The LeBron James All-NBA (2nd) and Luka Doncic - 24-25 Thread

[Mos_Heat]

It's just crazy that Pelinka did not improve the bench through out the season. Nasty work

[AmIWrongDude]

Minny’s defense is perfectly built to limit LeBron. I think he actually played well tonight besides the stretch where he missed like 5 shots in a row lol. He was crazy active the entire night on defense and no surprise - the team defense ended up being great.

His steal and bucket at the end really stopped any chance at a comeback as well. Hopefully he’ll have a game soon where he just gets super hot shooting from outside because it’s tough for him to go bully mode in the paint against them. Good thing Luka has been awesome.

[tone wone]

Minny’s defense is perfectly built to limit LeBron. I think he actually played well tonight besides the stretch where he missed like 5 shots in a row lol. He was crazy active the entire night on defense and no surprise - the team defense ended up being great.

His steal and bucket at the end really stopped any chance at a comeback as well. Hopefully he’ll have a game soon where he just gets super hot shooting from outside because it’s tough for him to go bully mode in the paint against them. Good thing Luka has been awesome.

Yeah that steal & layup on Ant was the biggest play of the game

[PistolPeteJR]

I do think if they beat Minny, they can beat anyone not named Boston. That said, if they beat Minny, I don’t know if they’ll have the energy to beat anyone else lol.

[Ian Scuffling]

Just looks odd that after 20+ years, you watch a playoff game with Lebron in it and realize that he isn't the best player out on the court (completely disregarding 2007 against San Antonio, mind you ). Hell, not even the 2nd best. That's not a knock on him, but rather a testament to his longevity and greatness. I just don't think that the Lakers can win it all with this Lebron. I understand, and agree, with all the great points about Minny's length and size being a kryptonite for this old Lebron, too. I think he can, and will (if they get passed Minny) play better against the other teams. I'm just not sure it will be enough.

[TroubleS0me]

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[nzahir]

It's just crazy that Pelinka did not improve the bench through out the season. Nasty work

Yup another C would have been great

But already a lot of turnover and not sure what other moves were realistic

This summer we will make some upgrades

[nzahir]

Just looks odd that after 20+ years, you watch a playoff game with Lebron in it and realize that he isn't the best player out on the court (completely disregarding 2007 against San Antonio, mind you ). Hell, not even the 2nd best. That's not a knock on him, but rather a testament to his longevity and greatness. I just don't think that the Lakers can win it all with this Lebron. I understand, and agree, with all the great points about Minny's length and size being a kryptonite for this old Lebron, too. I think he can, and will (if they get passed Minny) play better against the other teams. I'm just not sure it will be enough.

You guys are pessimistic af rn lol

You understand we have Luka right?

He’s a top 5 undisputed guy and arguably #2

Lebron doesn’t need to be a #1 guy anymore

He can be a #2/3 while playing solid D and rebounding well

The question will be if the role guys can do enough (Rui, DFS, Vando, Hayes, Gabe, Knecht??)

We will upgrade the C spot this summer I think

And hopefully another 1-2 guys

[Ian Scuffling]

LOL...Honestly, I have never been called pessimistic before, well, in my life. Despite the preponderance of evidence, I've lways been an optimist. However, I do love your optimism regarding this team. My concern, as far as they go for a professional basketball team, is that the 2nd best player is a 40 year old, who is coming off of a core/groin injury, very much impinging his defense. Reaves, while intermittently is a very good offensive player, just isn't a very good defensive player. Hell, even the undisputed best player on the Lakers isn't a good defender. Defense wins championships may be trite phrase, but I still think it has merit. Obviously, you're talking about the future, given your last two lines. But, even you had caveats in "I think" and "hopefully". You may trust Pelinka more than I do.

[Mos_Heat]

It's just crazy that Pelinka did not improve the bench through out the season. Nasty work

Yup another C would have been great

But already a lot of turnover and not sure what other moves were realistic

This summer we will make some upgrades

Forget about centers, any playable body would've been super helpful. They have 6 man rotation and that's just 2 games into the playoffs

[Asianiac_24]

The difference between AD and Luka is bigger than I thought. Before the trade I thought they were almost neck and neck. But Luka completely outclasses AD as a player. AD can put up 28/15 but you left the game feeling like he had a neutral impact

[One_and_Done]

The difference between AD and Luka is bigger than I thought. Before the trade I thought they were almost neck and neck. But Luka completely outclasses AD as a player. AD can put up 28/15 but you left the game feeling like he had a neutral impact

The thing is, the previously unplayable Vanderbilt is now very playable as a small ball 5. They're going to miss AD if they have to play the Warriors, but once they get a new 5 in the offseason the loss will be minimal.

[Jaivl]

Just looks odd that after 20+ years, you watch a playoff game with Lebron in it and realize that he isn't the best player out on the court (completely disregarding 2007 against San Antonio, mind you ). Hell, not even the 2nd best. That's not a knock on him, but rather a testament to his longevity and greatness. I just don't think that the Lakers can win it all with this Lebron. I understand, and agree, with all the great points about Minny's length and size being a kryptonite for this old Lebron, too. I think he can, and will (if they get passed Minny) play better against the other teams. I'm just not sure it will be enough.

You didn't watch ball in 2023 or 2024?

[Ian Scuffling]

Just looks odd that after 20+ years, you watch a playoff game with Lebron in it and realize that he isn't the best player out on the court (completely disregarding 2007 against San Antonio, mind you ). Hell, not even the 2nd best. That's not a knock on him, but rather a testament to his longevity and greatness. I just don't think that the Lakers can win it all with this Lebron. I understand, and agree, with all the great points about Minny's length and size being a kryptonite for this old Lebron, too. I think he can, and will (if they get passed Minny) play better against the other teams. I'm just not sure it will be enough.

You didn't watch ball in 2023 or 2024?

LOL...Yes, I completely forgot about Jokic. Not sure how, either. Good catch.

[nzahir]

It's just crazy that Pelinka did not improve the bench through out the season. Nasty work

Yup another C would have been great

But already a lot of turnover and not sure what other moves were realistic

This summer we will make some upgrades

Forget about centers, any playable body would've been super helpful. They have 6 man rotation and that's just 2 games into the playoffs

Gimme some guys who were realistic to trade for.

Bron, Luka, Reaves, Rui, DFS, and Gabe aren't going to get cut in the rotation if irs this series or the finals

Minny is a legit finals contender, did you see their record the last 20 games?

Hayes will be a part of the rotation since we need him, but I genuinly think he had a very good 2-3 month stretch in the reg season. Short leash for him though

Vando is a must play due to not having enough athletes or another backup C.

I can see Knecht having a potential role in a series, but lets see

If there was a trade to be made, it would have been moving Maxi at the end, but not a ton of great guys available for 11M or less. Boucher was a decent option though

Could have upgraded Gabe though

And the Knecht deal falling apart with Mark Williams was huge ofc.

[PistolPeteJR]

Hayes just looks extra bad this series because he's going up against a really big team and one that defends very well. Not that he'd look great against a smaller team, just not as bad lol.

[PistolPeteJR]

This is an excellent watch prior to tonight's game.

[youtube]

Watch on YouTube

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[TheGOATRises007]

I have a feeling the Lakers nab game 3 tonight.

[AEnigma]

I have a feeling the Lakers nab game 3 tonight.

I have a feeling they split these next two games regardless, but the extra day of rest they received in advance of this game probably helps the Lakers (specifically Lebron) more than the Wolves.

[Tracymcgoaty]

LOL...Honestly, I have never been called pessimistic before, well, in my life. Despite the preponderance of evidence, I've lways been an optimist. However, I do love your optimism regarding this team. My concern, as far as they go for a professional basketball team, is that the 2nd best player is a 40 year old, who is coming off of a core/groin injury, very much impinging his defense. Reaves, while intermittently is a very good offensive player, just isn't a very good defensive player. Hell, even the undisputed best player on the Lakers isn't a good defender. Defense wins championships may be trite phrase, but I still think it has merit. Obviously, you're talking about the future, given your last two lines. But, even you had caveats in "I think" and "hopefully". You may trust Pelinka more than I do.

this season was supposed to be a wash after the trade. To everyones surprise we got the 3rd seed. Next season is where expectations should be chip or bust. and that falls on Rob building a contending team around Luka.

Lebron has been great. Really he carried hard when AD went down and that is the biggest part of why we got the 3rd seed. I hate on Bron Bron a lot but i can also give him flowers.

if he can be the defensive captain and pick his spots on offense it would be great. He's clearly not 100%. That groin isn't gonna heal until off season.

I think he's got max 2 years more in him. The ideal thing would be him being a 3rd option focused on defense and rebounding. I dont think AR is on that level where he can mantle the 2nd option though.