March 9, 2025 • 32 mins
Nick Wright reacts to the Boston Celtics' 111-101 win over LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Nick breaks down the impact of LeBron's injury as well as Jayson Tatum's superstar performance in Boston's big win. Later, Nick shares his thoughts on LeBron confronting Stephen A. Smith regarding Bronny James. #Volume #Herd
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome in What's Right with Nick Wright. Another emergency pod
following a really important Laker game. This one did not
go the Lakers way and the loss might be the
least of their worries. Celtics one eleven, Lakers won oh one.
This might be the shortest pod we've ever done, but
I wanted to do something here because I'm about to
(00:21):
get on a plane to go to Vegas on this
very channel. If you're watching on YouTube Monday, you're gonna
be able to watch me play in a live cash
game at the Poker Ghost Studios and then I'll be
back in New York and back doing this show Tuesday morning.
Gonna do first things first from Vegas. So very busy
next thirty six hours for me. But Lebron James Tweaks
(00:44):
is growing. I'm gonna call it Tweaks is growing because
Sham's just reported one to two weeks is what they're
looking at.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
So here's what we want to do on the Today's
Show very.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Quickly, the game last night, the impact of Lebron's injury,
and then in we haven't talked to you since Lebron confronted.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I think that's a fair word. Steven A.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
At the previous Laker game against the Knicks, and I
do think that that I guess we have talked to
you since then. We haven't talked to you since that
video came out. I do think that is worth a
few minutes because I might have some details on that
that have not been publicly shared that I think I'm
within my rights to share. So I will share those,
(01:29):
but first the game. We'll get to Lebron just a minute,
because I want to give credit where it's due. Tatum
was phenomenal. Tatum.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
You look, even if you don't watch the game, you
look at the box.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Score, forty twelve and eight, playing big minutes, forty five minutes,
barely resting. He was outstanding and as good as Jalen
Brown was. And Jalen Brown hit a huge three late
when the game had been cut to four. He finished
with thirty one and six. I actually thought the most
(01:58):
impressive Celtic other than Tatum was Al Horford Horford who
kept getting put out on an island with Luke a Ancic,
and Horford held his own as well as any guy
his age. Any thirty eight year old not named Lebron
James could have been asked to do. Horford did it,
and Missoula after the game gave him a ton of
(02:18):
credit and he deserved a ton of credit.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I mean Luca, So I'll get to Luca in a second.
But the Tatum was great the Celtics. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
If you're a Celtics fan, the Celtics were awesome. It's
the best version of the Celtics. You saw it last night.
I think you'll see that again on Wednesday. Wednesday, the
Celtics play the Thunder. I think they will be amped
for that game. After that, you look at their schedule,
you might not see a fully locked in, fully motivated
(02:53):
Celtics team until Round two of the playoffs. You might
after Saturday night and then this coming Wednesday. That.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Let me put it like this, If.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
The Celtics don't play well Wednesday, and I think they will,
Saturday might be the last time you see them play
great for two months because they're not gonna have to
the after Oklahoma City. The schedule is Miami, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Utah, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix,
San Antonio, Memphis, Miami, Phoenix, Washington, New York, Orlando, Charlotte, Charlotte.
(03:25):
Maybe that New York game late in the year. But
I also could see the Celtics, you know, kind of
holding some things back in that game because that's probably
gonna be the round two matchup. But the Celtics showed
you yesterday, particularly in that third quarter, is that championship gear.
They still have it, And not that many of us
(03:46):
doubted they had it. But this is why a lot
of us, hand up, myself included, have considered the Celtics,
not the Calves, the real favorites in the East all
year long. So the Celtics serve massive credit. They got that.
They got the victory by dominating the Lakers in the
third quarter. There was a moment I thought the Lakers
(04:06):
might be able to steal it, a really soft I
thought foul on a three pointer on Derek White when
it was down to four is what allowed the Celtics
to kind of, you know, never have the Lakers have
the ball with a chance to cut to one possession
after that great third quarter, So Celtics win. They're seven
back of the one and seven up on the three,
(04:28):
so they are just locked into the three line. Now
to the Lakers side, Listen, Lebron got hurt and his
demeanor after the game tells me he doesn't think this
is a month long injury, and the Sham's report that
(04:49):
they're going to give it a couple of days to
calm down and then they're going to reevaluate in one
to two weeks tells me he hopefully would be back
by the end of the month. So they have a
road trae the Lakers have a tough schedule.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, they have a tough schedule the rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I think it's the third toughest schedule the rest of
the way. Now, I am obviously, you know, maybe biased
on this because I am going to Memphis twenty days
from now to three weeks from today. I guess there's
another way to put it. To see grizzlyes Lakers. I
obviously would hope Lebron would be back by then. It
(05:32):
wouldn't shock me if they have him come back after
that for the homestand but one to two weeks means
maybe he's back way earlier than that.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I don't think this is anything like a death.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Now for the Lakers, and I even think there is
a slight bright side that I'll get to in a moment.
What it does mean, however, is their ability to hold
on to the two seed, which they loss last night,
is very tenuous, and their chances of falling from the
three line are certainly in play now. I don't think
(06:10):
they can fall further than the four five right now,
so everyone knows the standings. Denver's forty one and twenty two,
the Lakers are forty and twenty two, the Grizzlies are
thirty nine and twenty four, and the Rockets are thirty
nine and twenty five. You then get to the Warriors,
who have twenty eight losses, so you don't have to
worry about them falling to the six, but not a
(06:33):
big margin of error. Even though Memphis has not been
playing well lately, so that neither of the Rockets really
so that helps them out.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
But the schedule's not easy.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
At Brooklyn should be able to handle that game, then
at Milwaukee at Denver, and then Phoenix San Antonio, Denver
at home, Milwaukee at home, and then it softens up
a bit. So these next couple weeks where they should
be without Lebron James gonna be in a tough spot. Now.
(07:04):
Where they deserve credit is the first half last night
and then even when they were trying to make the
fourth quarter comeback. They're without their two tallest rotation players
in Ruy and Jackson Hayes, So you just had everyone
kind of playing out a position, and it felt to
me like despite that, they mostly held their own Defensively,
(07:29):
it was the Celtics defense and the Lakers' offense not
being able to get it going. That was the difference
in the game. And that's where the Celtics deserve a
lot of credit. And listen, Lucas still got thirty four,
but Luca only had three assists and Luca, now, some
of that was this guy's missing shots, but they did
a good job of making sure Luca couldn't just be
(07:52):
the pre eminent creator for the Lakers, and it's why
the Lakers often struggled. There are some Laker fans who
I'm noticing are already like man, Luca seems to be laboring.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Luca doesn't. Is he injured?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
As someone who has watched you know, as much Luca
Nachi since he came to the league as anyone alive, really,
let me tell you, Luca appearing to be banged up
is just Luca. He's always kind of limping, He's always
kind of laboring. He's always got that kind of sour
(08:32):
ah look on his face. It's just who he is
and it's not something anyone really should be too shocked by. Okay,
So I wouldn't read too much into that. I would
just say that that is what it is, so to
speak that that is. Luca is very rarely one hundred
(08:56):
percent healthy. So here is the potent Joe brightside to
Lebron missing a little bit of time, You're still we
still haven't gotten the full Lukadncic experience.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
And I still think there.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Is a level of even though Luke had the ball,
has had the ball in his hand a ton the
last few games, the twenty two shots against the Celtics,
twenty three against the Knicks, twenty two against the Clippers
a week before, it still feels like there's a little
bit The only game it really felt to me like, oh,
(09:37):
that's the Luke I'm used to was the New Orleans
game where he had thirty eight and fifteen And the
fifteen assists is the number I'm you know, really looking at.
And maybe with Lebron out, you're going to get a
little taste of a little more of that. And then
(09:58):
when Lebron comes back that you're gonna get more Luca
as the clear cut number one, Lebron as the best
number two, imaginable one other thing on Luca, then I
want to get back to Lebron. Jokich had a thirty
(10:19):
twenty twenty game, and folks are wondering if that's gonna
win him the MVP award. That would really listen. I
felt this way about the NFL MVP this year, and
I'm glad the voters got it write and gave it
to Josh. Two years ago, Josh Allen had far better
stats than Lamar, but Lamar's team won, it fell and
(10:44):
Lamar's team had the better record. Lamar's team was the
one seed, and we said Lamar's the MVP. Okay, last year,
Luca had the best stats in basketball by a lot.
He was thirty four, nine and ten for this season,
(11:04):
and as far as the oh my god wow moments,
had a sixty to twenty ten game last win and
a seventy three to ten to seven game, and at
no point were was the argument that I heard was
the sixty to twenty ten game the year before last.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I'll have to look, but regardless, he had the seventy
three game point game was definitely last season. But the
argument was his team hasn't won enough there and it's
Jokers Award, which I was totally fine with that. The
MVP this year, based on the president that we have,
probably needs to be shited. In fact, almost definitely needs
(11:47):
to be shit. I do want to talk the Lebron
stuff before we get to the confrontation on Friday night.
I will be really bummed because he's gonna be healthy
by the playoffs. All be really bummed if he doesn't
get to play seven more games this year. So this
(12:09):
assuredly knocks Lebron out of He wasn't there, listen. He
I was just talking MVP. MVP is going to go
Shay one Joker to or maybe Joker one Shay to.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
That's how it should be. That's what it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
But Lebron was making a case for some really fourth
or fifth place votes. He also has been making a
really interesting first Team All NBA case and first Team
All NBA four spots are just locked Shay Joker, Jannis Tatum,
(12:46):
and in that fifth spot I thought was going to
come down between Donovan and Lebron Lebron now being out
sitting at fifty eight games, the first team All NBA
stuffs probably done, and the real question is he going
to get to the sixty five game threshold. I given
(13:08):
the latest update on how long they expect him out,
he should be back with plenty of time to get
to the sixty five games. But just as a basketball
historian and obviously a Lebron guy, it would be a
huge bummer if he finishes just shy of the sixty
(13:30):
five game threshold and is not eligible for what will
now be would be a second team All NBA, because
there is some real poetry to year two, age twenty
Lebron being second Team All NBA and then year twenty two,
(13:51):
age forty Lebron being second Team All NBA. But he's
out now for I'm gonna go ahead and make a guess.
I'm going to say Lebron James is going to return
(14:11):
to the lineup. Today is the ninth I'm gonna say
Lebron James is going to return to the lineup at
Chicago Thursday, March twenty seventh. Again, that's based on absolutely
nothing except the reading the tea leaves, So that would
(14:35):
have him missing Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Denver, Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver, Milwaukee, Chicago, Orlando, Indiana.
And that would have have him returning missing ten games
and then returning with ten games left. That's what I so,
(14:56):
I think that if we set the over under the
I think that is a good. Anything longer than that,
I would be a little concerned. Anything quicker than that,
you take as a bonus, talk a little quick insight
into what the background of the Lebron and steven A
(15:19):
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co slash b ball. Okay, So a couple quick things
about the Lebron stephen a moment.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
One is.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Just generally speaking, and this gets to where my frustration
about how Lebron has been covered forever. Ah the killer instinct.
People aren't afraid of him. He's not this guy's not
that guy. So much of that just has to be
has to do with how he's been covered rather than
(19:23):
the reality. Because what happened on Thursday night was in
a game it looked like the Lakers were going to lose.
In between the third and fourth quarter, Lebron James saw
(19:46):
the world's most famous sports media member who he thinks
has been unfair to him and his family. More on
that in a second, walked over to him, checked him,
and then against that guy's favorite team ever, walked them down,
(20:09):
hit the three in the corner.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
To cut it from four to one, directly in.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Front of that person, and then one in overtime, hitting
all the clutch free throws. If that were Michael or Kobe,
it would be part of their legend, it would be
in their documentaries. Oh and then this time walked over
to him in a game they were looked like they
were gonna lose against that guy's favorite team, and then
(20:39):
won the game. And so that's just I thought that
was I think most of us when we saw it, assumed.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
That happened after the game.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
And I was even a little confused because I was
watched that game and that game Lebron went right to
the locker room after the game. And also when you
saw it looked like something was going on on the court.
So I remember when the video first came out, being like,
was that during a live action essentially, But I didn't
(21:14):
put it all together, and then we got the real details.
It was between third and fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Now because I think.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
A lot of people have been really dishonest and unfair
about acting like oh Lebron's sons in the league, and
now he doesn't want anyone, even though he's an NBA player,
to criticize him.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
That's not what this was. This was a number of
different things.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
The first one is this, I do think as far
as criticism of Bronnie James, I do think it is. Listen,
Bronnie James as a basketball player is totally fair, a
fair target. Where I think there might be some frustration
(22:09):
is have you heard and I'm going to mispronounce some
of these names, any of these names in any media whatsoever,
except for maybe the most in the Weeds dedicated local
team podcasts, Baylor Shireman, Jonathan Magbo, Kyle Philipowski, Tyler Smith,
(22:36):
Tyler Kohlak, Johnny Furfey, Juan Nunez, Bobby Bobi, Clintman, aj Mitchell,
Jalen Wells, Ohso Iguodaro, Adam Bona, kJ Simpson, Nikola Deresik
pel Larson, Jamal Sheed, Cam Christi, Antonio Reeves, Harrison, Ingram,
(22:58):
Tristan Newton, Enriki Free, Melvin Ajinka, Quinton Post. I've been
hearing some Quenton Post. He's been playing well for the Warriors,
Cam Spencer, Anton Watson, Kevin mccullor junior or Rick Comchi,
Ariel Huckporty the only guy I've heard mentioned all year.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
The first couple of names I mentioned, Philipowski obviously was
a great college player, and Shireman was a really good
college player.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
All year.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Maybe a little jimal sheet that those are all the
second round picks. So it's not as if on these
shows we talk a lot about second round picks. So
you might be like, wow, yeah, but Bronnie is getting
more opportunity, getting more run. You know, he's playing in
(23:53):
more NBA games than most second round picks. Well, let's
check Bronnie James, the fifty fifth pick of the draft.
Here is where he ranks amongst rookies this year in
the following categories. Again, you'd I've did this once before,
I will do it again. The fifty fifth pick, you
would hope's round fifty fifth in everything in minutes played
(24:19):
in the NBA. Bronnie James the fifty fifth pick is
fifty sixth in games played. Bronnie James the fifty fifth
pick is fifty first in assists Bronnie James. The fifty
fifth pick is fifty third in steals Bronnie James. The
(24:41):
fifty fifth pick is forty eighth in points Bronnie James.
The fifty fifth pick is fifty sixth. So, in other words,
playing exactly to his draft status. Yeah, well, those are
garbage time minutes. What does that really mean? What's he
doing in the G League twenty one to five and
(25:01):
five in the G League regular season thirty four minutes
per game on forty five thirty nine splits. So I
think some of the frustration is the Lakers took in
the first round last year Jalen hoods Chaffino, who is
(25:29):
let me check his G League stats, who is no
longer on the Lakers. They didn't even.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Uh what draft?
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, last year's draft, he got waived or moved I
don't even remember.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And he is this year.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I don't know, not the tip off tournament, regular season
in the G League. Sorry, this is taking me a moment.
Last year in the G League, the Lakers first round
pick again Bronni this year in the G League twenty one,
five and five. Last year in the G League, their
first round pick. Their first round pick number was he overall?
(26:14):
I think seventeen. It was pre twenty. I know because
there was a really good player taken right after him.
Yeah he was seventeen. Yeah, Pods who everybody in the
Warriors loves, went nineteen. So Brianni this year twenty one
five and five is a fifty fifth pick for the
Lakers G League team. Jalenhood Chaffino twenty two five and
(26:39):
five as the seventeenth pick. So it does feel like, well,
we don't really talk about these guys and then this,
But that's not what this was about. This actually wasn't
about Bronni. And this is the part that I think
just should be level set. It was about it kind
(27:00):
well two things. One the commentary win and I said
it before, I'll say it again. I really like Steven A.
But this is I'm just trying to so I'm not
even making as much of a value judgment about this.
I'm just trying to kind of set the record straight.
When Stephen A did the I'm pleading with you as
(27:21):
a father to end this.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
That really really bothered Lebron.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And that was why, by the way, Lebron's people called
Stephen A and then stephen A made fun of him
for it, and so then Lebron handled it himself, which
felt to me totally reasonable, and so I didn't really
give them stephen A.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It's like you have my number all.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
This stuff, Like steven A always says, I'm at the games,
I'm around, come talk to me. That's what he did.
But the whole when you're talking to a guy who
had no relationship with his father whatsoever, and then basically
telling that guy in Lebron be a better father, that
is going to really really ruffle some feathers. Then when
(28:17):
you add to it the fact that we've all kind
of memory hold the fact that Bronni suffered cardiac arrest
and almost died less than a year and a half ago.
When you have that added kind of anxiety as a parent,
which any parent, any parent that's ever had any health
(28:38):
scare with any of their kids, and for the best
those you know parents out there listening with lost.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
A child, I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
But for the majority of us, we've never had a
health scare like that, but we've almost all had something.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
We're super nervous. You can't imagine what it be like.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You get the phone call, your kids getting CPR, so
you're you're certainly going to be on at it edge.
And then the other piece is this does it feel
like there is been? And this is where the leave
my son out of it? Part I guess is about Bronnie.
(29:17):
Does it feel like there has been? Is it surprising
when you hear Bronnie in the NBA is playing exactly
to the level of the fifty fifth pick supposed to
when you hear in the G League he is producing
exactly to the level the Lakers' first round pick seventeenth
overall did last year. Does it feel like that's what's
(29:39):
been when they've decided to talk about him in the media,
that that's been the topic or that that's been the
context part in me? Or does it feel more like
it's been This is a make a wish story. This
is a guy who has no business being there and
(30:00):
his way out of his depth. And that's the part
new Listen. Some of this is just part of being
you know, I guess the good side of being bronze
kid is you get drafted when maybe you wouldn't have
the bad side is even if you, you know, show
play up to that level that you earned it, or
that you're earning it, you're gonna get scrutinized. But as
(30:22):
Stephen I said, that was apparent confronting a guy about
his kid, and I didn't think it was out of line.
And I actually think the fact that he did that
and then walk down the Knicks, who happened to be
steven A's team, right in front of him, it's pretty dope. Sadly,
Lebron's now hurt, so Lakers, I would say, let's just
(30:45):
say he's out the next ten. They should beat Brooklyn, Phoenix,
San Antonio, Chicago, Orlando without him, and then if at
Milwaukee at Denver.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Home for Denver, home for Milwaukee, can you go one
in three?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
I guess I'm putting it like this, Six and four
in the next ten without Bron would be good. Five
and five anything worse, big problem, and seven and three
are better is outstanding. Luca can do it, especially if
Ruy and Jackson Hazer back.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Luca can do it. But it's on Luca now.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Luckily, you know, at any given night he's the second
best player in the league. All right, I'm headed to Vegas.
Watch the poker live on this channel Monday. Watch first
Things First as soon within thirty minutes the First Thing's
First ending, the poker starts, so if you're into it,
and then Tuesday will be back here for the pod.
(31:58):
Thanks for people working on the week and thanks to
Blue Duck Volume everyone, Paul, everybody's helping out. See you guys.
Next time I'll see you guys is on First Things
First on Monday. What's Right
Welcome in What's Right with Nick Wright. Another emergency pod
following a really important Laker game. This one did not
go the Lakers way and the loss might be the
least of their worries. Celtics one eleven, Lakers won oh one.
This might be the shortest pod we've ever done, but
I wanted to do something here because I'm about to
(00:21):
get on a plane to go to Vegas on this
very channel. If you're watching on YouTube Monday, you're gonna
be able to watch me play in a live cash
game at the Poker Ghost Studios and then I'll be
back in New York and back doing this show Tuesday morning.
Gonna do first things first from Vegas. So very busy
next thirty six hours for me. But Lebron James Tweaks
(00:44):
is growing. I'm gonna call it Tweaks is growing because
Sham's just reported one to two weeks is what they're
looking at.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
So here's what we want to do on the Today's
Show very.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
Quickly, the game last night, the impact of Lebron's injury,
and then in we haven't talked to you since Lebron confronted.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
I think that's a fair word. Steven A.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
At the previous Laker game against the Knicks, and I
do think that that I guess we have talked to
you since then. We haven't talked to you since that
video came out. I do think that is worth a
few minutes because I might have some details on that
that have not been publicly shared that I think I'm
within my rights to share. So I will share those,
(01:29):
but first the game. We'll get to Lebron just a minute,
because I want to give credit where it's due. Tatum
was phenomenal. Tatum.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
You look, even if you don't watch the game, you
look at the box.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Score, forty twelve and eight, playing big minutes, forty five minutes,
barely resting. He was outstanding and as good as Jalen
Brown was. And Jalen Brown hit a huge three late
when the game had been cut to four. He finished
with thirty one and six. I actually thought the most
(01:58):
impressive Celtic other than Tatum was Al Horford Horford who
kept getting put out on an island with Luke a Ancic,
and Horford held his own as well as any guy
his age. Any thirty eight year old not named Lebron
James could have been asked to do. Horford did it,
and Missoula after the game gave him a ton of
(02:18):
credit and he deserved a ton of credit.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I mean Luca, So I'll get to Luca in a second.
But the Tatum was great the Celtics. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
If you're a Celtics fan, the Celtics were awesome. It's
the best version of the Celtics. You saw it last night.
I think you'll see that again on Wednesday. Wednesday, the
Celtics play the Thunder. I think they will be amped
for that game. After that, you look at their schedule,
you might not see a fully locked in, fully motivated
(02:53):
Celtics team until Round two of the playoffs. You might
after Saturday night and then this coming Wednesday. That.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Let me put it like this, If.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
The Celtics don't play well Wednesday, and I think they will,
Saturday might be the last time you see them play
great for two months because they're not gonna have to
the after Oklahoma City. The schedule is Miami, Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Utah, Portland, Sacramento, Phoenix,
San Antonio, Memphis, Miami, Phoenix, Washington, New York, Orlando, Charlotte, Charlotte.
(03:25):
Maybe that New York game late in the year. But
I also could see the Celtics, you know, kind of
holding some things back in that game because that's probably
gonna be the round two matchup. But the Celtics showed
you yesterday, particularly in that third quarter, is that championship gear.
They still have it, And not that many of us
(03:46):
doubted they had it. But this is why a lot
of us, hand up, myself included, have considered the Celtics,
not the Calves, the real favorites in the East all
year long. So the Celtics serve massive credit. They got that.
They got the victory by dominating the Lakers in the
third quarter. There was a moment I thought the Lakers
(04:06):
might be able to steal it, a really soft I
thought foul on a three pointer on Derek White when
it was down to four is what allowed the Celtics
to kind of, you know, never have the Lakers have
the ball with a chance to cut to one possession
after that great third quarter, So Celtics win. They're seven
back of the one and seven up on the three,
(04:28):
so they are just locked into the three line. Now
to the Lakers side, Listen, Lebron got hurt and his
demeanor after the game tells me he doesn't think this
is a month long injury, and the Sham's report that
(04:49):
they're going to give it a couple of days to
calm down and then they're going to reevaluate in one
to two weeks tells me he hopefully would be back
by the end of the month. So they have a
road trae the Lakers have a tough schedule.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, they have a tough schedule the rest of the way.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I think it's the third toughest schedule the rest of
the way. Now, I am obviously, you know, maybe biased
on this because I am going to Memphis twenty days
from now to three weeks from today. I guess there's
another way to put it. To see grizzlyes Lakers. I
obviously would hope Lebron would be back by then. It
(05:32):
wouldn't shock me if they have him come back after
that for the homestand but one to two weeks means
maybe he's back way earlier than that.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
I don't think this is anything like a death.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
Now for the Lakers, and I even think there is
a slight bright side that I'll get to in a moment.
What it does mean, however, is their ability to hold
on to the two seed, which they loss last night,
is very tenuous, and their chances of falling from the
three line are certainly in play now. I don't think
(06:10):
they can fall further than the four five right now,
so everyone knows the standings. Denver's forty one and twenty two,
the Lakers are forty and twenty two, the Grizzlies are
thirty nine and twenty four, and the Rockets are thirty
nine and twenty five. You then get to the Warriors,
who have twenty eight losses, so you don't have to
worry about them falling to the six, but not a
(06:33):
big margin of error. Even though Memphis has not been
playing well lately, so that neither of the Rockets really
so that helps them out.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
But the schedule's not easy.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
At Brooklyn should be able to handle that game, then
at Milwaukee at Denver, and then Phoenix San Antonio, Denver
at home, Milwaukee at home, and then it softens up
a bit. So these next couple weeks where they should
be without Lebron James gonna be in a tough spot. Now.
(07:04):
Where they deserve credit is the first half last night
and then even when they were trying to make the
fourth quarter comeback. They're without their two tallest rotation players
in Ruy and Jackson Hayes, So you just had everyone
kind of playing out a position, and it felt to
me like despite that, they mostly held their own Defensively,
(07:29):
it was the Celtics defense and the Lakers' offense not
being able to get it going. That was the difference
in the game. And that's where the Celtics deserve a
lot of credit. And listen, Lucas still got thirty four,
but Luca only had three assists and Luca, now, some
of that was this guy's missing shots, but they did
a good job of making sure Luca couldn't just be
(07:52):
the pre eminent creator for the Lakers, and it's why
the Lakers often struggled. There are some Laker fans who
I'm noticing are already like man, Luca seems to be laboring.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Luca doesn't. Is he injured?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
As someone who has watched you know, as much Luca
Nachi since he came to the league as anyone alive, really,
let me tell you, Luca appearing to be banged up
is just Luca. He's always kind of limping, He's always
kind of laboring. He's always got that kind of sour
(08:32):
ah look on his face. It's just who he is
and it's not something anyone really should be too shocked by. Okay,
So I wouldn't read too much into that. I would
just say that that is what it is, so to
speak that that is. Luca is very rarely one hundred
(08:56):
percent healthy. So here is the potent Joe brightside to
Lebron missing a little bit of time, You're still we
still haven't gotten the full Lukadncic experience.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
And I still think there.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Is a level of even though Luke had the ball,
has had the ball in his hand a ton the
last few games, the twenty two shots against the Celtics,
twenty three against the Knicks, twenty two against the Clippers
a week before, it still feels like there's a little
bit The only game it really felt to me like, oh,
(09:37):
that's the Luke I'm used to was the New Orleans
game where he had thirty eight and fifteen And the
fifteen assists is the number I'm you know, really looking at.
And maybe with Lebron out, you're going to get a
little taste of a little more of that. And then
(09:58):
when Lebron comes back that you're gonna get more Luca
as the clear cut number one, Lebron as the best
number two, imaginable one other thing on Luca, then I
want to get back to Lebron. Jokich had a thirty
(10:19):
twenty twenty game, and folks are wondering if that's gonna
win him the MVP award. That would really listen. I
felt this way about the NFL MVP this year, and
I'm glad the voters got it write and gave it
to Josh. Two years ago, Josh Allen had far better
stats than Lamar, but Lamar's team won, it fell and
(10:44):
Lamar's team had the better record. Lamar's team was the
one seed, and we said Lamar's the MVP. Okay, last year,
Luca had the best stats in basketball by a lot.
He was thirty four, nine and ten for this season,
(11:04):
and as far as the oh my god wow moments,
had a sixty to twenty ten game last win and
a seventy three to ten to seven game, and at
no point were was the argument that I heard was
the sixty to twenty ten game the year before last.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
I'm not sure.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
I'll have to look, but regardless, he had the seventy
three game point game was definitely last season. But the
argument was his team hasn't won enough there and it's
Jokers Award, which I was totally fine with that. The
MVP this year, based on the president that we have,
probably needs to be shited. In fact, almost definitely needs
(11:47):
to be shit. I do want to talk the Lebron
stuff before we get to the confrontation on Friday night.
I will be really bummed because he's gonna be healthy
by the playoffs. All be really bummed if he doesn't
get to play seven more games this year. So this
(12:09):
assuredly knocks Lebron out of He wasn't there, listen. He
I was just talking MVP. MVP is going to go
Shay one Joker to or maybe Joker one Shay to.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
That's how it should be. That's what it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
But Lebron was making a case for some really fourth
or fifth place votes. He also has been making a
really interesting first Team All NBA case and first Team
All NBA four spots are just locked Shay Joker, Jannis Tatum,
(12:46):
and in that fifth spot I thought was going to
come down between Donovan and Lebron Lebron now being out
sitting at fifty eight games, the first team All NBA
stuffs probably done, and the real question is he going
to get to the sixty five game threshold. I given
(13:08):
the latest update on how long they expect him out,
he should be back with plenty of time to get
to the sixty five games. But just as a basketball
historian and obviously a Lebron guy, it would be a
huge bummer if he finishes just shy of the sixty
(13:30):
five game threshold and is not eligible for what will
now be would be a second team All NBA, because
there is some real poetry to year two, age twenty
Lebron being second Team All NBA and then year twenty two,
(13:51):
age forty Lebron being second Team All NBA. But he's
out now for I'm gonna go ahead and make a guess.
I'm going to say Lebron James is going to return
(14:11):
to the lineup. Today is the ninth I'm gonna say
Lebron James is going to return to the lineup at
Chicago Thursday, March twenty seventh. Again, that's based on absolutely
nothing except the reading the tea leaves, So that would
(14:35):
have him missing Brooklyn, Milwaukee, Denver, Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver, Milwaukee, Chicago, Orlando, Indiana.
And that would have have him returning missing ten games
and then returning with ten games left. That's what I so,
(14:56):
I think that if we set the over under the
I think that is a good. Anything longer than that,
I would be a little concerned. Anything quicker than that,
you take as a bonus, talk a little quick insight
into what the background of the Lebron and steven A
(15:19):
thing was, and then wrap up the show. But first,
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co slash b ball. Okay, So a couple quick things
about the Lebron stephen a moment.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
One is.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
Just generally speaking, and this gets to where my frustration
about how Lebron has been covered forever. Ah the killer instinct.
People aren't afraid of him. He's not this guy's not
that guy. So much of that just has to be
has to do with how he's been covered rather than
(19:23):
the reality. Because what happened on Thursday night was in
a game it looked like the Lakers were going to lose.
In between the third and fourth quarter, Lebron James saw
(19:46):
the world's most famous sports media member who he thinks
has been unfair to him and his family. More on
that in a second, walked over to him, checked him,
and then against that guy's favorite team ever, walked them down,
(20:09):
hit the three in the corner.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
To cut it from four to one, directly in.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Front of that person, and then one in overtime, hitting
all the clutch free throws. If that were Michael or Kobe,
it would be part of their legend, it would be
in their documentaries. Oh and then this time walked over
to him in a game they were looked like they
were gonna lose against that guy's favorite team, and then
(20:39):
won the game. And so that's just I thought that
was I think most of us when we saw it, assumed.
Speaker 2 (20:49):
That happened after the game.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
And I was even a little confused because I was
watched that game and that game Lebron went right to
the locker room after the game. And also when you
saw it looked like something was going on on the court.
So I remember when the video first came out, being like,
was that during a live action essentially, But I didn't
(21:14):
put it all together, and then we got the real details.
It was between third and fourth quarter.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Now because I think.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
A lot of people have been really dishonest and unfair
about acting like oh Lebron's sons in the league, and
now he doesn't want anyone, even though he's an NBA player,
to criticize him.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
That's not what this was. This was a number of
different things.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
The first one is this, I do think as far
as criticism of Bronnie James, I do think it is. Listen,
Bronnie James as a basketball player is totally fair, a
fair target. Where I think there might be some frustration
(22:09):
is have you heard and I'm going to mispronounce some
of these names, any of these names in any media whatsoever,
except for maybe the most in the Weeds dedicated local
team podcasts, Baylor Shireman, Jonathan Magbo, Kyle Philipowski, Tyler Smith,
(22:36):
Tyler Kohlak, Johnny Furfey, Juan Nunez, Bobby Bobi, Clintman, aj Mitchell,
Jalen Wells, Ohso Iguodaro, Adam Bona, kJ Simpson, Nikola Deresik
pel Larson, Jamal Sheed, Cam Christi, Antonio Reeves, Harrison, Ingram,
(22:58):
Tristan Newton, Enriki Free, Melvin Ajinka, Quinton Post. I've been
hearing some Quenton Post. He's been playing well for the Warriors,
Cam Spencer, Anton Watson, Kevin mccullor junior or Rick Comchi,
Ariel Huckporty the only guy I've heard mentioned all year.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Now.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
The first couple of names I mentioned, Philipowski obviously was
a great college player, and Shireman was a really good
college player.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
All year.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Maybe a little jimal sheet that those are all the
second round picks. So it's not as if on these
shows we talk a lot about second round picks. So
you might be like, wow, yeah, but Bronnie is getting
more opportunity, getting more run. You know, he's playing in
(23:53):
more NBA games than most second round picks. Well, let's
check Bronnie James, the fifty fifth pick of the draft.
Here is where he ranks amongst rookies this year in
the following categories. Again, you'd I've did this once before,
I will do it again. The fifty fifth pick, you
would hope's round fifty fifth in everything in minutes played
(24:19):
in the NBA. Bronnie James the fifty fifth pick is
fifty sixth in games played. Bronnie James the fifty fifth
pick is fifty first in assists Bronnie James. The fifty
fifth pick is fifty third in steals Bronnie James. The
(24:41):
fifty fifth pick is forty eighth in points Bronnie James.
The fifty fifth pick is fifty sixth. So, in other words,
playing exactly to his draft status. Yeah, well, those are
garbage time minutes. What does that really mean? What's he
doing in the G League twenty one to five and
(25:01):
five in the G League regular season thirty four minutes
per game on forty five thirty nine splits. So I
think some of the frustration is the Lakers took in
the first round last year Jalen hoods Chaffino, who is
(25:29):
let me check his G League stats, who is no
longer on the Lakers. They didn't even.
Speaker 2 (25:35):
Uh what draft?
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Yeah, last year's draft, he got waived or moved I
don't even remember.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And he is this year.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I don't know, not the tip off tournament, regular season
in the G League. Sorry, this is taking me a moment.
Last year in the G League, the Lakers first round
pick again Bronni this year in the G League twenty one,
five and five. Last year in the G League, their
first round pick. Their first round pick number was he overall?
(26:14):
I think seventeen. It was pre twenty. I know because
there was a really good player taken right after him.
Yeah he was seventeen. Yeah, Pods who everybody in the
Warriors loves, went nineteen. So Brianni this year twenty one
five and five is a fifty fifth pick for the
Lakers G League team. Jalenhood Chaffino twenty two five and
(26:39):
five as the seventeenth pick. So it does feel like, well,
we don't really talk about these guys and then this,
But that's not what this was about. This actually wasn't
about Bronni. And this is the part that I think
just should be level set. It was about it kind
(27:00):
well two things. One the commentary win and I said
it before, I'll say it again. I really like Steven A.
But this is I'm just trying to so I'm not
even making as much of a value judgment about this.
I'm just trying to kind of set the record straight.
When Stephen A did the I'm pleading with you as
(27:21):
a father to end this.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
That really really bothered Lebron.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
And that was why, by the way, Lebron's people called
Stephen A and then stephen A made fun of him
for it, and so then Lebron handled it himself, which
felt to me totally reasonable, and so I didn't really
give them stephen A.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It's like you have my number all.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
This stuff, Like steven A always says, I'm at the games,
I'm around, come talk to me. That's what he did.
But the whole when you're talking to a guy who
had no relationship with his father whatsoever, and then basically
telling that guy in Lebron be a better father, that
is going to really really ruffle some feathers. Then when
(28:17):
you add to it the fact that we've all kind
of memory hold the fact that Bronni suffered cardiac arrest
and almost died less than a year and a half ago.
When you have that added kind of anxiety as a parent,
which any parent, any parent that's ever had any health
(28:38):
scare with any of their kids, and for the best
those you know parents out there listening with lost.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
A child, I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
But for the majority of us, we've never had a
health scare like that, but we've almost all had something.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
We're super nervous. You can't imagine what it be like.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
You get the phone call, your kids getting CPR, so
you're you're certainly going to be on at it edge.
And then the other piece is this does it feel
like there is been? And this is where the leave
my son out of it? Part I guess is about Bronnie.
(29:17):
Does it feel like there has been? Is it surprising
when you hear Bronnie in the NBA is playing exactly
to the level of the fifty fifth pick supposed to
when you hear in the G League he is producing
exactly to the level the Lakers' first round pick seventeenth
overall did last year. Does it feel like that's what's
(29:39):
been when they've decided to talk about him in the media,
that that's been the topic or that that's been the
context part in me? Or does it feel more like
it's been This is a make a wish story. This
is a guy who has no business being there and
(30:00):
his way out of his depth. And that's the part
new Listen. Some of this is just part of being
you know, I guess the good side of being bronze
kid is you get drafted when maybe you wouldn't have
the bad side is even if you, you know, show
play up to that level that you earned it, or
that you're earning it, you're gonna get scrutinized. But as
(30:22):
Stephen I said, that was apparent confronting a guy about
his kid, and I didn't think it was out of line.
And I actually think the fact that he did that
and then walk down the Knicks, who happened to be
steven A's team, right in front of him, it's pretty dope. Sadly,
Lebron's now hurt, so Lakers, I would say, let's just
(30:45):
say he's out the next ten. They should beat Brooklyn, Phoenix,
San Antonio, Chicago, Orlando without him, and then if at
Milwaukee at Denver.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Home for Denver, home for Milwaukee, can you go one
in three?
Speaker 1 (31:13):
I guess I'm putting it like this, Six and four
in the next ten without Bron would be good. Five
and five anything worse, big problem, and seven and three
are better is outstanding. Luca can do it, especially if
Ruy and Jackson Hazer back.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
Luca can do it. But it's on Luca now.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Luckily, you know, at any given night he's the second
best player in the league. All right, I'm headed to Vegas.
Watch the poker live on this channel Monday. Watch first
Things First as soon within thirty minutes the First Thing's
First ending, the poker starts, so if you're into it,
and then Tuesday will be back here for the pod.
(31:58):
Thanks for people working on the week and thanks to
Blue Duck Volume everyone, Paul, everybody's helping out. See you guys.
Next time I'll see you guys is on First Things
First on Monday. What's Right
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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