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

mad at me much now now you've over I I

wasn't here Friday I'm back you spend a

great weekend together true playoff mode

is here I know let's go Wilds actually

talked to us away from the was czy

grandparents who they are not happy

about sorry I was a big hit I told you

but the most important people there are

good first things first today no Wilds

they shouldn't be happy oh here we go I

mean they should be

ecstatic

euphoric

elated over the

moon how however was well done right bro

I won't do it again I just felt like I

needed it for that moment listen here's

the reality however thin and it is very

thin admittedly the Lakers path to

competing for a championship okay is it

had to start here well I mean once we

knew they were locked into the playin

line that in my opinion the two things

that needed to happen was were get out

of the 910 disaster Zone area yeah check

and and I know this is controversial to

believe but I adamantly believe it get

Denver as early as

possible and that is not because Denver

is a better matchup than other teams

would be it's not because the Lakers are

better than Denver but if it is because

we are to assume in order to make the

NBA Finals they're going to have to go

through the Denver Nuggets the only

chance they have is now it's a

reasonable rested healthy LeBron if we

can show you rolling LeBron's the last

seven he's been playing out of his mind

the the only game they lost was when ad

couldn't play because of the I think it

was a concussion I don't know if they

called it that but concussion simp and

the Warriors had the greatest shooting

night in NBA history and so I've not it

really to me Brew is about if you're a

Lakers fan are you happy is about what

your goal is is your goal the longest

possible time in the playoffs or is your

goal the best chance of winning the

championship cuz right now I don't think

those two things are aligned if your

goal is the longest possible time in the

playoffs then you want to be on the

other side of the bracket as Denver and

just like last year maybe see him in the

Conference Finals when you're exhausted

and old and get swept if your goal is

you know what what if we could win it

with four days but between the play in

in game one or five days and then

multiple days between every early game

which is only the case in in round one I

think this perfect I think this is

exactly what the Lakers fans should have

hoped for and they got it if they win

tomorrow night I'm going I'm going to

address that I know we got a next tou

we're gonna talk about the Denver Lakers

matchup so I'll address what you said

then as far as answering the question

it's all about your perspective I mean

because when you look at the fact that

just a few days ago they were the 10th

seed yeah and looking at playing Golden

State and then maybe Phoenix Road just

to get to the on the road both times

then yeah this makes you feel good

because they've owned New Orleans right

three I think they're three in one

obviously they you know played well

against yesterday and you mention LeBron

how well he's playing one thing I like

too at times he was Garden Zion so even

just taking on like big game we need

this win give me Zion and he did a good

job on him and so yeah you're excited if

you're the Lakers um considering all the

other options to be in this scenario a

lot of people Nick are talking about

they should lose and try to get to the

eighth seed obviously they've owned

Oklahoma City beating them three

straight times three out of four this

year the problem I no I am totally

against that because you can't play

around like that cuz then you get

probably Golden State or

Sacramento against you yeah in a in a

one and done you know you definitely

don't want that so I think this is a

good case SC there I don't agree and I

think we're going to get to that I don't

agree though with your take about them

playing Denver now but so just just stay

on the if they lose if they you know I

everyone at this table agrees that they

should of course do everything they can

to win tomorrow night even though it

means playing Denver whether you think

what so we all agree on that but this

can also be true because of how the

bracket fell a loss last or tomorrow

night won't feel devastating to most it

might to me because I think you want to

get Denver early but to the rest of you

know people rooting for the Lakers or

rooting for LeBron or whomever it will

be like okay the season will come down

to a game which is terrifying but then

after that then you would be on the

opposite side of Denver and exactly and

you get OKC but then it opens up the

door to your season being over in 72

hours quickly brw just on the Pelicans

Zion we're in year five never been to

the playoffs played 70 games this year

got cooked up by LeBron last game but I

think there's a little bit of like all

right ingrams missed 12 games he was

held to Ingram had 13 Zion had 12 do you

think this is sort of a moment for Zion

against the Lakers no no no I mean that

we've look honestly we were happy and I

think I speak for a lot of people we're

happy he played a full season oh my God

yeah no that's where the bar is on the

number one pick in the yes Kaitlyn Clark

it was Zion it's

like that's over I'm serious so happy

that he played he's always he baby steps

baby steps has been 5 years but he

hasn't been healthy well now he is and

look he played well and he's a nice he

handles the ball you know get into the

hole it will I mean he played well but

no 70 game next year we'll talk about

winning a series get in the playoffs he

can't play a playoff game he just lost

they could have gone to the six just

lost make the playoffs make the playoffs

beat LeBron I mean I I but if they

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 match up they working in Ingram

that's the thing I think that's what

they and the I mean yesterday they could

have been the six if they win which

would be super them being New Orleans

super useful for them and that was not I

understand it was Master Sunday there's

a lot going on maybe people were there

lot 30 G or 30 teams playing yesterday

that game was an Annihilation from day

from opening tip uh but don't you think

an Ingam thing no I listen I think that

if you're New Orleans or Minnesota this

whole incorporating your second best

player right before the postseason could

be a problem but I do want to say real

quick before we move on

Brew I will never again underestimate

the power of the bud list I put Wilds on

the bud list demanding he let the tiger

out more often I mean the first segment

of Monday show you guys

are there is a game G four go back to LA

you know what I want

bro 15 points okay well listen he he'll

give you 15 points tomorrow here Tatum

he's going to lose to LeBron James and

you're gonna kill him for that he LeBron

James was old as me yeah I'm going to

Paul George had his moment against

LeBron Tatum young Tatum had his moment

against LeBron in losses well have a

moment and win and some people have

George and the Goat conversation not

players in the league I mean all right

if the lake show do get by the frisky

pels which is no guarantee they'll head

to Denver in a scenario that Nick once

proclaimed was their best case scenario

now they've lost eight games in a row

against Denver and six in a row since

Darvin ham inferred he had seen

something in the fourth quarter of game

one of the Western Conference finals and

told the world we'll be okay trust me

six six losses since then uh Brew what

chances do the Lakers have to take out

Denver I mean no chance other than never

say never anything is possible no there

there's no I mean look the greatness of

LeBron and AD I'm doing my all NBA teams

they're both on the top three you know a

third second and third Team all NBA I'll

share I'll keep it a secret which one's

second which one's third but there there

are great players obviously but there's

really not much other than if you just

say you know LeBron this his maybe last

harah like last best chance to win a

championship or get there he's going to

take it over but he played well last

year and they got swept and he had a

Lebron game and they couldn't it

still and it wasn't enough and so

there's really no realistic logical

basketball reason to pick them here's

why I disagree with your theory Nick

yeah cuz there I get what you're saying

but I think the uh nuggets have one

weakness and I'm not it's not their

depth to me or lack of depth it's the

possibility of Jamal of Jamal Murray

getting hurt okay that's true no because

he has they cannot win the championship

they cannot win the West without Jamal

muray I mean as great as joic is Jamal

Murray is critical he always plays

better in the playoffs significantly

better and they must have it and my

thing is this Nick he's back and he's

been hot 24 points a game and like 25

minutes a game since he came back from

last five or six games I think it's five

games he's he's shooting it like 47%

from three well over 50 overall and and

obviously we don't want to see anybody

get hurt but I think the chances on the

cuz he's not been able to make it

through all the postseasons and so if he

were to get hurt it's probably later in

the playoffs versus right away and

that's why I I don't agree with that no

so that by the way that is a that is

almost assuredly correct I am operating

from the unrealistic place but the place

that I think we almost always do these

predictions of everyone's as healthy as

they are right now you know and so

that's he stays healthy so you said

there's no basketball reasons well he

said it no and you and then you was an

amen from the choir so so I would like

to

just posit a few questions sure to Mr

Denver Nugget you know for you know bro

no but you've been Mr Denver Nugget all

year yeah on your lightly followed

Twitter account you've written dozens of

times no one's beating Denver and a

seven game series wild you've been I

know you've been staying 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 a burden yeah exactly he

just wants to send the

Tweet if you were to rank Denver by how

they've been playing by month where do

you think this last month of basketball

well they had the one they won four

their last five the one seed on the line

against a Spurs team that was not even

playing two of its five best players

they don't have a lot of 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 slight slight hm

concern I Canad counter point yeah I

liked it why you know what I didn't like

it I loved it now we're why tell it's

wake up call a little wake up call okay

maybe Mike Malone was like 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 a star can come down and take

over and they took the foot off their

gas like ah you know it's the Spurs and

that so that they lost it I I was kind

of good and also Nick depending on how

far you want to go back last month last

two month they have the best record in

the league since the allstar them and

Boston 21-6 and the games Murray's

played they're 16 and3 that's a higher

win percentage than even Boston which

been running through the league so

they've been actually playing great

basball I agree with that they and the

losses you can be like that one was an

overtime to

Phoenix but this was a bad one because

they what was on the line which was the

on two which I think matter to them but

the other I'm going to give you one

other basketball reason and this is why

I think it is critical that if the

Lakers have any chance of beating Denver

that it has to happen now Brew what did

you call this Series last year a close

sweep a close sweep and it was and it

okay so I don't I've heard others call

it a gentleman sweep even gentleman

sweep is fine no I know they said

because it was so close here I'm just

like they want to give me my PR what and

you and you I think correctly ident if

I'm remembering right identified when we

were talking about the games last year

that it appeared at the end of these

games LeBron was out of gas and the

numbers support that if we can show you

LeBron last year he's rolling all

systems go quarters 1 through three and

was spent quarters in fourth quarter

okay what's the other story of LeBron

last season his worst three-point

shooting year in the regular season in

15 years and in the playoffs second

worst of his career if you remember you

were Wilds was saying give him the Ben

Simmons treatment one for

right I'm not saying he's going to keep

it up necessarily but what's the story

of LeBron this year his best three-point

shooting year and I'm going to add one

other point Jamal Murray is a great

postseason performer we all know that

what he did in those Conference Finals

and we can show it to you is aberant

even by his standards every other series

of his career he's awesome 24 five and

six on those splits last year he had the

best series of his career so the point

I'm making is this LeBron what they were

close good games until the Lakers best

player wore down in the fourth quarter I

don't think he's as likely to wear down

when it's not every other day like it is

in the Conference Finals and it's not

after two rounds of playoffs and he's

not nursing a bad foot bad foot whatever

it was he couldn't hit a three and Jamal

Murray played the series of his life now

the Counterpoint obviously is yeah and

so maybe if that's right it'll be 4-1

this time or 42 this time I get that but

I I think there are a lot of factors

that if if this ends up being the

matchup you could see it go very

similarly as last year but if LeBron is

a just a touch fresher and Jamal Murray

is just a touch less

incandescent those games turn Murray

though has had a lot of great series his

numbers are down both regular season and

playoffs cuz of early in his career the

numbers weren't as prolific I'll give

you this though as a support for what

you said about LeBron cuz he's been cold

this month from three I think he's like

30 1% something like that lession don't

41% for the season right but what you

see is and I think this is why he

shooting such a high percentage and I

think it's wise of LeBron he is

attacking the rim relentlessly he's

shooting like three three-pointers this

month a game that's low and it was four

and a half the last month in in May in

March so he's dialing down the

three-pointers and attacking the rim

more which is what I think he should do

and Denver doesn't shoot a lot of Threes

they're actually last in the league in

three-point attempts the Lakers are SEC

third to last so the fact that if

LeBron's not draining a ton of Threes

that's okay because Denver is not going

to be draining a ton of Threes either

and you he should keep attacking the rim

Josh you know what I'd like to do take

Nick's graphic and let's look at the

Denver La splits and I wonder if it's

less uh just LeBron wearing down and

more of the altitude

o once you're in that thin m it was it

was and but the other Denver and he has

to he had to play so well and hard to

just stay keep them near the nug great

four and the hit the one thing and I'm

not the there injuries it's part of

sports I get it but the one place where

LeBron's foot injury last playoffs

really showed up is it seemed like he

only had three or four hard drives to

the basket in him a game until that game

four against Denver when he just you

know emptied the clip probably last game

of the year the last month man he is

relentlessly it feels like it's the

healthiest he has been going into a

postseason since the championship year

that's all I'm saying even though I

think the Pelicans are going to win you

convince me the Lakers can get a

game okay got it I I I I don't think

it'll be a sweep this year yeah there we

go might even get two wow oh if you can

get two you get three if you can get

three it comes down to a game seven

anything can happen you're getting there

bro here the odds to win the West Denver

at one then it's the uh Thunder and the

Clippers tied at two MAV Suns wolves

Lake Show Pelicans Warriors and then

sack toown way far down there uh who's

the most dangerous threat to the Champs

Bro Look it's all about the matchups I I

mean obviously Denver is a team you feel

like can work through any of these M

challenge matchup challenges

but my team we know I picked the

Clippers to get to the Conference Finals

and we're going to talk about them a

little later but if they're healthy I

like like the Clippers if they're

healthy all right but we'll talk about

that all right but I'm going to say and

I think the Lakers look if the Lakers

somehow were to beat Denver they

immediately become I don't think just

the Western Conference favorite I think

the league favorite because I think they

would beat Boston wow Boston B I'm I'm

not look I pick Boston great if they if

they get I don't think they're getting

beating Denver but if they do you don't

think people going to be saying they're

going to win it they beat tell you this

much I will be if they beat Denver and I

just think I think they would handle

ball I really do I I I like Boston in

the East what are they one in one

against Boston this year but LeBron ad I

think but the best I'm going to go with

Minnesota because I think they and and

they gonna have their hands full with

Phoenix so I'm just saying though a

one-on-one matchup in a series I think

Minnesota with their size and you know

not just Carl Anthony towns and and

Gober now Reed is played great when

gobear was out you got that one

incredible individual superstar that can

just take over series and Anthony

Edwards and then you've got some vets

like well coach and they're a great

defensive team so in a one-on-one series

I would say Minnesota is my toughest do

you have an answer I I'm I'm a little

bit worried about the

Suns a little there is some recency a

part of that and the Superstar Factor

here's the graphic of teams that have

done well against Denver the frisky

magic I was on them you know Rockets

somehow 2 and0 uh Thunder play well

Rockets shenon of course going up

against you know there's a common

denominator in four of the five can you

pick it out tall people well what is it

young oh young and athletic young and

fast I mean that yeah the Denver's not

like incredibly athletic so this graphic

make and the fact that you're using this

graphic to support Phoenix does mean

listen good people of Oak City I

apologize that this show unintentionally

keeps really disrespecting your team

like by the way CU they're not my answer

they're not my answer either we we had a

whole MVP conversation last week and we

because brew and I agree on this that it

was a Luca yic conversation didn't even

include SGA the Oklahoma City is three-

one against Denver and is the only team

that would have home court advantage

against them in the conference and none

of us are going to say them cuz Brew

went Minnesota no I get it Brew went

Minnesota you went Phoenix and I'm going

with the right answer which is Dallas

Dallas is 15- two and it's last 17 if we

throw out the last two games of the year

they satad everybody like they the games

that mattered they were that and if

there is any player in the league that

for a series can match Nica yic it's

Luca that and we can show the their

career playoff numbers like you know

it's kind of horse of a different color

I don't think that's what the phrase is

at all but the point is um they both

have historic levels of impact in the

postseason they are both already in my

opinion great postseason players I know

Luca doesn't have the hardware to show

that yet but only Jordan has ever

averaged more points per game in a

postseason and so if you have L if Luca

could play joic to a draw you know Kyrie

could play Murray to a draw and now all

of a sudden you know it's like we've got

you know we've got Derek Lively and a

pod versus a podcaster you've got a lot

of things going on like I what I'm what

listen man put yourself out there hey

they they got to face the Clippers in

the first place the problem that's what

we're going to talk I do like Dallas

wanted to say Dallas but he has losing

in

around thanks for watching subscribe

here to get more from the show and to

check out clips from other shows on FS1