Lakers face Pelicans in Play-In & Mavs, Thunder threaten Nuggets out West | NBA | FIRST THINGS FIRST

I'm so mad at myself now that you broke up. I wasn't here on Friday. I am back. Have a great weekend together. True

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off mode is here. I know. Come on. Wilds actually talked us away from the grandparents who were crazy and who they are not. happy I'm sorry, I was a big success, I told you, but the most important people today are good

things

first

, not Wilds, shouldn't they be happy, oh, here we go, I mean, they should be ecstatic, elated, elated about the moon, how, however, it was good. done well brother, I won't do it again, I just felt like I needed it for that moment, listen, here's the reality, as thin as it is, and it is very thin, I admit that the Lakers' path to competing for a championship, okay, I had to start here, well, I mean. once we knew they were stuck on the line of

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, in my opinion the two

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that needed to happen were to get out of the 910 disaster zone area, yes, check, and I know it's controversial to believe, but I firmly believe that that would make Denver as soon as possible and that is not because Denver is a better matchup than other teams, it is not because the Lakers are better than Denver, but it is because we have to assume that to get to the NBA Finals they will have to do it. go by the Denver Nuggets the only chance they have now is that it's a reasonably rested and healthy LeBron if we can show them how LeBron rolled the last seven he's been playing crazy and the only game they lost was when Ad couldn't play because of I think which was a concussion.

I don't know if they called it that, but concussion is simple and the Warriors had the best shooting night in NBA history, so I don't really think Brew is about whether you're a Lakers. Fan, are you happy? It's about what your goal is, whether your goal is the longest possible time in the playoffs or whether your goal is the best chance to win the championship, because right now I don't think those two things are aligned if your goal is the longest. long. possible playoff time, then you want to be on the other side of the pack like Denver and, like last year, maybe see it in the Conference Finals when you're exhausted and old and get swept if your goal is, you know what? happens yes?

We could win it with four days, but between playing one or five days and then several days between each early game, which is only the case in the

first

round. I think this is perfect. I think this is exactly what Lakers fans should have. They expected it and they got it if they win tomorrow night. I'll address that. I know we have a next meeting. We'll talk about the Denver Lakers matchup, so I'll address what you said at the time. How to answer the question, it all depends on your perspective, I mean, because when you look at the fact that just a few days ago they were the 10th seed, yeah, and you look at playing Golden State and then maybe Phoenix Road just to get to both sides. times, so yeah, this makes you feel good because they've owned New Orleans, three in one.

I think it's three in one, obviously, you know they played well against yesterday and you mention to LeBron how well he's playing a thing that I like too. Garden Zion so even if we're facing a big game we need this win give me Zion and he did a good job with him so yeah you're excited if you're the Lakers considering all the other options to be in this scenery. a lot of people Nick talks about should lose and try to get to eighth place, obviously, they've owned Oklahoma City, beating them three times in a row, three of four this year, the problem.

No, I am totally against that because it is not possible. Play like this because then you'll probably have Golden State or Sacramento against you, yeah, one and done, you know you definitely don't want that, so I think this is a good case. SC, I disagree and believe. Let's get to that. However, I don't agree with your opinion about them playing Denver now, but hang in there if they lose, if you know, everyone at this table agrees that of course they should do everything they can. We can win tomorrow night even though it means playing Denver, whether you think, we all agree on that, but this may also be true because how the group lost last night or tomorrow night won't be devastating to the most, it could be for me. because I think you want to get to Denver early, but the rest of you know the people who support the Lakers or LeBron or whoever, okay, the season will come down to one game that's scary, but after that, then it you would do be on the opposite side of Denver and exactly and you get OKC, but then the door opens for your season to end in 72 hours quickly, just in the Pelicans Zion, we are in year 5, I have never been to the playoffs, I played 70 games this Last year it was set up by LeBron in the last game, but I think there's a little bit like Ingrams missed 12 games, he was limited to Ingram had 13, Zion had 12, do you think this is a moment for Zion against the Lakers, no, no, no?

I mean, honestly, we were happy and I think I speak for a lot of people, we're happy that he played a full season, oh my gosh, yeah, no, that's where the bar is on the number one pick in the yeah, Kaitlyn Clark . It was Zion, it's like that's over, I'm serious, I'm very happy that he played, he's always taken baby steps, baby steps, it's been 5 years, but he hasn't been in good health now he is and look , he played well and he's nice, he handles the ball, you know, he gets in the hole, I mean, he played well, but there's no game 70 next year, we'll talk about winning a series, getting into the playoffs, he can't play a game playoffs, just lost, they could have gone to six.

I just lost, make the playoffs, make the playoffs, beat LeBron, I mean, I, but if they're not going to beat the Lakers and I don't think you think they're going to beat the Lers, I think they're going to win. tomorrow. I think they're going to win, I mean, they haven't, I think it's a tough game, they're working on Ingram, that's what I think is what they and I mean yesterday, it could have been all six if they won, it what would. Super them being New Orleans super useful to them and that's not what I understand, it was Master Sunday, there's a lot going on, maybe there were people there, 30 G or 30 teams playing yesterday, that game was an annihilation from the day from the initial advice, uh, but no, do you think it's an Ingam thing?

I can not hear. I think if you're New Orleans or Minnesota, this whole thing about bringing in your second-best player right before the postseason could be a problem, but I want to tell you real quick before I move on to Brew, I will. Never underestimate the power of the breakout list again. I put Wilds on the outbreak list demanding that I let the tiger out more often. I'm referring to the first segment of Monday's show. Guys, there's a game. G four. Go back to Los Angeles. You know what I want? bro, 15 points, okay, listen, he'll give you 15 points tomorrow here Tatum, he's going to lose to LeBron James and you're going to kill him for it.

LeBron James was old like me, yeah, I'll Paul George had his. moment against LeBron Tatum the young Tatum had the moment of him against LeBron in losses, we will have a moment and we will win and some people have a conversation with George and the Goat, not with players in the league. I mean, it's okay if the lake spectacle outweighs the playful pels, which it doesn't. guarantee that they will head to Denver in a scenario that Nick once proclaimed was a best-case scenario now that they have lost eight games in a row against Denver and six in a row since Darvin Ham inferred that he had seen something in the fourth quarter of the game. one of the Western Conference finals and I told the world we're going to be fine, believe me, six, six losses since then, uh, Brew, what chance do the Lakers have of eliminating Denver?

I mean, there is no other possibility than to never say never, nothing is possible, no, there is no I mean, look at the greatness of LeBron and AD. I'm doing all my NBA teams, they're both top three, you know, a third second and third team, all NBA. I'll share. I'll keep it a secret which one is the second one. one is the third, but there are great players, obviously, but there's really not much more than if you just say you know LeBron, this may be his last chance, like the last and best chance to win a championship or get there, he will take over, but he played well last. year and they got swept and he had a Lebron game and they couldn't still and it wasn't enough, so there's really no logical, realistic reason in basketball to pick them.

Here's why I don't agree with your theory Nick, yes, because I understand what you're saying, but I think the

nuggets

have a weakness and it's not their depth for me or their lack of depth, it's the possibility that Jamal or Jamal Murray gets hurt, okay, that's true, no, because he can't win the championship. They can't win the West without Jamal muray. I mean, as fun as Jamal Murray is, he's fundamental, he always plays better in the playoffs, significantly better and they should have him, and my thing is that Nick is back and he's been hot 24 points a game and like 25 minutes a game since He returned from the last five or six games.

I think in five games he has shot about 47% from three, well over 50 overall and obviously we don't want anyone to get hurt, but I think chances are because he hasn't been able to make it through all the postseasons and, therefore, if he got hurt it would probably be later in the playoffs versus right away and that's why I don't agree with that, no that's right by the way. That is almost certainly correct. I'm operating from an unrealistic place, but I think we almost always make these predictions that everyone is as healthy as they are now, you know, and that's how he stays healthy, so you said there's no reason for basketball. he said no and you and then you were an amen to the chorus so I'd like to ask some questions to Mr.

Denver Nugget, you know, brother, no, but you've been Mr. Denver Nugget all year, yeah. your unfollowed Twitter account you've written dozens of times no one is beating Denver and you've been crazy in a seven-game series. I know you've stayed up late watching these games because you send that tweet the moment the game ends and then I think you pass out immediately after a bit of loading, yeah exactly, he only wants to send the Tweet if you ranked Denver based on how they've been playing for the month, where do you think this last month of basketball? Well, they had the one. they've won four of their last five, the only spot up for grabs against a Spurs team that didn't even play two of its five best players, they don't have many great players, they're up 17 in the fourth quarter, yeah, and they lost. that game in a game with real implications where the

nuggets

are playing everyone slightly slight hm concern I Canad counterpoint yeah I liked it why you know what I didn't like I loved it now why say it's a wake up call? little wake up call, okay, maybe Mike Malone said, guess what we have to play defense and we have to rebound.

I think they gave up eight offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, like guess what any team can beat you, a team with one star can go down. and they took over and took their foot off the gas like, ah, you know, it's the Spurs and stuff, for them to lose it, I was pretty good and so was Nick, depending on how far you want to go back, last month, the last two months, they have the best record in the league since the Allstar, they and Boston 21-6 and the games Murray played are 16 and 3, that's a higher winning percentage than even Boston who has been running in the league , so they've actually been playing some great baseball.

I agree that they and the losses can be like that, one was an overtime for Phoenix, but this one was bad because what was on the line, what was the two, which I think they care, but the other one you I'm going to give. Another basketball reason and that's why I think it's critical that if the Lakers have any chance of beating Denver, it has to happen now. Brew, what did you call this Series last year a close sweep? A close sweep and that was it and it was good. so no, I've heard others call it gentlemen's sweep, even gentlemen's sweep is fine, no I know, they said it because it was so close here, they just wanted to give me my PR and you and you, I think.

Identify correctly, if I remember correctly, when we were talking about last year's games, it appeared that at the end of these games, LeBron ran out of gas and the numbers support that if we can show you LeBron last year, he is working in all the systems. quarters from 1 to three and he spent quarters in the fourth quarter, what is the other LeBron story last season? His worst three-point shooting year in the regular season in 15 years and in the playoffs the second worst of his career if you remember you were Wilds. I'm not saying it's going to continue like this necessarily, but what is LeBron's story this year, his best year in three-point shooting and I'm going to add another point: Jamal Murray. a great postseason player, we all know that what he did in those conference finals and we can show you is aberrant even by his standards in every other series of his career.

It's amazing 24, five and sixin those divisions last year. He had the best series. of his career, so what I'm saying is that LeBron was a good close game until the Lakers' best player wore himself out in the fourth quarter. I don't think he's as likely to wear out when it's not every other day as it is. in the Conference Finals and it's not after two rounds of playoffs and he's not curing a bad foot, bad foot, whatever it is, he couldn't score a triple and Jamal Murray played the series of his life now the counterpoint is obviously yes and maybe if that's right, it will be 4-1 this time or 42 this time.

I understand that, but I think there are a lot of factors that, if this ends up being the matchup, you could see things going very similar to last year, but if LeBron is a little cooler and Jamal Murray is a little less incandescent, those games make Murray, although he has had a lot of great series, his numbers have gone down both in the regular season and in the playoffs because at the beginning of his career the numbers were not as prolific. I'll give you this in support of what you said about LeBron because he's been cold this month since three.

I think it's like 30 1%, something like that. Injury isn't 41% for the season, right, but what? You see, and I think that's why he shoots such a high percentage and I think it's wise of LeBron, he's attacking the rim relentlessly, he's shooting like three threes this month, a game that's low and it was four and a half the last. month in May in March, so he is reducing the threes and attacking the rim more, which is what I think he should do and Denver doesn't shoot many threes; They're actually last in the league in three-point attempts. the Lakers are second to last in the SEC so the fact that if LeBron isn't draining a ton of Threes that's fine because Denver isn't going to drain a ton of Threes either and you should keep attacking the rim Josh you know what I mean would like.

To do, take Nick's chart and look at the Denver La splits and I'm wondering if it's less about LeBron wearing down and more about the altitude or once you're in that thin m, it was, but the other Denver and him He had to play very well and hard to stay close to the big four and the hit, and it's not injuries, it's part of sports, I understand it, but the only place LeBron's foot was injured in the last playoffs. He really showed up, it seemed like he only had three or four hard drives in the basket a game until the fourth game against Denver, when, you know, he emptied the magazine, probably the last game of the year, the last month, man, he's relentless.

It feels like it's the healthiest postseason they've had since the championship year, that's all I'm saying, even though I think the Pelicans are going to win, convince me, the Lakers can get a game, okay, I don't think so . It's going to be a sweep this year, yeah here we go, maybe we'll even get two, wow, oh if you can get two you'll get three, if you can get three it all comes down to a game seven, anything can happen, you're getting there, brother, here the odds are to win the Denver West at one, then it's the Thunder and the Clippers tied at two MAV Suns Wolves Lake Show Pelicans Warriors and then fire Toown way down, uh, who's the most dangerous threat to the Champs Bro?

Look, it's all about the matchups, I mean. Obviously, Denver is a team that you feel can overcome any of these M matchup challenges, but we know my team picked the Clippers to get to the Conference Finals and we'll talk about them a little bit later, but if they're healthy I like them. the Clippers if they're healthy, that's fine, but we'll talk about that, but I'm going to say, and I think the Lakers look, if the Lakers somehow beat Denver, they would immediately convert. Don't know. I think he's just the favorite in the Western Conference. I think they're the league favorite because I think they would beat Boston.

Wow, Boston B. I'm not. I choose Boston great if they get it. I don't think they're going to beat Denver, but. If they do it, you don't think people are going to say that they are going to win, they won, I tell you this. I will be if they beat Denver and I think I think they would handle the ball. I really believe it. I like Boston. in the East, what are they one on one against Boston this year, but I think LeBron announced, but the best thing I'm going to do is go with Minnesota because I think they and they will have their hands full with Phoenix, so I'm just saying, although one-on-one matchup in a series, I think Minnesota with their size and you know, not just Carl Anthony and Gober cities, now Reed plays very well when Gobear was out, you have that incredible individual superstar that can take over the series and Anthony.

Edwards and then you have some veterans as a good coach and they are a great defensive team, so in a one-on-one series I would say Minnesota is my toughest. Do you have an answer? I'm, I'm a little bit worried about the Suns there's some freshness to some of that and the superstar factor here's the graph of the teams that have done well against Denver the playful magic that was in them you know Rockets somehow 2 and 0 uh Thunder plays well Rockets shenon de Of course, against, you know there's a common denominator in four of the five, can you tell it apart?

Tall people, well, what is it? Young, oh, young and athletic, young and fast. I mean, yeah, Denver isn't incredibly athletic, so this branding graphic and the fact that you're wearing this graphic to support Phoenix means listen to the good people of Oak City. I apologize because this program unintentionally continues to disrespect its team, by the way, CU, they are not my answer, they are not my answer either. I had a whole conversation about MVP last week and we agree on this that it was a conversation with Luca and it didn't even include SGA, Oklahoma City is three to one against Denver and is the only team that would have home field advantage against them at the conference and none of us are going to say them because Brew went to Minnesota, no, I understand.

Brew went to Minnesota, you went to Phoenix and I'm going to give the right answer, which is Dallas, Dallas is 15-2 and it's the bottom 17 if they threw the last two games of the year, satiate everyone like the games that mattered were those and if there is any player in the league who for a series can match Nica yic it is Luca and we can show the numbers of their careers in the playoffs. As you know, he is kind of a horse of a different color. I don't think that's the phrase at all, but the point is that both have historic levels of impact in the postseason.

In my opinion, they are both already great postseason players. I know. Luca doesn't have the hardware to prove that yet, but only Jordan has averaged more points per game in a postseason, so if you have L, if Luca could play joic to tie it, you know Kyrie could play Murray to tie it and now all. all of a sudden, you know it's like we have, you know we have Derek Lively and a pod versus a podcaster, there's a lot of things going on like, me, what am I, listen, man, put yourself out there, hey, they. First of all, they

face

d the Clippers, the problem is what we are going to talk about.

I like that Dallas meant to say Dallas, but he's losing thanks for watching. Subscribe here to learn more about the show and watch the clips. from other programs on FS1