Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The NBA released its list of finalists for postseason awards - the top three vote-getters in each category - and there were no Lakers among any of them. No real surprise, there, and someone like Luka Dončić is widely expected to finish fourth in MVP (no dishonor there). It wouldn't surprise to see JJ Redick finish among the top 5-7 in Coach of the Year balloting, either. 

That, though, is a bit of an open question given how the team's season has been perceived. Even while they were winning early, many saw the Lakers as frauds. At the same time, they consistently outperformed projections, even while battling significant and overlapping injuries. 

So lots going on. 

And then there's the question of Rob Pelinka. Executive of the Year is a different deal than the postseason awards. Pelinka won't win for a variety of reasons, but it's reasonable to ask whether the work done this year should be validated. Two moves were particularly important in Game 1 - the trade deadline acquisition of Luke Kennard in exchange for Gabe Vincent, and then last summer's decision to let Dorian Finney-Smith walk and use a chunk of his money to sign Jake LaRavia. LaRavia played in all 82 games and was a positive contributor. DFS had a terrible first season in Houston, and was a DNP-CD in Game 1. 

So even if questions remain about Pelinka's skill overall as an executive, does this year go down as a win for him? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

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Losing Kevin Durant for Game 1 had a profound impact on the Rockets not just because suddenly they had 25-30 points to replace. 

Durant's presence (or lack thereof) changes the dynamic of how the Lakers can attack the Rockets, how their length and size can bother them, and how the Rockets can in turn attack the Lakers. It makes it easier for LA to play Luke Kennard bigger minutes without as much punishment defensively. It makes it harder for them to attack LeBron defensively, which makes it easier for James to control things on the other end. It makes their remaining stars less effective because their shot quality goes down. It makes those guys less confident in what they're doing, because unlike the Lakers, who have played many games without Luka, LeBron and Austin througout the year, Houston has had KD available for all but four games in the regular season. 

So whether or not Durant plays in Game 2 because incredibly critical, for all the obvious reasons... but for some that aren't so obvious, either. 

Meanwhile, the blueprint for the Lakers and LeBron in G1 was letter perfect. Control the game, without having to carry a huge load scoring points. 

Can Houston interrupt that rhythm in Game 2? 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Less obvious ways losing KD hurts the Rockets. 

 

SEGMENT 2: Stuff the Lakers can do better. 

 

SEGMENT 3: How Houston might try to contain LeBron's game management. 

 

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The Lakers caught a break heading into Saturday's Game 1 when a bruised knee suffered in practice knocked Kevin Durant out. 

Even with Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves out, losing Durant ate up a lot of the advantage the Rockets have head-to-head against LA. But their good fortune would only matter if the Lakers came out and took care of business. 

That they did, playing active defense throughout and using 27 points from Luke Kennard, 19 each from Deandre Ayton (11 rebounds) and LeBron James (13 assists) plus 29 combined from Rui Hachimura to win, 107-98. The Lakers should be very pleased with how they competed, and while Rockets fans will point to the absence of Durant (which is a big deal, no question) the Lakers can take gain confidence knowing that the game wasn't perfect on their end, either. Yes, Kennard went off, but LeBron was relatively quiet as a scorer, at least. The Lakers got to the free throw line, but were pretty bad at converting, hitting only 65% of those opportunities. They also had 18 turnovers, which is more than they want. 

So there's room to grow, here, even if the shooting percentage (61% overall, 53% from 3-point range) goes down. 

The Lakers need to be ready for Houston to be better in Game 2, not just because of the prospect of Durant playing, but expecting some positive regression for the Rockets from a shooting standpoint. Yes, the Lakers played well defensively, sticking to their principles and keeping the energy high, but Houston will almost surely improve its shooting (38/33 percent splits) at least a little. 

That's how these series go. But for now, the Lakers not only got a win, but did so in a confidence-promoting way that validates their results over the final three games. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers get a Game 1 win. 

 

SEGMENT 2: No KD for the Rockets, and it showed.

 

SEGMENT 3: Blueprint for Game 2? 

 

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It's about time to stop talking and start playing the games. 

Game 1 is Saturday at 5:30 local time, down at LA Live. The Lakers begin what remains a very, very uphill battle. The Rockets are playing well, and won't want to give the Lakers any space to think they can win the series. A good start is important. But no matter what, the Lakers will be on the wrong end of the talent allotment. 

So what's the best case scenario for how this could go? Where are the cracks the Lakers might exploit in order to pull an upset? And what's the worst case? How fast will we know which way the series will go? 

And finally... predictions!!!

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

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The Lakers got some good news Thursday as the NBA said it has approved the appeal from Luka Dončić and the Lakers for an exemption from the 65-game rule that governs postseason awards eligibility. The league agreed that the pair of games Luka missed to attend the birth of his daughter met the extraordinary circumstances threshold, and that he otherwise would have made it to 65. 

So he's good to go. 

Dončić won't win MVP -- the longshot candidacy went out the window with the result vs. OKC and the resulting injury -- but if he doesn't land on the All-NBA 1st Team, the honor is fundamentally broken. 

The whole thing needs to be rethought, anyway. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers again went through a spirited practice in El Segundo on Thursday, and seem about as prepared as you can be in the situation they're in. Everyone has a healthy understanding of what they're up against, while maintaining a spirit of optimism and possibility. They have confidence in what they're doing, and certainly aren't feeling sorry for themselves. 

And with all that, if there's an advantage the Lakers have it's in expectations: Nobody believes they'll win. Nobody is really expecting them to be all that competitive. So just go play and try to do something special. And while they have an obvious talent deficit, it's easy to believe the Lakers have the mental toughness and heart to make Houston earn it. 

 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

 

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers and Luka get some good news on Thursday. 

 

SEGMENT 2: LeBron praises Houston's depth. 

 

SEGMENT 3: The Lakers have the right spirit and mental toughness. 

 

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