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NBA first round

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This seems a tiny bit of a vindication for Nico, the fact that the Lakers had no competent bigs really exacerbated Luka's defensive flaws. I think casualty though is #1 no centers, #2 Reddick who was good most of the year got out-coached then #3 Luka porous defense on an already mid defensive team.

It'll be interesting to see how much the narrative is an I told you so on Luka. Frankly he kind of needs it as the post-trade vibe was so strongly anti-Nico (and for very good reason, worst trade ever) that the motivation for Luka to put the finishing touches on his body and improve his defensive game was diminished. Not that I'm rooting for the Lakers, but maybe this loss is necessary for Luka to rededicate himself to improving his conditioning.
 
Not that I watch the Lakers much but agree with others that Luka looks like one of the more out-of-shape elite athletes I’ve seen in a while, especially considering how he’s in his mid 20s
 
Dogdeacon said:
This seems a tiny bit of a vindication for Nico, the fact that the Lakers had no competent bigs really exacerbated Luka's defensive flaws. I think casualty though is #1 no centers, #2 Reddick who was good most of the year got out-coached then #3 Luka porous defense on an already mid defensive team.

It'll be interesting to see how much the narrative is an I told you so on Luka. Frankly he kind of needs it as the post-trade vibe was so strongly anti-Nico (and for very good reason, worst trade ever) that the motivation for Luka to put the finishing touches on his body and improve his defensive game was diminished. Not that I'm rooting for the Lakers, but maybe this loss is necessary for Luka to rededicate himself to improving his conditioning.
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I think with AD the Lakers win this series. Luka has a higher ceiling but the roster makeup and defensive liabilities were too much to overcome. Wolves are young, athletic and quick, and the Lakers perimeter and interior D couldn’t limit much.

Luka really needs to buy into an offseason fitness plan and not just heel-toe it to Slovenia to just fish and drink beer.
 
champs99and04 said:
I get that this was a fun year for Lakers fans and probably good for business, but from LeBron's standpoint I'm not sure it could have been more of a bleep show. Not only was the team built around Davis, but so was the whole final act of his career. He was one of maybe a couple guys in the league capable of covering for LeBron's decline defensively (and on the glass) and still allowing him to be the headliner on the other end. Luka is the opposite of that. The Mark Williams trade being rescinded was just the cherry on top.

I have my doubts about whether LeBron will want to play for Pelinka and Redick again after the way they ran him into the ground in this series. They basically punted his entire blueprint for the season out the window and asked him to be 2012 LeBron.

It's a good thing they now have his son as a hostage, otherwise I'd worry he might start looking at other options.
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The Lakers also had no chance of winning it all with AD. They maybe had a chance at winning this series with him if they were somehow the third seed but I highly doubt they would've been in this position as the third seed with homecourt advantage had AD remained.

They were gifted 26 year old Luka straight up for 32 year old AD in one of the most ridiculous trades you'll ever see, of course the Lakers had to take it. If the Lakers actually cared about winning more than the "show" they would get rid of Lebron instead of paying him $50 million every year.
 
CardiacAndre7 said:
I think with AD the Lakers win this series. Luka has a higher ceiling but the roster makeup and defensive liabilities were too much to overcome. Wolves are young, athletic and quick, and the Lakers perimeter and interior D couldn’t limit much.

Luka really needs to buy into an offseason fitness plan and not just heel-toe it to Slovenia to just fish and drink beer.
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Maybe if AD was uber healthy, but that’s not AD & best case for AD Lakers was conference finals.
 
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CardiacAndre7 said:
I think with AD the Lakers win this series. Luka has a higher ceiling but the roster makeup and defensive liabilities were too much to overcome. Wolves are young, athletic and quick, and the Lakers perimeter and interior D couldn’t limit much.

Luka really needs to buy into an offseason fitness plan and not just heel-toe it to Slovenia to just fish and drink beer.
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He needs to leave or stay with LeBron leaving.
 
superjohn said:
The Lakers also had no chance of winning it all with AD. They maybe had a chance at winning this series with him if they were somehow the third seed but I highly doubt they would've been in this position as the third seed with homecourt advantage had AD remained.

They were gifted 26 year old Luka straight up for 32 year old AD in one of the most ridiculous trades you'll ever see, of course the Lakers had to take it. If the Lakers actually cared about winning more than the "show" they would get rid of Lebron instead of paying him $50 million every year.
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Oh I don't blame the Lakers for taking the trade. I still think it's an awful/shady trade if for no other reason than that the Mavs never even fielded offers from 28 other teams. My point is that what was best for the Lakers in that scenario wasn't necessarily what was best for LeBron.

Personally, I think the entire Lakers chapter of LeBron's career has been awful for him and the for the league. Yes, he won a championship, but we're talking about a guy who was coming off eight straight finals trips and has since been to just one in seven seasons. He had the chance back in 2018 to join a more stable organization with a nucleus of young talent already in place that could have prolonged his title window and enhanced his overall basketball experience. Instead he chose the Lakers for what were presumably a lot of non-basketball reasons. He has no one to blame but himself for that.
 
connVA said:
Not that I watch the Lakers much but agree with others that Luka looks like one of the more out-of-shape elite athletes I’ve seen in a while, especially considering how he’s in his mid 20s
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I don't think the average fan realized how bad things had gotten on this front until we saw him in a Lakers uniform. This wasn't a case of an athlete coming back from injury and being a little behind on his conditioning. This wasn't an athlete who was going to be able to play his way back into shape. This was a guy who needed a full blown re-set on his diet and lifestyle.

He really needs to take these next few months to transform his body and recommit to the work and discipline that got him here. The early playoff exit might be the best thing that happened to him if he does.
 
champs99and04 said:
Oh I don't blame the Lakers for taking the trade. I still think it's an awful/shady trade if for no other reason than that the Mavs never even fielded offers from 28 other teams. My point is that what was best for the Lakers in that scenario wasn't necessarily what was best for LeBron.

Personally, I think the entire Lakers chapter of LeBron's career has been awful for him and the for the league. Yes, he won a championship, but we're talking about a guy who was coming off eight straight finals trips and has since been to just one in seven seasons. He had the chance back in 2018 to join a more stable organization with a nucleus of young talent already in place that could have prolonged his title window and enhanced his overall basketball experience. Instead he chose the Lakers for what were presumably a lot of non-basketball reasons. He has no one to blame but himself for that.
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It opened up the East for more contenders and variety of teams.

Bron won a chip, he would’ve won MVP in ‘21 and could have won another chip if not for Solomon Hill, too. Last couple years have been rough though, for sure. But the West is amazing.
 
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champs99and04 said:
Oh I don't blame the Lakers for taking the trade. I still think it's an awful/shady trade if for no other reason than that the Mavs never even fielded offers from 28 other teams. My point is that what was best for the Lakers in that scenario wasn't necessarily what was best for LeBron.

Personally, I think the entire Lakers chapter of LeBron's career has been awful for him and the for the league. Yes, he won a championship, but we're talking about a guy who was coming off eight straight finals trips and has since been to just one in seven seasons. He had the chance back in 2018 to join a more stable organization with a nucleus of young talent already in place that could have prolonged his title window and enhanced his overall basketball experience. Instead he chose the Lakers for what were presumably a lot of non-basketball reasons. He has no one to blame but himself for that.
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I don't think you can do the "sure he won a championship" thing and be dismissive. How many stars never won a single one?

Here's a 40-year-old who is still a top 10 player in the league and people (not you) want to say he's the problem
 
Inyatkin said:
I don't think you can do the "sure he won a championship" thing and be dismissive. How many stars never won a single one?

Here's a 40-year-old who is still a top 10 player in the league and people (not you) want to say he's the problem
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Guy just averaged 25-9-6 2st 2blk against a very good team who has been playing their best ball.

Going on 41 years old playing 41 mpg. People are weird, man.
 
superjohn said:
The Lakers also had no chance of winning it all with AD. They maybe had a chance at winning this series with him if they were somehow the third seed but I highly doubt they would've been in this position as the third seed with homecourt advantage had AD remained.

They were gifted 26 year old Luka straight up for 32 year old AD in one of the most ridiculous trades you'll ever see, of course the Lakers had to take it. If the Lakers actually cared about winning more than the "show" they would get rid of Lebron instead of paying him $50 million every year.
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LeBron should’ve retired 3 years ago- at this point he’s just padding stats- let the young guns play already. Can’t remember a player who went from the most exciting player to watch to the most unexciting player to watch.
 
Lebron won a ring, broke the all time scoring record, scored his 40,000th point, made 7 all star teams, 6 All NBA teams, averaged 27/8/8, got to play with his son, and made like $300 million in LA

I think he’s fine lol
 
Knicks seem like they are better on the road then at home, still very early in this game.
 
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If the Knicks lose this series when 95% of teams that go up 3-1 win them, Thibs is toast.
 
REB1094 said:
Lebron won a ring, broke the all time scoring record, scored his 40,000th point, made 7 all star teams, 6 All NBA teams, averaged 27/8/8, got to play with his son, and made like $300 million in LA

I think he’s fine lol
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Won a Mickey Mouse ring. I can’t believe people actually count that. Good on him for making the team draft his kid who wouldn’t start on a contending NCAA team as well.

I would hope he breaks records, it has taken him long enough
 
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I'm not a huge NBA fan but the Knicks series was must-watch for me. Nice crossover and shot by Brunson. Should be good series against Boston.
 
navery12 said:
Jalen Brunson with the shades of Kemba. That was awesome

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It reminded me of Kemba but Kemba busted a center's ankles and made him crumble. It was so epic because it was right at the buzzer in an incredible Big East tournament game. I've seen guys ankles buckle where they crumble like that before. I don't think I've ever seen someone put a great perimeter defender on skates the way he did to Thompson for the game winner. It looked like the dude was on a snowboard and went 10 feet out of the picture.
 
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