggered their offense. The nuggets are playing hard but when the Clips are this locked in defensively there isn't much a team can do. I really think they had such a great 2Q due to how efficient they were in their transition offense which I believe is their best offense overall because, at times, there is no rhyme or reason to what they do in the half court and get stagnant.3Q
Clippers can't give the Nuggets Shamet and Harrell guarding Jokic and Murray in a pick and roll. It can't happen. It's tough for them to gain an advantage putting Kawhi/Paul George in action together. The Clippers are who they are at this point. A very good team that wins when they play a specific way and struggles when they can't do those things. And they have the talent to win even when they struggle. Clippers defense looks so much different when it's Kawhi and Zubac involved defending that pick and roll between Murray and Jokic. They're having to go to using LouWill's man as a screener to loosen things up. This is a great little thing from Denver. They have been attacking LouWill in P&R. They've been attacking Harrell. Did it at the same time. Craig screens, LouWill switches, Jokic is the second screener. Harrell stays in a drop, LouWill goes over, but no one there on pop. Look, the Clippers cannot play Lou Williams, Landry Shamet, and Montrezl Harrell at the same time without the defense going to hell. Just not a good idea.4Q
Clippers adjust by putting Kawhi on Jokic, PG on Murray and Zubac on Craig to help/double on post ups. Clippers scored 29 points in the 2nd quarter. They've scored 30 points total in the 2nd half with over 3 minutes left in the game. Denver is attacking all of the Clippers pressure points. Ask me what the Clippers have done to attack Denver. Denver has torched the Clippers just by putting the Clippers guards in P&R. It's forcing them into rotation every single time and the Nuggets are taking advantage of it. After winning this game, Denver has absolutely zero to lose going into Game 7.- Celtics/Heat Preview
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- Lakers/RocketsQuite a start for the Lakers, who come out meaning business on a 13-2 run. Early in the bubble the Rockets defense was putting so much effort in their switching but it has dropped off in this series. The Rockets finally create an open three with Westbrook flashing middle and swinging quickly to Rivers in the corner. This is an action that shouldâve been used more frequently. Their defense was strong yet again with their small ball units in the 1Q, though they left Rockets shooters open in the final 2 minutes and were punished with 3 straight makes. Much different look to this game since the Lakers stopped flying around on D. Rockets suddenly look comfortable. Much more work for the Lakers to do. Itâs now 35-28 after a 17-2 Houston run into a time out. Russell Westbrook has wreaked havoc on the Lakers' passing lanes in this quarter. 11 turnovers by the Lakers so far. Kuzma's cutting this whole series has been great. LeBron was initiating everything early. He sat for some of this stretch, and itâs been Rondo running the offense since LeBron returned. LAL have re-invested defensively with some added intensity, with a massive Caruso chase-down block of Harden as an example. AD will need to be wary of Houston looking to draw his 3rd PF on the offensive end. Anthony Davis hasn't scored yet but he's adjusted really well to the attention he commands down on the block and already has four assists, the last two were easy layups to KCP and Caruso. It's been great seeing AD find the open man. His passing has looked better and better with each game. Thereâs one of the few times weâve seen in this series as Harden is used as the screener for Westbrook. This shouldâve been utilized much more by MDA. Turnovers are keeping Houston within reasonable distance. LAL have committed 11, towards 15 Rockets points. I just won't understand why teams are always posting up Harden. That plays right into the Rockets plans, he's a good post defender. The rule should be if he's on you go set a ballscreen. Rondo worked in this series. His ability to get to the rim made him pretty valuable. Houstonâs been more committed to walling off the paint on LeBron and Davis especially, conceding a bunch of open 3âs as a result, and LALâs role players are drilling them. The ball's been moving so fluidly on the offensive end. Such a beautiful sight to see. LAL continue to do a strong job defending Westbrook, encouraging him to shoot and contesting his shots at the rim. LAL advance to the Western Conference Finals on the strength of outstanding defense against two very strong offensive teams, beating both Portland and Houston 4-1. On offense, LeBron and AD led the way, as role players increasingly stepped up to knock down shots/make plays. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cody-johnson4/support
- Näytä enemmän
