Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Let's get started in the NBA and the race for
the players. With just a few weeks left in the
regular season. Did y'all see what happened to the Los
Angeles Lakers last night? I know you saw it, because
I know I saw it. LA was up with just
ten seconds left in the game when the Bulls stole
and then bound passed from Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Kobe White got the ball drained the three.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The Lakers scored in an Austin Reeves drive to go
up o one with under four seconds left, and then
off the end bounced bass mister Josh Giddy, formerly of
the Oklahoma City thunder nails a buzz up beating half
court heave over Lebron James to win the game for
the Chicago Bulls. Now, the Lakers are now four and
six in their last ten games and currently hold a
(00:46):
number four seed in the West via tiebreaker over the Grizzlies,
who have the same record at forty four and twenty nine.
Some breaking news for y'all probably won't be breaking by
the time this post, but the Memphis Grizzlies have just
fired their coach, Taylor Jenkins.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They've just fired them.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Okay, they're tied with the Los Angeles Lakers, battling for
a fourth or fifth slot in the Western Conference. Really
a fourth spot because Grizzlies at the fifth spot right now,
even though they're have an ithentical record to the Los
Angeles Lakers and Taylor Jenkins, who I think is a
pretty damn good coach. You only got about nine games
left in the season. Why the hell would you let
him go?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Now?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Then I looked at some numbers, and I'm sad that
he's gone. All right, But here's the flip side. I
think they're like four and fifteen against the top seven teams,
top seven seeds in the Western Conference playoff Pitcher, all Right,
they're winless against the Oklahoma City Thunder this year. They're
one and three against the Rockets, they're owing three against
the Clippers. They're one and two against teams like the Warriors. Okay,
(01:43):
and then you look at it. Then you look at
them against the Denver Nuggets, they're one and two as well.
You're looking at this team the way they've been struggling
since the All Star break, like an eleven or nineteen record,
can't seem to get things going. They felt like now
was the time for change under the players attach a
level of urgency.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I saw the injuries and what have you.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
John Moran's been out, Jereed Jackson Junior has been out.
We get that part. And John Moran hasn't looked the
same this year. He's looked at it in moments in spurts.
We all know what an electrifying talent he is, but
the Ja Moran that used to be in terms of
how he would just literally take over.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I think if he was having a great year.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Not to say he's awful, because he's Job Moran, it's impossible,
but if he had a greaty year, I don't think
Taylor Jenkins would be gone. They can talk about development
or lack they're well for the younger players and all
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I get out of that, But to fire.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
The man nine games left in the season, you know,
and he's going to the playoffs, he's a fifth seed
right now didn't seem to make that much sense to me.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But when you look at.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
His record against some of those top tier teams, maybe
that's what they're saying. Maybe that's what they're looking at,
and maybe that's the conclusion that they reached. Let me
get back to the Lakers, because here's what we're talking
about right now.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Lakers in a world of trouble. And I'm gonna tell
you why.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Because before James goes down against Boston a couple of
weeks ago and suffered that groin injury, not only were
the Lakers winning basketball games, the Lakers were considered one
of the top two teams in the Western Conference. It
was a four gone conclusion in a lot of our
eyes that they would beat Denver, whose depth we've questioned,
that they would beat the Houston Rockets, whose youth we questioned,
(03:20):
that they would beat a team like the Los Angeles Clippers, who,
by the way, is playing good ball, and James Harden
is really doing this thing, and Norman Powell has been
a stud and Todd Lucan coaches ass off and then
you got Jeff Van Gundy, who's really upgraded their defense exponentially.
But the flip side to it is that Kawhi Leonard
has missed fifteen of his nineteen let the Clippers. Fifteen
(03:42):
of the last nineteen playoff games for the Clippers, Kawhi
Leonard has missed, so nobody has faith that he's going
to be somebody that you could trust to rely upon
for the Los Angeles Clippers, no matter how good he
may be looking right now, nobody's gonna trust that, okay,
Which brings us back.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
To the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
If you're the Los Angeles Lakers, you were supposed to
be looking it and saying, yo, they in a good spot.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
They had a good spot.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
But then Lebron goes down, and after he goes down,
everything seems they're falling apart. Yeah, we had Luca doing
his thing and be a more assertive offensively, but we're
looking at the Lakers as a defensive unit and they've
tailed off to some degree. Okay, for eight weeks they
were top rated defense in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Now you're looking at them and wondering what the hell
is going on?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
So you got that business, and then on top of
it all, you turn around and not only having that situation,
you gotta look at it from the standpoint that you
know what, one of nine from three point range in
the fourth quarter, that's what the Lakers shot Thursday night
against the Bulls, one to nine from three point range
(04:46):
eleven percent. Meanwhile, a Bulls shot eleven or fourteen seventy
nine percent.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Where's this defense? Going.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Austin Reeves was bawling. Made that shot with under four
seconds left. The Brother might be the best third option
in the NBA. Had thirty last night, ten to seven.
He's shooting all seven free throws three or nine for
three point ranges. The Brother can play. Austin Reeves is
a special talent. He's really showing out. And props to
JJ Redick in his staff with the Los Angeles Lakers
for looking the way that they're looking with them. But
right now, we got to ask ourselves that question. When
(05:13):
you look at the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers,
it is such a huge, huge question mark right now
because as my man, Big Perk, Kendrick Perkins said to me,
if you look at Lebron James, from what his sources
tell him, he's not one hundred percent healthy. He's only
at about seventy five to eighty percent. Luca plays no defense.
Perk keeps bringing up the statistic. He's absolutely right. Blowbids,
(05:36):
meaning opponents blowing by you. As a defender. Nobody gets
blown by more in the NBA than Luca Doncik. Since
he's become a Los Angeles Laker, he's leading the league
in blowbods, so that's compromising your defense as well. And
as a result, the Los Angeles Lakers don't look like
a shehult in themselves. So here we are ladies and gentlemen.
(05:57):
Even though when Luca first arrived he said the Los
Angeles Lakers are gonna be severely compromised because of defense,
because Anthony Davis is being gone. Over time, we looked
at them and said, you know what, this hope, this
aspirations for this team. They could get to the Western
Conference finals. Now we're looking at them and we're saying,
wait a minute. If you finished as a fourth or
(06:18):
fifth seed being one and three since Lebron has returned,
if you sit up there and you're gonna be in
a situation where you end up as a fourth seed
or a fifth seed, that means that first round series
you're in jeopardy of not having the home court advantage
in it number two. Even if you were to face
(06:40):
the Methodist Grizzlies and you ended up beating them, you'd
get Oklahoma City in the second round, and nobody thinks
you're gonna beat them. So the Lakers could go home
before the conference finals if they fall to a sixth seed,
and they were locked in at the number sixth spot
and had to go against number three Denver. Suddenly people
(07:01):
look at them and say, wait a minute, yo, kitchen,
those brothers would beat them.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
So you got all of that going on.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So the Lakers have gone from looking like a bona
five big time threat to come out of the West
and at the least get in the way and have
a face off against Oklahoma City Thunder, and in the
span of a week and a half to two weeks
they've disintegrated from that too. You going home in the
first of the second round. That's what we looking at
(07:28):
right now. That's what we looking at right now. And
by the way, just a couple of stats. Lakers starting
five last night Thursday night shot a collective eight for
thirty one from three from deep.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
That's only twenty six percent.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
In the four games since Lebron James's return, the Lakers
are one to three and have the fourth words defensive
rating in the league during this stretch, allowing one hundred
and twenty six point eight points per one hundred possessions.
They got outscored forty four to twenty six in the
fourth quarter. And oh, by the way, In those last
four games, the Lakers have been a minus thirteen, minus fourteen,
(08:03):
minus twelve, and minus nine with Luca and Lebron on
the court, and they've been outscored by a total of
forty eight points with Lebron and Luca on the court together.
Lebron might have had a brain fought in Chicago last night,
but we know that's not something he will customarily do.
It happens Luca being blown by Luca not playing defense,
(08:26):
Luca not be seeming in good enough shape is a
different problem and a different animal altogether. It's something that
we all need to pay attention to, and we cannot
ignore
Let's get started in the NBA and the race for
the players. With just a few weeks left in the
regular season. Did y'all see what happened to the Los
Angeles Lakers last night? I know you saw it, because
I know I saw it. LA was up with just
ten seconds left in the game when the Bulls stole
and then bound passed from Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Kobe White got the ball drained the three.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
The Lakers scored in an Austin Reeves drive to go
up o one with under four seconds left, and then
off the end bounced bass mister Josh Giddy, formerly of
the Oklahoma City thunder nails a buzz up beating half
court heave over Lebron James to win the game for
the Chicago Bulls. Now, the Lakers are now four and
six in their last ten games and currently hold a
(00:46):
number four seed in the West via tiebreaker over the Grizzlies,
who have the same record at forty four and twenty nine.
Some breaking news for y'all probably won't be breaking by
the time this post, but the Memphis Grizzlies have just
fired their coach, Taylor Jenkins.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They've just fired them.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
Okay, they're tied with the Los Angeles Lakers, battling for
a fourth or fifth slot in the Western Conference. Really
a fourth spot because Grizzlies at the fifth spot right now,
even though they're have an ithentical record to the Los
Angeles Lakers and Taylor Jenkins, who I think is a
pretty damn good coach. You only got about nine games
left in the season. Why the hell would you let
him go?
Speaker 2 (01:19):
Now?
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Then I looked at some numbers, and I'm sad that
he's gone. All right, But here's the flip side. I
think they're like four and fifteen against the top seven teams,
top seven seeds in the Western Conference playoff Pitcher, all Right,
they're winless against the Oklahoma City Thunder this year. They're
one and three against the Rockets, they're owing three against
the Clippers. They're one and two against teams like the Warriors. Okay,
(01:43):
and then you look at it. Then you look at
them against the Denver Nuggets, they're one and two as well.
You're looking at this team the way they've been struggling
since the All Star break, like an eleven or nineteen record,
can't seem to get things going. They felt like now
was the time for change under the players attach a
level of urgency.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
I saw the injuries and what have you.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
John Moran's been out, Jereed Jackson Junior has been out.
We get that part. And John Moran hasn't looked the
same this year. He's looked at it in moments in spurts.
We all know what an electrifying talent he is, but
the Ja Moran that used to be in terms of
how he would just literally take over.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
I think if he was having a great year.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Not to say he's awful, because he's Job Moran, it's impossible,
but if he had a greaty year, I don't think
Taylor Jenkins would be gone. They can talk about development
or lack they're well for the younger players and all
that stuff.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I get out of that, But to fire.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
The man nine games left in the season, you know,
and he's going to the playoffs, he's a fifth seed
right now didn't seem to make that much sense to me.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
But when you look at.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
His record against some of those top tier teams, maybe
that's what they're saying. Maybe that's what they're looking at,
and maybe that's the conclusion that they reached. Let me
get back to the Lakers, because here's what we're talking
about right now.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
Lakers in a world of trouble. And I'm gonna tell
you why.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
Because before James goes down against Boston a couple of
weeks ago and suffered that groin injury, not only were
the Lakers winning basketball games, the Lakers were considered one
of the top two teams in the Western Conference. It
was a four gone conclusion in a lot of our
eyes that they would beat Denver, whose depth we've questioned,
that they would beat the Houston Rockets, whose youth we questioned,
(03:20):
that they would beat a team like the Los Angeles Clippers, who,
by the way, is playing good ball, and James Harden
is really doing this thing, and Norman Powell has been
a stud and Todd Lucan coaches ass off and then
you got Jeff Van Gundy, who's really upgraded their defense exponentially.
But the flip side to it is that Kawhi Leonard
has missed fifteen of his nineteen let the Clippers. Fifteen
(03:42):
of the last nineteen playoff games for the Clippers, Kawhi
Leonard has missed, so nobody has faith that he's going
to be somebody that you could trust to rely upon
for the Los Angeles Clippers, no matter how good he
may be looking right now, nobody's gonna trust that, okay,
Which brings us back.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
To the Lakers.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
If you're the Los Angeles Lakers, you were supposed to
be looking it and saying, yo, they in a good spot.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
They had a good spot.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
But then Lebron goes down, and after he goes down,
everything seems they're falling apart. Yeah, we had Luca doing
his thing and be a more assertive offensively, but we're
looking at the Lakers as a defensive unit and they've
tailed off to some degree. Okay, for eight weeks they
were top rated defense in the NBA.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
Now you're looking at them and wondering what the hell
is going on?
Speaker 1 (04:24):
So you got that business, and then on top of
it all, you turn around and not only having that situation,
you gotta look at it from the standpoint that you
know what, one of nine from three point range in
the fourth quarter, that's what the Lakers shot Thursday night
against the Bulls, one to nine from three point range
(04:46):
eleven percent. Meanwhile, a Bulls shot eleven or fourteen seventy
nine percent.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Where's this defense? Going.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Austin Reeves was bawling. Made that shot with under four
seconds left. The Brother might be the best third option
in the NBA. Had thirty last night, ten to seven.
He's shooting all seven free throws three or nine for
three point ranges. The Brother can play. Austin Reeves is
a special talent. He's really showing out. And props to
JJ Redick in his staff with the Los Angeles Lakers
for looking the way that they're looking with them. But
right now, we got to ask ourselves that question. When
(05:13):
you look at the legitimacy of the Los Angeles Lakers,
it is such a huge, huge question mark right now
because as my man, Big Perk, Kendrick Perkins said to me,
if you look at Lebron James, from what his sources
tell him, he's not one hundred percent healthy. He's only
at about seventy five to eighty percent. Luca plays no defense.
Perk keeps bringing up the statistic. He's absolutely right. Blowbids,
(05:36):
meaning opponents blowing by you. As a defender. Nobody gets
blown by more in the NBA than Luca Doncik. Since
he's become a Los Angeles Laker, he's leading the league
in blowbods, so that's compromising your defense as well. And
as a result, the Los Angeles Lakers don't look like
a shehult in themselves. So here we are ladies and gentlemen.
(05:57):
Even though when Luca first arrived he said the Los
Angeles Lakers are gonna be severely compromised because of defense,
because Anthony Davis is being gone. Over time, we looked
at them and said, you know what, this hope, this
aspirations for this team. They could get to the Western
Conference finals. Now we're looking at them and we're saying,
wait a minute. If you finished as a fourth or
(06:18):
fifth seed being one and three since Lebron has returned,
if you sit up there and you're gonna be in
a situation where you end up as a fourth seed
or a fifth seed, that means that first round series
you're in jeopardy of not having the home court advantage
in it number two. Even if you were to face
(06:40):
the Methodist Grizzlies and you ended up beating them, you'd
get Oklahoma City in the second round, and nobody thinks
you're gonna beat them. So the Lakers could go home
before the conference finals if they fall to a sixth seed,
and they were locked in at the number sixth spot
and had to go against number three Denver. Suddenly people
(07:01):
look at them and say, wait a minute, yo, kitchen,
those brothers would beat them.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
So you got all of that going on.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So the Lakers have gone from looking like a bona
five big time threat to come out of the West
and at the least get in the way and have
a face off against Oklahoma City Thunder, and in the
span of a week and a half to two weeks
they've disintegrated from that too. You going home in the
first of the second round. That's what we looking at
(07:28):
right now. That's what we looking at right now. And
by the way, just a couple of stats. Lakers starting
five last night Thursday night shot a collective eight for
thirty one from three from deep.
Speaker 2 (07:39):
That's only twenty six percent.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
In the four games since Lebron James's return, the Lakers
are one to three and have the fourth words defensive
rating in the league during this stretch, allowing one hundred
and twenty six point eight points per one hundred possessions.
They got outscored forty four to twenty six in the
fourth quarter. And oh, by the way, In those last
four games, the Lakers have been a minus thirteen, minus fourteen,
(08:03):
minus twelve, and minus nine with Luca and Lebron on
the court, and they've been outscored by a total of
forty eight points with Lebron and Luca on the court together.
Lebron might have had a brain fought in Chicago last night,
but we know that's not something he will customarily do.
It happens Luca being blown by Luca not playing defense,
(08:26):
Luca not be seeming in good enough shape is a
different problem and a different animal altogether. It's something that
we all need to pay attention to, and we cannot
ignore
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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