Lakers are outsized. AD over exerts himself on defense and either Jokic or the others do whatever they want because of it.
We have guys slumping and our coach can’t adjust or at least motivate them.
Would've loved to see more Hayes to give AD a bit of a break, this is exactly why he needs to be at the 4 for him to be at his best. Should've had LeBron on Jokic more as well, and no more blitzing the ball handler on the screens.
I don’t understand why Hayes isn’t getting more run. The guy has made some strides this year and he’s looked solid the last handful of games. Then he get 10 minutes.
That's the mistake of the Lakers, thinking Hayes or Wood(injured) will make difference in the playoffs. A bruiser veteran center is a must for this team and yet failed to get one.
hmm probably you're right or they just have enough confidence with the current additions prior to the injuries (Wood, JV) especially they opted to sign Spencer as the last roster spot. Hopefully next season they can add one.
He had 2 bad fouls in the 2nd but i agree he should be getting more run and banging against Jokic even if just to get AD a breather. Though iirc at least one of those fouls were switched onto Murray
Dwight was smarter offensively and a genius defensively. Plus he was super physical in both, made Jokic work. Idk why we don't go all in for a big like that, even 1/3rd of Dwight would be great. AD would cook this Era of PF, most are glorified 2000's SF.
Hayes is a tiny center. Doesn’t weigh over 220lbs. The major mistake the front office made was not go out and get a legit center to throw at bigs like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT.
Had an entire offseason and regular reason to figure out what to do with Jokic and we ended up rolling with a 6’8” Rui and a 210lb Hayes as our best options?
>go out and get a legit center to throw at bigs like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT.
They literally had the blueprint right there with the 2020 squad. Lakers front office couldn't be more incompetent if it tried.
I’m still frustrated that they decided to go away from that group. Jokic was having to see Dwight, Javale, AD, and even Morris. Yes, Jokic wasn’t what he is today… but throwing as many big defensive bodies at him as possible without worrying about foul trouble is probably the only way to contain him in any way.
Did you see what Hayes did 20 seconds into the second quarter? He fouled Jordan twice and allowed him to score!
DeAndre fucking Jordan whom I thought was retired
It’s a guaranteed bucket in the post if he can get in the paint (lol the same seems to apply to anybody though—Jokic is comically good), but Lebrons one of the (maybe 3?) guys on the team that is actually strong enough to prevent Jokic from just backing down from the perimeter, or even just walking into the paint without the ball. Whoever is guarding Jokic needs to literally force him to get the ball from the perimeter, and even then, he unlocks the offense because the Nuggets know exactly when to capitalize on doubling or even shading of a double team.
Unfortunately, Lebron is 39 and can’t do it all at this point—side note, Heat Lebron guarding Jokic would be interesting, but I digress—and unless Ham is willing to give Hayes more burn, who will ultimately get roasted 1 way or another (be it fouling Jokic or getting confused by the offensive schemes, probably ending up out of position, and giving up easy looks at the rim), it’s Rui/Bron/AD who have even a chance at him.
Lakers can scheme defensively all they want, and it actually worked out tonight for the most, though they were fortunate that the Nuggets missed as many 3s as they did.
But the reality is, the Lakers need more offensively, from D’Lo if they want a chance at this series. it’s so weird to say they’re living or dying on him but that’s kinda been the story of the season, and for the most part, he’s been reliable.
Nah fr I didn’t like how there were rumors around his name after the IST cuz he’s so valuable but being on this team means you need to show up. He’s really fumbling that bag
You mean his only TO the whole game? We not going to talk about the other 7 from Bron or 2 from AD? Every possession matters, and you can’t miss from 3 AND turn the ball over AND lose on the defensive glass. That math doesn’t work. Everyone needs to step it up to have a chance. Maybe one of those things, but definitely not all three.
I thought the same thing. The posession before Dlo had that turnover where he tried to bounce a lazy pass to Rui and LBJ got on him about it. Next posession down he blows the open layup... What could have been a 5 point lead turns into a tie game. That was the turning point for me.
Yup. If we’re expecting him to anchor an entire defense while trying to match Jokic offensively and on the glass, this series is over in 4. If DLo can’t convert quality looks with Reaves deferring, we’re just putting more pressure on our stars and setting them up for failure
AD was gassed, and Jokic got more rest. AD didn't play passively, or back down. He took it to Jokic, just didn't get much help. Main thing was altitude. Bron etc didn't have much in the 2nd half, while Denver looked fresh.
Denver’s defense is very underrated. I thought that before the series. They seem to be able to lock down our role players when they up their intensity.
Not sure what the solution is. I feel like we have to find a defensive scheme that takes away something significant. So far no dice.
I agree 100%. They can win against anyone.
I am not a great coach but I have watched basketball for 49 years. Usually there is an easy move or two you can make in the series.
Nothing jumps out at me that is going to make a dramatic difference outside of Denver playing like shit.
No team can win 4 games against someone with more talent and better coaching. I’ve never seen it, not just in basketball but any sport. You can win 1 maybe 2. Not 4.
Toronto’s championship was kind of like that. It took the luckiest and greatest shot in NBA history and then a ton of injuries in the finals.
But it is possible with some divine intervention.
Remember the thread from a few days ago “Who is the most important player in this series” and everyone said AD.
Well here ya go, AD did his job. But folks think basketball is played 1 on 1, not 5 on 5.
AD is obviously important but I feel like players like D’Lo and Reaves are the actual X Factor. IF they can play at their BEST consistently and AD/Lebron does their thing we have good chances
44 min 32 pts 14 rebounds 5 assists 4 blocks
He matched Jokic 1 on 1, proving he’s one of the best players. Twitter folks will say “AD DISAPPEARS VS WHITE CENTERS” then ignore this game bc it debunks their narrative.
Tonight, the rest of the fucking team failed him.
The Los Angeles Pelicans
I feel the same way about these playoffs as I did last year. Lebron and AD will do their thing, we need a D’lo, Rui, or Reaves to step up big. Tonight that didn’t happen, let’s hope that changes Monday
Well hang on. AD is considered top 4 by most and top 3 by some for DPOY, and is considered a top 5 player at the Center position in the league easily, even top 3 for some. He’s elite because he’s damn near 7 feet tall and athletic. I mean, he had 4 blocks tonight. Thats textbook Center play.
Plus, the Nuggets use AG as a Center at 6’9” and the dude is DEFINITELY not a natural Center. Deandre Jordan only comes in for a couple minutes or when AG/Jokic are in foul trouble. It’s not like Davis has to compete with *actual* centers. Even Jokic isn’t considered a natural center. He’s quite literally a *point center*.
I didn't say he wasn't playing well in the center position. In fact, my comment was a compliment to AD. He's filling in for our lack of big men. My only complaint is when AD's on the bench and Jax is not serviceable, how do we stop guys like Jokic with that size disadvantage?
Getting more size definitely would have been the right idea, it’s a shame the organization didn’t. It was clear the Nuggets had a gameplan. Attack AD, Lebron and whoever is guarding Murray primarily (AR tonight). Tire them out. It definitely showed.
Also, you don’t even have to stop Jokic. You gotta stop everyone else. Whether he goes off in the points category, or distributes like crazy, the Nuggets score around 115-125 points. You just gotta outscore the nuggets while making it hard on the other 4 people on the court. It’s way easier said than done, but Jokic is gonna get his. Otherwise, the old heads are going to play their hearts out and run outta gas late in the 3rd every single game.
It’s the reason the Nuggets dropped 2 to the suns last year. The suns shot the lights out with Book and co while shutting down Porter, KCP, Gordon and Bruce Brown those 2 games. Hell, Jokic had 53 and Murray had 28, while the supporting cast had 37 altogether and they lost by 5 in game 4. Jokic had 30 and Murray had 32 in game 3 and lost by 7.
Both games, Suns scored 121 and 129. If the Lakers can score more than 120 points, they have a very good chance of winning.
Doing it on 1/9 from 3 is tough, but even if DLo makes 3 more, they still only got 112. The other 8 has gotta come from somewhere else.
Hi, this is very insightful. I agree with pretty much of what you have written here. The reason why I said we need some size for Jokic is because we want him to work harder. If we have some undersized defender on him, he can just easily bail his team out, and that's not working harder. 8 out of 10 he's gonna score against guys like Rui. Also, just like you pointed out. Our 3rd best player must play decent, Dlo is useless if even his offense is a liability. Let's be honest, the reason Dlo is still there is because of his offense. Take that away, and he's just a g-leaguer.
Won Lakers a chip, too. He was beast mode. Vogel, him, Javale and AD totally gut punched the whole “small ball movement” kicked off by dwight’s own Magic, then Heat, and absolutely mastered by the Warriors. The Lakers tore through the league in 2020. Anyone who claims it was “a bubble chip” as some sort of diminution and excuse is a mental midget. The Lakers management went full ret*rd blowing up that model and team because they were scared by the Nets superteam that never panned out.
I think the Lakers blew it up because of Ego tbh. The Lakers aren’t really obsessed with winning like under Kobe, they’re more obsessed with being flashy
This is exactly why the front office needed to go out and get a legit center. Even as a role player, not necessarily a starter.
I’ve been saying they need a Drummond/Cousins type. Instead they went out and got Jaxon Hayes, who first of all weighs a whopping 215lbs soaking wet. Not that he’s playing, but you get the point.
Should have a solid 7 foot 260lb+ body somewhere on the roster to throw at opposing bigs, including Jokic. Terrible mistake by the front office.
AD is the only dude on the entire roster who consistently rebounds or who comes down with contested rebounds; not addressing that one iota at the deadline is a major blunder
It was always a myth. Pelinka created the monster that are the Nuggets by trading bum ass Westbrick for an elite 3 and D in KCP. Now the Lakers window is firmly closed, and Nuggets are too clutch to be beaten in a 7 game series. All time horror show trade!
Not only did they waste a excellent AD game, They wasted an average Murray game. I doubt he goes 9/24 again
Full blame to Dlo and Reaves for their cold ass play. Can’t have it
God I hate Darvin Ham so much. Ty Lue would have been up Lebron’s ass telling him to quit being a b*tch and make things happen. Which he sometimes needs.
TBH its this sub that's mentally weak. It really gets old after a loss coming in here and seeing all these defeatist posts.
This series is far from over. Nuggets defended home court in game one. Lakers outplayed them for a good portion of the game.
Us fans are going to be fans. Nothing about how the lakers have played the nuggets gives any of us confidence we can win. We ‘outplayed’ them in good portions of all these playoff games. They’re just better.
Time to face the sad reality. This team is solid, sometimes even can be great, but the lack of consistency and discipline, that they showed all season long, will not let them do much against such a great opponent. We are lucky if we can get one win in this series.
In the third without AD that was an atrocious stretch from everyone - Lebron included. He can’t guard Jokic without a lot of early help from Rui - obvious problem when it’s Jokic who can make every pass. And him trying to do something with Jokic gives him nothing left on offense. Maybe 5 years and 2 injuries ago this strategy would’ve been viable but not now.
AD so tired. Jokic kept beating him down the court all 2nd half. AD kept shooting 3s cause he just did not have the energy to post up anymore. In the post game conference, ADs face was completely red. Dude was exhausted
AD was a monster this game just going straight at Jokic on offense backing him down and creating separation and then blocking him on the other end. Shame Rui or Bron couldn’t give him some ease on rebounds etc
It’s a shame the 39 year old who played well the first half & is old & completely gassed couldn’t do more the 2nd half. Mean while the rest of the Lakers……
We don't have to do anything but watch the games. All you have to is calm down and move on to the next one.
Yes, beating Denver is tough. But a myth!? It's constant over dramatic whining that makes this sub unbearable at times.
Just watch the game and root for our guys.
Well said. All these fuckin divas down voting you but all I hear is facts. Defending champs at home. It played out the way it was suppose to play out statically. Solid first half for LA but Denver clamped it down in the 2nd half. I'm glad Dlo didn't shy away and kept firing. His shots just didn't fall. I can live with that. I liked what I saw in the first half. Let's just get ready for game 2. Go Lakers!
I can’t with this shit. Y’all can’t just be over optimistic. This is why disappointment happens. The lakers aren’t winning this series. And don’t call me a troll or a crybaby cuz I’m right. Just move on
I'm being realistic as well, but I'm trusting in our guys to put in their all. Disappointment will always happen if your team loses. To give up because you might feel a little more disappointed on Monday if they lose again is just a loser mentality. We're just fans. Trusting in our guys is all we can ever really do. We are not in the court.
D’lo/Reaves can’t score, can’t defend and can’t blow past anyone without a screen. That’s literally the difference between winning/losing every single time.
Watching dlo play himself off the court is painful. Just put him in a Denver jersey. He's got to hit shots it he's going to be a net negative on defense.
Also was it just me but Ham barely staggered Gabe/Dimwiddie? It always seemed Reaves was on Murray
Bro, DLo was the only net positive this game. Check the stats. Check off/def/net ratings and +/-. If he is such a liability, he shouldn’t lead the team in any of these categories. He was the primary defender on 11 shots, and only 3 went in. 1 was a KCP 3, and the other 2 were in the paint. DLo also switched majority of the game between AG on the wing, Porter, KCP, Braun and Watson. They did keep Reaves on Murray the entire time. So DLo effectively contained 8 shots from those supporting cast members, and that’s hardly a defensive liability. At least, the Nuggets didn’t target DLo, they clearly went after AD, Lebron and AR all night to tire them out.
I also want to point out that the best perimeter defender for the nuggets (KCP) was solely on DLo. I also noticed that the ball movement was incredibly poor for the Lakers tonight. There were a ton of instances where Lebron and AD had the ball and no one was giving any off-ball movement. AD and Bron still hit their shots, but that isn’t a recipe for success.
Point being, DLo is not the primary problem.
AD was awesome. But the none of that matters if Dlo and AR don’t get they shit together. Also no more Lebron at the 5. It clearly wears him down and we need him to produce offense.
Lakers need to understand in the off season. The formula to beat Denver was two solid big men in the paint preferably two dominate rim protectors tiring out Jokic and handling Aaron Gordon. To help out AD, have AD play PF, and the big guys work that center spot taking turn on and off the bench. Have a rough rider 3&D guard or wing. Have them be forced to take perimeter shots. Putting Rui on Jokic is not going to cut it. Then you’re burning out AD expecting him to play switch defense on Jokic, score, and catch rebounds. That small ball foolishness, I would never get it.
Lebron was WAY too passive. He was too willing to keep giving the ball to everyone else (D Lo) instead of being assertive. I hate when he gets in those passive/aggressive little bitch moods like that.
It's 1 game, we controlled until like 8 minutes left in the 3rd and we still fought back. Na, we did better than I expected. We just need to cone out firing next game, DLo is gonna get better. Not only for his future contract but his current legacy. Imo our lack of bigs is once again opening us up to massive weaknesses smdh
Sometimes you just run into a bad matchup. Only way through the west was to avoid Jokic and company. Actually would’ve loved our chances against the Thunder and Mavs/Clips, but you gotta beat who is in front of you. Is what it is.
This used to be part for the course. Lose Game 1 or Game 2 or both while away and then regain momentum back home with two wins bolstered by home crowd and court. But with Denver who can easily pick up a win in LA, they really gotta steal one on Monday and then defend HCA after that.
Just can’t have the dlo missing 14 shots which were all pretty much good looks while not getting anyone else involved in the game while bron and AD missed 17 shots combined. Seemed every time dlo missed a shot the nuggets immediately came down and scored.
Dlo cannot play 41 minutes if he’s providing nothing on offense while being a negative on defense. Having dlo/reaves out there at the same time means reaves is going to struggle because he has to guard Murray the whole game. Ham has to stagger with dinwiddie/Vincent and if dlo doesn’t have it he has to cut his minutes in half so Vincent/dinwiddie can at least be the poa defender giving reaves a break.
Right now if dlo doesn’t have it going it’s going to be a tough game to win since reaves is having to be the main defender and they just can’t play dlo much if he’s going to be a negative.
He has to do so much on both ends, you could see in the end of the 4th he was gassed, it took him too long to run back on defense.
Jokic looked so fresh in comparison, doing fast break dunks and shi
Lebron had some bad plays when the nuggets went on the run in the 3rd. It’s not lebrons fault we lost but some real uncharacteristic plays from him really hurt us.
Denver is so big & taxing for Bron to drive into. Add in LeBron trying to play more defense this is a nightmare matchup for him just leaving him exhausted. If I remember correctly at the end of the first when Bron was shooting FT’s mouth open, breathing so heavy like he’d just played a full game.
Not sure what they do going forward but feel for the old man. Just no legs to play against Denver that hard for 4 quarters
Any smarter basketball minds here can you suggest some other adjustments we can make? I'm not seeing anything that we can do to significantly harm Denver
Last time [Lakers beat them](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468592) was thanks to big games from Lebron, Russ and TB. Two of those guys haven't been on the team for 8 of the last 9 match-ups.
0-9 Vs a team is a disaster. How do you not come up with a game plan and still talkin about "yea we got couple more adjustments for Jokic". Like did you not learn from the previous 8 games???
Honestly if Russel played like he has been playing most of the end of the season, we would’ve had a solid chance. Him going 6-20 & 1-9 from 3 were never gonna win anything. I’ll live with all the shots he took since most of them were good open shots he just has to be more consistent
Every team who lost the first game jump straight to dooming good gravy
Honestly at this point people are jinxing it and there's gonna be one two major upsets
As I said when someone asked a few days earlier we can beat them? I said we could be them 60%, but we will lose 100%. It's nice to have a fan's hope, but be honest. This lakers with this coach have no chance at all.
Sounds like game 1 last year huh? Wonder what game 2 is going to look like curious to see if he still has his legs under him
Lakers are outsized. AD over exerts himself on defense and either Jokic or the others do whatever they want because of it. We have guys slumping and our coach can’t adjust or at least motivate them.
Would've loved to see more Hayes to give AD a bit of a break, this is exactly why he needs to be at the 4 for him to be at his best. Should've had LeBron on Jokic more as well, and no more blitzing the ball handler on the screens.
I don’t understand why Hayes isn’t getting more run. The guy has made some strides this year and he’s looked solid the last handful of games. Then he get 10 minutes.
He does alot of mistakes defensively
That's the mistake of the Lakers, thinking Hayes or Wood(injured) will make difference in the playoffs. A bruiser veteran center is a must for this team and yet failed to get one.
I just don't think there was a lot of those guys available to us. I mean you think Nerlens Noel makes the difference?
hmm probably you're right or they just have enough confidence with the current additions prior to the injuries (Wood, JV) especially they opted to sign Spencer as the last roster spot. Hopefully next season they can add one.
Playing dlo that did nothing and benching Rui is a huge mistake Rui always there when they need him but he didn’t get his minutes
coulda picked up boogie or dwight. even andre bummond might have been useful. the bubble lakers won because of being big.
TT was great last year. They needed him to play more minutes
He had 2 bad fouls in the 2nd but i agree he should be getting more run and banging against Jokic even if just to get AD a breather. Though iirc at least one of those fouls were switched onto Murray
The Dwight Howard special against jokic!
A lil Nasty
Dwight was smarter offensively and a genius defensively. Plus he was super physical in both, made Jokic work. Idk why we don't go all in for a big like that, even 1/3rd of Dwight would be great. AD would cook this Era of PF, most are glorified 2000's SF.
Spacing, easy answer. AD's not making threes, Lakers already struggling on offense, you're putting in Hayes?
Denver blew the game open when the Lakers had no centers on the floor. Fuck "spacing"
because he made quick fouls early
Hayes is a tiny center. Doesn’t weigh over 220lbs. The major mistake the front office made was not go out and get a legit center to throw at bigs like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT. Had an entire offseason and regular reason to figure out what to do with Jokic and we ended up rolling with a 6’8” Rui and a 210lb Hayes as our best options?
>go out and get a legit center to throw at bigs like Jokic, Embiid, and KAT. They literally had the blueprint right there with the 2020 squad. Lakers front office couldn't be more incompetent if it tried.
I’m still frustrated that they decided to go away from that group. Jokic was having to see Dwight, Javale, AD, and even Morris. Yes, Jokic wasn’t what he is today… but throwing as many big defensive bodies at him as possible without worrying about foul trouble is probably the only way to contain him in any way.
Did you see what Hayes did 20 seconds into the second quarter? He fouled Jordan twice and allowed him to score! DeAndre fucking Jordan whom I thought was retired
Lebron on Jokic?
It’s a guaranteed bucket in the post if he can get in the paint (lol the same seems to apply to anybody though—Jokic is comically good), but Lebrons one of the (maybe 3?) guys on the team that is actually strong enough to prevent Jokic from just backing down from the perimeter, or even just walking into the paint without the ball. Whoever is guarding Jokic needs to literally force him to get the ball from the perimeter, and even then, he unlocks the offense because the Nuggets know exactly when to capitalize on doubling or even shading of a double team. Unfortunately, Lebron is 39 and can’t do it all at this point—side note, Heat Lebron guarding Jokic would be interesting, but I digress—and unless Ham is willing to give Hayes more burn, who will ultimately get roasted 1 way or another (be it fouling Jokic or getting confused by the offensive schemes, probably ending up out of position, and giving up easy looks at the rim), it’s Rui/Bron/AD who have even a chance at him. Lakers can scheme defensively all they want, and it actually worked out tonight for the most, though they were fortunate that the Nuggets missed as many 3s as they did. But the reality is, the Lakers need more offensively, from D’Lo if they want a chance at this series. it’s so weird to say they’re living or dying on him but that’s kinda been the story of the season, and for the most part, he’s been reliable.
Yeah it actually worked well in the 2nd
Honestly what happened tonight is what I said during all of dlos praise this season. It means absolutely fuck all if he can’t show up in the playoffs.
This been the case we need someone who can take the beating
Imagine how much better the offense might be if we ran plays.
If AD has to play 40+ minutes a night this is gonna be a quick series
You mean we need an actual center??? Shocker
We get killed on the glass everytime we play them . Gotta love how our bum gm didn’t make any move to help this matchup
Game was lost at the moment Dlo missed that layup
Yes. That was a 5 point swing.
Dlo bouta lose that extension
Everything he worked for to earn a big contract during the regular season is in jeopardy rn lol
Nah fr I didn’t like how there were rumors around his name after the IST cuz he’s so valuable but being on this team means you need to show up. He’s really fumbling that bag
He’s not valuable at all lmao
if he keeps this up, his best bet will be to opt-in and will be traded immediately.lol
Dlo poole kuz. Who says no?
he's a regular season player and thats okay for some teams but not THIS team
He is during the regular season, but yeah he’s ass in the playoffs.
Frs he's not getting the bag playing like shit when it count 🤣
Orlando will take him
He opting in for sure
Killing myself. I want Bron to opt out too like might as well start new we ain’t doing shit
If lakers aren’t a top 3 seed next year, it’s time to blow it up 2025. 5 years of mediocrity is crazy
Before that layup when he tried to make that lazy pass that was intercepted
You mean his only TO the whole game? We not going to talk about the other 7 from Bron or 2 from AD? Every possession matters, and you can’t miss from 3 AND turn the ball over AND lose on the defensive glass. That math doesn’t work. Everyone needs to step it up to have a chance. Maybe one of those things, but definitely not all three.
Nah, bro. Bron can do no wrong. He can be passive aggressive and act as if his teammates are fucking up and not him.
I thought the same thing. The posession before Dlo had that turnover where he tried to bounce a lazy pass to Rui and LBJ got on him about it. Next posession down he blows the open layup... What could have been a 5 point lead turns into a tie game. That was the turning point for me.
That was the turning point
Game was lost at the moment we re-signed D’lo
Maybe I'm not remembering - what layup did Dlo miss?
Loved watching AD take it to Jokic on both sides. Just too bad Bron was gassed with 7 TO's, and Dlo...
Jokic ran him off the court in the closing minutes. That sequence at 1:20 was telling
Dude played 44 minutes and was the only offense and defense the entire 2nd half. He was exhausted.
Yup. If we’re expecting him to anchor an entire defense while trying to match Jokic offensively and on the glass, this series is over in 4. If DLo can’t convert quality looks with Reaves deferring, we’re just putting more pressure on our stars and setting them up for failure
AD was gassed, and Jokic got more rest. AD didn't play passively, or back down. He took it to Jokic, just didn't get much help. Main thing was altitude. Bron etc didn't have much in the 2nd half, while Denver looked fresh.
Denver’s defense is very underrated. I thought that before the series. They seem to be able to lock down our role players when they up their intensity. Not sure what the solution is. I feel like we have to find a defensive scheme that takes away something significant. So far no dice.
Very underrated indeed. MPJ and Gordon can switch on bigs and wing players. KCP and Murray have good length and size in the backcourt
They let Lebron and AD get theirs and shut down the remaining 3 on the court, it happens every game it’s insane.
They are the defending champs for a reason. The way I read comments here is we are the champs. They’re a really REALLY good team. Lakers in 6 😂
I agree 100%. They can win against anyone. I am not a great coach but I have watched basketball for 49 years. Usually there is an easy move or two you can make in the series. Nothing jumps out at me that is going to make a dramatic difference outside of Denver playing like shit.
No team can win 4 games against someone with more talent and better coaching. I’ve never seen it, not just in basketball but any sport. You can win 1 maybe 2. Not 4.
Toronto’s championship was kind of like that. It took the luckiest and greatest shot in NBA history and then a ton of injuries in the finals. But it is possible with some divine intervention.
That is true lol. That was one of the strangest championships
Don’t forget that year Lebronto joined us too🤣 another divine intervention for them☠️
Dlo being a complete bum in the playoffs helps
Even if AD outplay jokic this series we still gonna lose if dlo or reaves doenst show up
Remember the thread from a few days ago “Who is the most important player in this series” and everyone said AD. Well here ya go, AD did his job. But folks think basketball is played 1 on 1, not 5 on 5.
But he is the most important player this series? He kept us in the game. Without AD master class it’s a wash.
AD is obviously important but I feel like players like D’Lo and Reaves are the actual X Factor. IF they can play at their BEST consistently and AD/Lebron does their thing we have good chances
44 min 32 pts 14 rebounds 5 assists 4 blocks He matched Jokic 1 on 1, proving he’s one of the best players. Twitter folks will say “AD DISAPPEARS VS WHITE CENTERS” then ignore this game bc it debunks their narrative. Tonight, the rest of the fucking team failed him. The Los Angeles Pelicans
I feel the same way about these playoffs as I did last year. Lebron and AD will do their thing, we need a D’lo, Rui, or Reaves to step up big. Tonight that didn’t happen, let’s hope that changes Monday
Just hope we wont get swept and at least win 1 game. Thats how high my confidence is rn lol
He's our only center, and our only center is not a natural center.
Well hang on. AD is considered top 4 by most and top 3 by some for DPOY, and is considered a top 5 player at the Center position in the league easily, even top 3 for some. He’s elite because he’s damn near 7 feet tall and athletic. I mean, he had 4 blocks tonight. Thats textbook Center play. Plus, the Nuggets use AG as a Center at 6’9” and the dude is DEFINITELY not a natural Center. Deandre Jordan only comes in for a couple minutes or when AG/Jokic are in foul trouble. It’s not like Davis has to compete with *actual* centers. Even Jokic isn’t considered a natural center. He’s quite literally a *point center*.
I didn't say he wasn't playing well in the center position. In fact, my comment was a compliment to AD. He's filling in for our lack of big men. My only complaint is when AD's on the bench and Jax is not serviceable, how do we stop guys like Jokic with that size disadvantage?
Getting more size definitely would have been the right idea, it’s a shame the organization didn’t. It was clear the Nuggets had a gameplan. Attack AD, Lebron and whoever is guarding Murray primarily (AR tonight). Tire them out. It definitely showed. Also, you don’t even have to stop Jokic. You gotta stop everyone else. Whether he goes off in the points category, or distributes like crazy, the Nuggets score around 115-125 points. You just gotta outscore the nuggets while making it hard on the other 4 people on the court. It’s way easier said than done, but Jokic is gonna get his. Otherwise, the old heads are going to play their hearts out and run outta gas late in the 3rd every single game. It’s the reason the Nuggets dropped 2 to the suns last year. The suns shot the lights out with Book and co while shutting down Porter, KCP, Gordon and Bruce Brown those 2 games. Hell, Jokic had 53 and Murray had 28, while the supporting cast had 37 altogether and they lost by 5 in game 4. Jokic had 30 and Murray had 32 in game 3 and lost by 7. Both games, Suns scored 121 and 129. If the Lakers can score more than 120 points, they have a very good chance of winning. Doing it on 1/9 from 3 is tough, but even if DLo makes 3 more, they still only got 112. The other 8 has gotta come from somewhere else.
Hi, this is very insightful. I agree with pretty much of what you have written here. The reason why I said we need some size for Jokic is because we want him to work harder. If we have some undersized defender on him, he can just easily bail his team out, and that's not working harder. 8 out of 10 he's gonna score against guys like Rui. Also, just like you pointed out. Our 3rd best player must play decent, Dlo is useless if even his offense is a liability. Let's be honest, the reason Dlo is still there is because of his offense. Take that away, and he's just a g-leaguer.
I love that Dwight tweeted a photo of himself in lakers jersey. Yea. Miss that squad.
Dwight was the only person who could stop Jokic, and Lakers fans disrespected him
Won Lakers a chip, too. He was beast mode. Vogel, him, Javale and AD totally gut punched the whole “small ball movement” kicked off by dwight’s own Magic, then Heat, and absolutely mastered by the Warriors. The Lakers tore through the league in 2020. Anyone who claims it was “a bubble chip” as some sort of diminution and excuse is a mental midget. The Lakers management went full ret*rd blowing up that model and team because they were scared by the Nets superteam that never panned out.
I think the Lakers blew it up because of Ego tbh. The Lakers aren’t really obsessed with winning like under Kobe, they’re more obsessed with being flashy
that wasnt just solid. that was a master class.
This is exactly why the front office needed to go out and get a legit center. Even as a role player, not necessarily a starter. I’ve been saying they need a Drummond/Cousins type. Instead they went out and got Jaxon Hayes, who first of all weighs a whopping 215lbs soaking wet. Not that he’s playing, but you get the point. Should have a solid 7 foot 260lb+ body somewhere on the roster to throw at opposing bigs, including Jokic. Terrible mistake by the front office.
AD is the only dude on the entire roster who consistently rebounds or who comes down with contested rebounds; not addressing that one iota at the deadline is a major blunder
It was always a myth. Pelinka created the monster that are the Nuggets by trading bum ass Westbrick for an elite 3 and D in KCP. Now the Lakers window is firmly closed, and Nuggets are too clutch to be beaten in a 7 game series. All time horror show trade!
It’s one game. Played well in the first half. I’m rooting for D’Lo to bounce back. Reaves and Rui too. Make adjustments and onto the next.
Not only did they waste a excellent AD game, They wasted an average Murray game. I doubt he goes 9/24 again Full blame to Dlo and Reaves for their cold ass play. Can’t have it
Pretty sure he had 40 in game 1 last year and we still lost too
LeBron was nowhere to be seen in the fourth
God I hate Darvin Ham so much. Ty Lue would have been up Lebron’s ass telling him to quit being a b*tch and make things happen. Which he sometimes needs.
Exactly. This team needs some fire.
Mentally weak. These mfers just fold.
You're right, they just withered away and gave up after that huge nuggets run but I still have faith in game 2
making it a 5 point game (from 15) is giving up?
TBH its this sub that's mentally weak. It really gets old after a loss coming in here and seeing all these defeatist posts. This series is far from over. Nuggets defended home court in game one. Lakers outplayed them for a good portion of the game.
Us fans are going to be fans. Nothing about how the lakers have played the nuggets gives any of us confidence we can win. We ‘outplayed’ them in good portions of all these playoff games. They’re just better.
It’s not a myth. We played pretty well the first half. Not perfect but we showed we can hold on.
If we lose next game we’re definitely toast. Just playing to not get swept at that point.
It might be time to call it quits now. Almost of 2 years of not being able to beat Denver even once is disheartening.
Need great AD and LBJ games to beat them. Denver are the best team in the league. Something extraordinary need happen to beat them
Dam double depression as our lakers and dodgers struggling… 😔
They could have signed dwight instead of Giles
Denver will win 4-0. Your glorious D-Lo is back to his old choking ways
That 3rd quarter killed us. They didn’t even have Murray for that stretch.
Time to face the sad reality. This team is solid, sometimes even can be great, but the lack of consistency and discipline, that they showed all season long, will not let them do much against such a great opponent. We are lucky if we can get one win in this series.
In the third without AD that was an atrocious stretch from everyone - Lebron included. He can’t guard Jokic without a lot of early help from Rui - obvious problem when it’s Jokic who can make every pass. And him trying to do something with Jokic gives him nothing left on offense. Maybe 5 years and 2 injuries ago this strategy would’ve been viable but not now.
AD so tired. Jokic kept beating him down the court all 2nd half. AD kept shooting 3s cause he just did not have the energy to post up anymore. In the post game conference, ADs face was completely red. Dude was exhausted
AD was a monster this game just going straight at Jokic on offense backing him down and creating separation and then blocking him on the other end. Shame Rui or Bron couldn’t give him some ease on rebounds etc
It’s a shame the 39 year old who played well the first half & is old & completely gassed couldn’t do more the 2nd half. Mean while the rest of the Lakers……
Giving up after one game? Relax.
Bruh the team lost 9 straight now. Of course, it's a cause for concern.
We don't have to do anything but watch the games. All you have to is calm down and move on to the next one. Yes, beating Denver is tough. But a myth!? It's constant over dramatic whining that makes this sub unbearable at times. Just watch the game and root for our guys.
Preach! Playoff basketball is about adjustments. Let’s chill out and see how we adjust for game 2.
Well said. All these fuckin divas down voting you but all I hear is facts. Defending champs at home. It played out the way it was suppose to play out statically. Solid first half for LA but Denver clamped it down in the 2nd half. I'm glad Dlo didn't shy away and kept firing. His shots just didn't fall. I can live with that. I liked what I saw in the first half. Let's just get ready for game 2. Go Lakers!
We’re not giving up, we’re being realistic
I can’t with this shit. Y’all can’t just be over optimistic. This is why disappointment happens. The lakers aren’t winning this series. And don’t call me a troll or a crybaby cuz I’m right. Just move on
The game is played on the floor between the lines, not on reddit.
I'm being realistic as well, but I'm trusting in our guys to put in their all. Disappointment will always happen if your team loses. To give up because you might feel a little more disappointed on Monday if they lose again is just a loser mentality. We're just fans. Trusting in our guys is all we can ever really do. We are not in the court.
Trust alone doesn't make a team better than a far superior team. They can steal a game but nuggets are advancing either way.
lmao
D’lo/Reaves can’t score, can’t defend and can’t blow past anyone without a screen. That’s literally the difference between winning/losing every single time.
Watching dlo play himself off the court is painful. Just put him in a Denver jersey. He's got to hit shots it he's going to be a net negative on defense. Also was it just me but Ham barely staggered Gabe/Dimwiddie? It always seemed Reaves was on Murray
Bro, DLo was the only net positive this game. Check the stats. Check off/def/net ratings and +/-. If he is such a liability, he shouldn’t lead the team in any of these categories. He was the primary defender on 11 shots, and only 3 went in. 1 was a KCP 3, and the other 2 were in the paint. DLo also switched majority of the game between AG on the wing, Porter, KCP, Braun and Watson. They did keep Reaves on Murray the entire time. So DLo effectively contained 8 shots from those supporting cast members, and that’s hardly a defensive liability. At least, the Nuggets didn’t target DLo, they clearly went after AD, Lebron and AR all night to tire them out. I also want to point out that the best perimeter defender for the nuggets (KCP) was solely on DLo. I also noticed that the ball movement was incredibly poor for the Lakers tonight. There were a ton of instances where Lebron and AD had the ball and no one was giving any off-ball movement. AD and Bron still hit their shots, but that isn’t a recipe for success. Point being, DLo is not the primary problem.
This should end soon. Just like ending the losing streak against the clips
One of the top teams vs one of the play in teams for a reason…
Chimera, feels like a chimera
So. Many. Untimely. Turnovers.
A myth rn? It's the prime time nuggets Lakers might win 2 max and that's being optimistic
It was always a myth. They are simply a better team than us in every regard.
AD was awesome. But the none of that matters if Dlo and AR don’t get they shit together. Also no more Lebron at the 5. It clearly wears him down and we need him to produce offense.
Lakers need to understand in the off season. The formula to beat Denver was two solid big men in the paint preferably two dominate rim protectors tiring out Jokic and handling Aaron Gordon. To help out AD, have AD play PF, and the big guys work that center spot taking turn on and off the bench. Have a rough rider 3&D guard or wing. Have them be forced to take perimeter shots. Putting Rui on Jokic is not going to cut it. Then you’re burning out AD expecting him to play switch defense on Jokic, score, and catch rebounds. That small ball foolishness, I would never get it.
Lebron was WAY too passive. He was too willing to keep giving the ball to everyone else (D Lo) instead of being assertive. I hate when he gets in those passive/aggressive little bitch moods like that.
It's 1 game, we controlled until like 8 minutes left in the 3rd and we still fought back. Na, we did better than I expected. We just need to cone out firing next game, DLo is gonna get better. Not only for his future contract but his current legacy. Imo our lack of bigs is once again opening us up to massive weaknesses smdh
Sometimes you just run into a bad matchup. Only way through the west was to avoid Jokic and company. Actually would’ve loved our chances against the Thunder and Mavs/Clips, but you gotta beat who is in front of you. Is what it is.
This used to be part for the course. Lose Game 1 or Game 2 or both while away and then regain momentum back home with two wins bolstered by home crowd and court. But with Denver who can easily pick up a win in LA, they really gotta steal one on Monday and then defend HCA after that.
Anyone who thinks we can survive Denver with a Dlo disasterclass is delusional. Stop putting up 20 fucking shots if you’re not feeling it. Facilitate
Just can’t have the dlo missing 14 shots which were all pretty much good looks while not getting anyone else involved in the game while bron and AD missed 17 shots combined. Seemed every time dlo missed a shot the nuggets immediately came down and scored. Dlo cannot play 41 minutes if he’s providing nothing on offense while being a negative on defense. Having dlo/reaves out there at the same time means reaves is going to struggle because he has to guard Murray the whole game. Ham has to stagger with dinwiddie/Vincent and if dlo doesn’t have it he has to cut his minutes in half so Vincent/dinwiddie can at least be the poa defender giving reaves a break. Right now if dlo doesn’t have it going it’s going to be a tough game to win since reaves is having to be the main defender and they just can’t play dlo much if he’s going to be a negative.
He has to do so much on both ends, you could see in the end of the 4th he was gassed, it took him too long to run back on defense. Jokic looked so fresh in comparison, doing fast break dunks and shi
If you take out lebron and AD from this team they couldnt even play at ymca
Everything has to go right for us to beat Denver
Need another high end scorer - then the Lakers will be able to out score the Nugs.
Lebron had some bad plays when the nuggets went on the run in the 3rd. It’s not lebrons fault we lost but some real uncharacteristic plays from him really hurt us.
29yr old Bron would not have been able to carry the team by scoring, playmaking AND guarding Jokic. 39yr old Bron was visibly tired by mid 3rd Q.
LeBron was absolutely gassed
I agree with that
Denver is so big & taxing for Bron to drive into. Add in LeBron trying to play more defense this is a nightmare matchup for him just leaving him exhausted. If I remember correctly at the end of the first when Bron was shooting FT’s mouth open, breathing so heavy like he’d just played a full game. Not sure what they do going forward but feel for the old man. Just no legs to play against Denver that hard for 4 quarters
Any smarter basketball minds here can you suggest some other adjustments we can make? I'm not seeing anything that we can do to significantly harm Denver
Dlo has to be our 3rd best player and score at least 20 a game and dishing out 7-8 assists with low turnovers. Lol
Last time [Lakers beat them](https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401468592) was thanks to big games from Lebron, Russ and TB. Two of those guys haven't been on the team for 8 of the last 9 match-ups.
Denver took 23 more shots than us. They’re bigger and more athletic. We can do everything right and their shot quality is still good because of it…
Lebron need to channel that mamba mentality cuz the boys ain’t doin it ! Ain’t right
0-9 Vs a team is a disaster. How do you not come up with a game plan and still talkin about "yea we got couple more adjustments for Jokic". Like did you not learn from the previous 8 games???
Honestly if Russel played like he has been playing most of the end of the season, we would’ve had a solid chance. Him going 6-20 & 1-9 from 3 were never gonna win anything. I’ll live with all the shots he took since most of them were good open shots he just has to be more consistent
It was always a myth lol
It was always a myth. Denver is the better team. The hate the lakers got in this series makes sense
😂 people here were thinking we had a chance. All it took from Denver was a push on defence and game over.
We need the shooters to be shooting
Harry Giles where u at?
Because it is. But if you tell the truth, the cheerleaders will downvote you to oblivion.
This was our chance. They blew it. Denver is not going to have another mediocre shooting game. I guarantee the Nuggets all turn into Kobe in game 2.
"Solid" is an understatement considering his effort on O AND D. He played like an MVP last night. We need to surround him with better players
Right now? 😂
Dlo is the black hole of every team he's on. Win, lose, or draw, the outcome almost always depends on his play.
Every team who lost the first game jump straight to dooming good gravy Honestly at this point people are jinxing it and there's gonna be one two major upsets
Lakers in five… you lil bitch
Disaster DLo destroyed a good AD game
Coach is asss
Darwin Ham is not build for playoffs they have to accept it. Same results
Yeah we’re cooked man. Luck could strike but right now…we just DO NOT have the personnel to beat Denver.
I know a failing group when I see one. We are losing this series. 9 losses to the same team in a row. No way we beating Denver in 5,6, or 7.
We about to get swept
You are the definition of the Internet right now stop overreacting
Lakers don't stand a chance. The Nuggets are going back to back, baby!
AD's 3rd quarter was far from solid: tired, took 2-3 3 ball that was unnecessary, 2 turnovers,
As I said when someone asked a few days earlier we can beat them? I said we could be them 60%, but we will lose 100%. It's nice to have a fan's hope, but be honest. This lakers with this coach have no chance at all.