The Refs aren’t “stealing” anything. They’re letting them play, for the most part, the review showed a foul on Edward’s, a lot of calls didn’t get a whistle, get past the bias and try and see that the better team in every game has won. It’s not anymore complicated than that. Want to win? Rediscover the magic formula Coach Reddick found midseason: play hard. If you don’t ten vacation beckons.

If game 1 can serve as an epic wake-up call, great. Mainly I just want to see the defense pick up where it left off in the first half of game 2 and over stay their welcome. By a long time. Like a few years from now.

1) LeBron needs Luka and Luka needs LeBron. This is all still coming together, so much untapped potential and a lot of talent yet to see coalesce. LeBron needs Luka to be this good going forward. Luka needs LeBron to keep on running the defense like a QB.

2) We need Reaves to hit shots in Minnesota. His offense is going to be key in regaining home court and potentially pushing the Wolves to the brink. He’s still too passive, we need more on the road.

3) Gabe needs to keep hitting shots in Minnesota. 10+ points for he and DFS or we might come back desperate. Can’t leave it all up to the starting five.

4) Now would be a great time for Jaxson Hayes to show some growth and take a step up. You want money? Minutes? Respect? A ring? Those things are earned in the playoffs. Battle. Hard.

5) Don’t lose composure but be physical. Need to come out swinging in game 3, keep ‘em down.

Ok, still got the Lakers in 6. Still, the level of intensity needs to ratchet up. Significantly. Fast. Coach sounded like he though the group was too loose, they play loose on game 2 may be time to switch the line up mojo.

1) Luka showed up, took what the defense gave him, and couldn’t do it alone. He was in himself over his low assists but that’s a collaborative stat. Someone gotta make a shot.

2) Reaves needs to be better. You might not score a lot, you need to do more with your minutes or risk losing them. Reaves looked passive and disengaged for the first half. Didn’t do much to change my opinion in the second half although he was better.

3) Rui needs to play with more urgency in offense. Started hot, faded after that and never recaptured his groove. Needs to rebound better.

4) Vando needs to play more in this series. Especially if Reaves and Rui can’t rise to the challenge of playoff intensity. I understand how this impacts the scoring but we can’t be playing slow and mellow against this team. The T’Wolves have steadily improved over the course of the season. That’s not a fluke. Julius is healthy and motivated to get a big contract this summer, Ant Man would love to knock Luka and LeBron out of the playoffs, and McDaniels is legit. We need a guy like Vando who has size, speed and a chip on his shoulder.

5) Hayes needs to rise to the challenge or we should start DFS. Me? I might not wait another game but the fan of hard work in me believed he deserves a shot. Problem is he seemed so willowy out there, I don’t mind him picking up fouls, he needs to play a lot harder and not let contact come to him. He needs to seek it out. Play with the intent of knocking a dude on his ass.

Lose game 2 and this could go south real fast.

The Lakers did what was needed to control their destiny and end up as the 3rd seed. They have a date with the 6th seeded Minnesota Timberwolves. It’s safe to say that there won’t be any easy roads to a title, especially in the loaded western conference, but facing the Timberwolves early is probably for the best. I’d rather face a young team early, before they maybe win a series or two and start playing above their heads. Defense and an efficient offense are the keys to winning in the playoffs so let’s get into it.

1. Healthy get you wealthy. The week off for a team featuring the oldest player in the league (whom we rely on extensively) is a boon from the basketball gods. LeBron, Reaves, Luka, Hayes, DFS, Rui and Vando have all missed games for maintenance over the last month and getting those players off their feet and into some treatment is huge. Especially LeBron and Luka but anyone who can maybe get over a nagging injury or a persistent bruise. Hayes in particular could stand to get over the finger injury he has which is why I suspect his free throw % has dropped off a cliff of late. Getting as many guys as right as possible is a gift the Lakers have not had in some time.
2. Time for planning. Being that it’s Coach Reddick’s maiden voyage into the playoffs it will be interesting to see how he plays the matchups, adjustments and counter-moves that often define a playoff series. Coaching takes on a new dimension in the playoffs and I’m excited to see what the coach and his staff come up with. Having not one but two generational talents to run the offense, call out coverages and slow the game down for the whole team is a luxury most coaches can only dream of. Matching up against the Timberwolves is a great first test.
3. Luke, LeBron and Reaves. Let’s not get anything twisted: we’re going exactly as far as these three players can carry us. We need for the hot shooting Luka showed the last few games to continue, we need LeBron to continue to captain the defense at an elite level, and we need Reaves to continue to assert himself and be the best 3rd option in the NBA. If these three guys are all rolling pretty consistently I like our chances against anyone.
4. X Factors. I’d say the health and impact of Mike Conley on the Timberwolves along with how Randle plays are probably the 2 biggest X Factors for the Timberwolves. For the Lakers it’s their bench. Who among Vincent, DFS, Vando, Knecht and maybe Goodwin can step up and deliver under the bright lights of the NBA playoffs? My bet is that Vincent ends up being a stabilizing force, for the most part, and that the true X Factors end up being Vando and Goodwin. If those two can combine for 10+ points and the stat stuffing they do on D we’re in good shape. I’m not expecting a huge role for Dalton, honestly. Who knows, all sorts of weird can happen in a 7 game series. Just ask Lonnie Walker IV.
5. Defense shall lead the way. The old adage proves true every postseason: defense wins championships. If the lakers can rediscover that elite, defenders on a string vibe we had post-Luka trade but pre-LeBron groin tweak I like our chances against anyone in either conference. Slip much below that and the cracks in the foundation will be showing and we’re going to be in for a tough slog. So here’s hoping we defend at an elite level and score effectively and efficiently en route to banner #18!

Crappy end to an otherwise awesome game. Too bad the refs ended up deciding they needed some attention. Flush and move on.

1) In the defense of the refs. We shot 17 more free throws -on their home court- and were only whistled for 15 fouls. Maybe ratchet the complaining down a little bit.
2) In defense of Luka. You can’t throw a superstar out for that. If you can’t see the player (as was the case) you can’t throw him out, you have to allow them to be who they are: elite competitors in the midst of an epic battle. That ejection changed everything.
3) Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. Just so very many giveaways, need to wrangle that issue or you can lose a playoff series real quick. LeBron, Luka and Austin combined for 13. Need to be better.
4) Control the defensive glass. If it weren’t for Vanderbilt (a big 8 offensive rebounds), the disparity in offensive rebounding would have been astronomical. As it was we still couldn’t box out to save our lives. Another season long issue rearing it’s head. Between the offensive rebounds and the turnovers they got 24 shots up than we did. Small wonder we lost.
5) Not enough D. OKC had a fairly easy breezy time scoring the ball. 50% shooting on far more attempts was more than enough to offset the free throw line disparity. Need to get more physical, make it a priority to keep teams off the glass and , in general, shore up the defense on ball screens.

Looks like Michael and I had it backwards, we both thought they would win last night and lose the first game. At any rate, need to buckle up and get ready for Dallas tonight.

The last 5. Just want the Lakers to have home court advantage against Denver. That’s it, I’m not overly concerned about anything else. Playing fewer games at altitude, end of worry list. So my goals for the last 5 are:

1) For Luka to find his shot. We need him to be more efficient in his scoring they’ll take away a lot of lobs and cutting plays in the playoffs.
2) Keep LeBron healthy. ‘Nuff said.
3) Re-activate Rui. Hachimura hasn’t looked himself since coming back from injury, When he’s scoring effectively we’re a different team and much harder to beat. Might be best to start him again.
4) Keep Reaves grooving. Dude is balling, let’s keep it rolling baby!
5) Bench consistency. This has been the Achilles heel for the Lakers this season, we need someone to step up. Doesn’t need to be the same guy, anyone of DFS, Rui, Vando, Gabe or Dalton to go for 10-15 on a nightly basis. It’d be great if two guys could crack 10+ reliably.

1) Defense struggling to re-discover that elite mojo. We had been shutting down stars and forcing the role players to beat us. That’s not happening during the rough patch.
2) Not turning teams over. The pints in transition were what allowed us to run up the score on the opposition and cruise during the good times. During the rough patch teams are recognizing the lurker, or banshee as Coach Reddick calls them, and being less reckless with the pass.
3) Bench scoring issues. The entire Lakers bench was out scored by one player. That’s not gonna get it done, someone off the bench needs to become a serious, nightly scoring threat. Even in the playoffs you need something from your bench.
4) Streaky threes. We made a decent clip, and have over our last 10 (38.5%) but it hasn’t been enough with the dip in Fastbreak points once the defense started failing/got scouted.
5) Negative LeBron. Tonight was another night where we lost the LeBron minutes. Hard to see us struggle when Luka goes to the bench. I’d consider keeping Luka and LeBron together and letting Reaves and maybe Gabe run the 2nd unit. LeBron needs time to ramp up and get grooving, we got killed when he ran the show.

Honorable mention goes to the lackadaisical 3rd quarter. Need to figure that out, stat.

Can’t just flush this one, need to right the ship ASAP.

1) Great seeing everyone back.
2) Defense no-showed.
3) LeBron looked not quite ready for prime time.
4) Flush it, not worth agonizing over.
5) Rui might just need to sit. I’d continue starting either DFS or Goodwin, need someone who can play hard and not worry about getting hurt.

The Lakers won a crucial game last night as we come to the home stretch of the regular season. Sure, LeBron, Murray and The Joker all sat but Luka and Reaves continue to develop the more important chemistry (assuming Reaves is part of future team plans) and we clinched the tie-breaker over Denver for home court advantage in the playoffs. All of this is important for a team that, despite a disastrous road trip last week, is still surging in the standings.

1. Luka on fire early. Dude couldn’t miss. He’s gotten his legs under him and is moving more fluidly this week, which bodes well for the team and his efficiency. Still had a few too many turnovers, and that’s as much an adjustment of the Nuggets defense throwing different schemes and long dudes at him, but a lot of those plays won’t (or at least really shouldn’t) be attempted in the playoffs. I get what Dallas fans had to say about his complaining, while maybe not quite as bad as Devin Booker or Jayson Tatum, it is frequent and constant. Let coach do the complaining dude, and besides, you get to the line an awful lot as it is.
2. Winning when you should. In sport the hardest wins are against what are looked at as soft or depleted teams. This ignores a little something called pride. pro athletes compete man, it’s how they’re wired.
3. Nuggets chirping. Gott love Watson getting all chirpy and in Luka’s face. Dude dropped 21 on his team and he’s acting like the game was close and he was about to in it with his next hoop. Love that fight and grit, maybe just focus a little more on your defensive assignment, though lol.
4. Hayes continues to shine. I’m just as pleased as pie with how Jax has been playing of late. I have been pulling for the dude since last season, and I’m sure we’ll see 213 trade pitches dropped with an eye to replace him, but I’m down with rolling with Hayes into next season on a fair extension. If he has a breakout playoffs…that extension price may climb past what the Lakers a re comfortable with, however…
5. Bronny! Didn’t finish this until Friday morning so might as well tack on how great Mr. Bronny James played last night. When really nobody else showed up in a Milwaukee route, Bronny showed that he could have a brighter future than just about anyone who writes about sport predicted. I’ve said it before, but I think it bears repeating, the dude was and is a project. Everyone picked at 55 is a project, just how it goes. To his credit it sounds, and looks, like he’s been putting in the right work and the results are paying off. His first step is legit, he can blow by bigger defenders (and should have drawn a foul on Giannis that went uncalled). This wasn’t 48 minutes of garbage time, the lakers and Milwaukee had a vested interest in the outcome. Bronny’s stat line was full of career highs: 17 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 30 minutes played. Solid job, keep working and ignore the BS.

Fresh off a 4 game road trip in which they lost every game and then back home into a back-to-back it would have been easy to forgive the Lakers for losing what can only be described as a trap game. No meaningful stars healthy on the Spurs (sorry CP3), 4 games in 5 days (including travel from the Mile High City) and nearly a whole rotation’s worth of injured players the Lakers could have been forgiven for penciling in the loss and laying an egg. They did not. They took care of business like a team intent on competing for a banner would do. They set about taking care of business.

1. Lakers won even though Luka couldn’t throw it in the ocean. He scored a couple baskets early and a couple baskets late but in between was an ocean of basketball that Luka couldn’t throw the ball into. Still, he played tremendous defense (3 steals and a block), greased the offensive wheels (14 assists), and rebounded well enough to come up one short of a triple-double (you guessed it…9). I’m pretty sure the Slovenian Sensation would have loved to have shot better but will take the win. Every. Single. Time. Luka’s gravity is an offense creating machine unto itself so just having him on the floor helped others score buckets to bolster the superstar.
2. Reaves is a legit star now. Nigh untouchable has been the front office credo and we’re all seeing why on a nightly basis. His ability to get into the seems and cause havoc and easy buckets or score his own is looking better and better every season. His defense has improved and his handle has become pretty lethal. Reaves slots in well with all of our line ups, big and small, and continues to have a high impact even when playing with Luka and LeBron. When one sits, Reaves amps it up appropriately. Those are incredible skillsets that aren’t really teachable. he really has an elite feel and IQ for the game and his physical gifts and skills are just catching up to that now. Next season, with a whole summer and camp? Watch out.
3. Jordan Goodwin needs a standard contract…stat. No offense to either Alex Len or Cam Reddish buuuuuuut…one of you fellers has got to go. My vote is Len but I think that, based on current roster construction, it will be Cam which is unfortunate because he won’t be eligible to join a playoff roster now. Still, we’re gonna need Goodwin in the playoffs and it’s hard to see us letting he and Hayes slip away this summer. Retaining at least one of them should be a top priority for the team and, if LeBron chooses to play next season, I could see him offering to take a very, very slight pay cut to get that done (he offered as much this season but not much came of it). Goodwin is the guard version of Vando, maybe a little less “dawg” in him as Vando is quick to step up for his teammates (he also is signed here for the next 3 seasons so he feels safe, as well). Goodwin is scrappy, energetic and an excellent defender. He’s making his shots right now which is gravy on this team and has allowed us to better withstand these late season injuries. Needs to be on the playoff roster, no other way to put it.
4. Dorian Finney-Smith. I don’t say enough about this dude and it’s high time that changed. When DFS is out, the defense takes a huge step backwards. When DFS is hitting his shots, the offense becomes even more un-guardable. He, along with Goodwin, Vando and Vincent, is one of our best defenders and is excellent at calling out coverages and screens. He’s strong, long and fast. lakers Fans have heard of these fabled “three and D” players but DFS is the first one to truly fit the bill and earn the name in purple and gold other than Hachimura.
5. Home cooking. The Lakers need to keep pushing and try and get the best possible home court advantage. They play really well at Crypto this season (27-7), they shoot more free throws at home (24.5 vs. 21.8 on the road) and who doesn’t like downtown LA to be rocking after a win? In an odd twist to this logic, Luka shoots better on the road than at home (47.6% on the road vs. 41% at home) but I stand by my assertion. The rest of the Lakers play better and we need those FTA’s. The team, overall, has a pretty mild discrepancy between home and road FG% splits (48.5% at home vs. 47.1% on the road). Free throws will matter.

Any win is a good win, sure the Suns are imploding and going full super nova but the Lakers will take any W they can get while the squad gets healthy. We got to about 85% strength with the return of DFS, Hayes, and Luka and we needed all three to play well and come up clutch against one of the more surprising plotlines this season. The black hole that is the Phoenix Suns

1. Luka. In a word: amazing. Like LeBron, Kobe and Magic before him, he will make some turnovers that are…shall we say avoidable. He will complain a bit much and we’ll see what his conditioning is like next season. It’s all worth it. The dude does legendary things nightly and he makes them look simple. Started hot, finished kind of cold, he was superb at luring the Phoenix defenders into fouling him on his jump shots and drives. Finishing 2 dimes shy of a triple-double it’s easier and easier to accept that Luka is a Laker.
2. Dorian Finney-Smith. Dude is solid as a rock and you can see why Luka enjoys playing with him. His defense is on point and he makes the right play just about every time. DFS, Rui, Vincent and Vando are the quartet of defenders/role-players that have the potential to make this Lakers team something really special. Between these 4 we have a multi-headed hydra of defenders that can switch, recover and rebound with tenacity. Of them all DFS is probably the most essential followed closely by Gabe and Rui. That 3 he hit late to stymie the last Phoenix gasp was clutch because, up to that shot, he was only 1-5 from three and was obviously searching for a groove on offense.
3. Hayes expanding his game. I like when a player bucks trends. It’s one reason I really dig Vanderbilt, there’s not really one thing about his game that screams “modern NBA!” Jaxson Hayes has, at times, been slotted below project players like Christian Koloko on the Lakers depth chart. Last season he came on strong late and then seemed to regress over the summer and came out tentative. Maybe it’s the space Luka helps create, especially when he shares the floor with Reaves and/or LeBron, but Jaxson Hayes suddenly has an acre of space to operate in. He took his man off the dribble…from the three point line…and dunked on him. He’s finding the seams for easy lobs and he keeps flirting with the 20 point barrier. While not the bruising center Coach Reddick pined for early on, the fit with this team is becoming undeniable as Hayes finds ways to leverage his superior speed and hops against more plodding defenders. In the NBA speed kills and is harder than any other physical trait to stop. Footwork and IQ can overcome both speed and strength but, for now, the opposition is having a difficult time containing Hayes. Playoffs will be another beast but this version of Jax is lethal in the regular season.
4. Reaves is becoming Mr. Dependable. Good for 20 and 9, every time. Toss in some boards, some defense and you’ve got the combo guard of the future, folks. reaves “do-it-all” tool box has been on full display for most of the season and were it not for resurgent Detroit Pistons thanks to Cade Cunningham, Austin Reaves would be the clear favorite for Most Improved Player. As it is, if the lakers can crack the top 3, maybe 4 in the west, he still has an outside shot at it. Reaves getting to the line a little more consistently would be nice but that’s on the refs as much as on him as he certainly is attacking the basket.
5. Help is on the way. Sounds like Rui could be available before the end of the week and LeBron not far behind. Welcome news to Lakers fans!

Haven’t even been able to see any of the games on the roadie, got sick and busy at the same time. Awesome combo.

1) We’re really missing Rui. Like Kuzma a couple years before him, Rui is a great “plug and play” guy. Works in a bunch of different lineups, steady production and can bust out for a big game. We miss his spacing and defense. A lot.

2) Missing Hayes. The 7 foot Antelope has carved himself a solid role on this team. At times placed behind the erratic Koloko in terms of ability, Hayes has distanced himself from the other bigs. When paired with Luka and Reaves he helps to create offense through lobs and rebound tap outs. On defense, while certainly not elite, he’s solid and plays big.

3) Oh yeah, LeBron. Kinda goes without saying that we miss the NBA’s all time leading scorer. You know what he does, you know what he brings, so here’s hoping he’s an available to play again in the next week or so.

4) The Return of Dalton Knecht. Dude balled out against Denver and showed exactly why the Lakers had second thoughts on the trade. We already had essentially the same player as Williams in Hayes and DK4 has something special in him. If he can start to add some moves off the dribble (and he should look at how Luka uses his body to create space and separation) he’ll be something akin to Khris Middleton, which would be an amazing leap, not expecting that any time soon. But eventually? Yeah, I can see it.

5) Trust Reaves. Yeah, he had a bad turnover down the stretch. He also should have gone to the line 2-3 more times when he was fouled on drives. To his credit, he’s toned down the post-play complaining…a little…and it goes without saying the Lakers are comfortable putting the ball in his hands. Only the elite playmaking of Luka and the advanced age/wear and tear prevention for LeBron keep the ball out of his hands at this point.

It’s not always 12 point cruises and bench warmers playing the last few minutes, sometimes you gotta win nasty. The Lakers showed that nasty tenacity last night in a thrilling 113-109 OT vs. the Knicks. File this one under “Ain’t Pretty” because this was an ugly game start to finish. More like a street brawl than a basketball game at times, you could tell the Knicks wanted this game and they let it slip away (a habit for them to deal with). Lot of bright points in the murk and muck so let’s dig in.

1. Reaves Rusty Return. It was great seeing Reaves back on the floor but he struggled mightily from the field. Still, it’s worth noting how he helps bend the defense when he plays with LBJ and LD. This aspect of the Lakers, three guys who can get to the rim and create in addition to hitting the three, is what will differentiate the Lakers from the rest of the Association. The Warriors are the only other team that comes close with Curry, Butler and Green and Curry is the one with the least court vision in that trio (like Reaves on ours). Other teams feature a possibly more elite shot creator (Denver has Jokic, OKC has SGA) but the multi-headed Hydra that is the Lakers is a tough foe to vanquish, even when one of them is missing shots they normally make. That three he hit in OT was as clutch as it gets.
2. Gotta keep Jaxson Hayes. There might not be a better center within our means this summer. I’m sure we’ll see 8,231,609 articles about Myles Turner, Brook Lopez and Clint Capella. From my point of view there might not be a better fit for Luka than what we already have in-house. Should he decline his player option for next season Naz Reed is certainly going to vault to the top of the list but his services, like Turner’s, are likely to come at a price too steep. We don’t have $30 million to toss at the 5 position. If we can’t work a trade for Kleber we won’t even have $10 million we can throw at the 5, not for a player on another team. We can sign Hayes, possibly for the Bi-Annual Exception. His fit is apparent and he’s blossoming into a solid player before our eyes. We’ve made the mistake of chasing names over impact and fit too many times in the past, here’s hoping we’ve learned from those lessons. Hayes played so well the Lakers couldn’t afford to go small down the stretch and that’s saying something.
3. Knecht. That buzzer-beater he hit at the end of the 3rd reminded me of an earlier game this season (don’t recall which one, like in the first 10 games…) and it was great to see a young player who has faced a lot of adversity already find the space and ability within to take and make a game-altering shot. He’s been looking more like his early season self and I couldn’t be happier that we didn’t trade him for a broken down center we never needed in the first place. No offense to Mark Williams intended, just his fit given that we already have Hayes was curious to me from the get-go.
4. L & L inc. I’m just now getting used to seeing LeBron and Luka on the same team. It’s been a blast and they kept us afloat through 3 quarters. Credit them for rowing the boat but also for trusting their team down the stretch when one could easily imagine them thinking “it has to be me”. That kind of thinking isolates and divides a team, they’re embracing theirs and the results show up in the in/loss column.
5. Great test coming up. We’re going to start facing teams that have a different set of players than what we’ve been beating up on. We’ve feasted, as any good team does, on an easier portion of the schedule and now we go back on the road. So here’s hoping the Lakers continue to commit and execute on D, keep trusting one another and keep playing hard. It’s the only true cheat code in sport, after all.

50,000 points and counting. An astounding feat given that LeBron came into the league without much of a jump shot. As the years have gone by, James has added and added and arsenal of moves and redefined our preconceived notions of what age in sport means. It’s been a lot of fun to watch, too. The crazy thing is, Lebron wasn’t the only Laker to make history last night. Let’s get into it.

1. Lebron and 50,000 points. this isn’t the only Club of One LeBron has created, he’s also the exclusive member of the 40K/10K/10K Club for total points, assists and rebounds in the regular season. Coach Reddick had an astute observation that we would have celebrated this a little earlier had the NBA Cup tournament game counted as playoff points last season. All in all, I’ve run out of hyperbolic things to say about LeBron James. So I’ll leave it at this: I’ve watched Kareem, Magic, Kobe, Shaq and Gasol all excel as Lakers and make one kind of history or another. I watched Jordan in the 90s, all 3 versions. I’ve never seen anything like what LeBron is doing. MVP almost doesn’t stack up as enough of an award, the NBA needs to consider some kind of lifetime achievement award to properly recognize what we’re all watching.
2. Luka joined Lakers history last night, too. He joined the exclusive 30/15 club (points and assists) which has 3 other members: Jerry West, Magic Johnson and LeBron James. I suspect that we’ll se Luka making a lot of purple and gold history himself. FWIW Magic posted that line 19 total times. Amazing.
3. Positive Vibes. The trio of Luka (+37), Shake Milton (+30) and Jarred Vanderbilt (+27) managed to post an absurd +94 combined plus/minus rating. That group scored and defended at an extremely high level and helped put the game out of reach. Shake is an interesting dude, his jump shot is ugly as sin, he doesn’t have a great handle but he’s tough and plays hard. Vando seems like he defends two guys at once sometimes, it’s awesome to watch, There a issues with his game in terms of scoring but you can’t deny that watching him play defense is an absolute blast. Also, he’s been taking and making multiple threes from the corner in the last few games. That’s all we need from him, he’ll score plenty on back cuts, put-backs and breakaways.
4. Jaxson Hayes coulda/woulda/should had a new career high. His career high in points is 23 (as a Pelican), he matched his Laker high last night. He did all his scoring in the first half. I kinda felt for the dude because he plays so hard and so unselfishly every night, I wanted him to get to at least 20. Next time, Jax.
5. Lakers Analytical Dominance. AKA L.A.D. The L.A.D. is what’s separating them from the pack, we’re still dominating in paint points most nights but we’ve added the three ball and maintained a solid differential at the free throw line. This is what’s known as a recipe for success. Toss in an NBA leading defense and you can start to see why the mass media is starting to come around on our ability to win it all this season. not sure anyone could have predicted such a quick, seamless transition between 2 generational talents or that the defense would somehow find another level with AD on the Mavs…but there it is. impossible to ignore. Now if we could just cut down on the turnovers…

Great seeing Zion play, dude looks lean and mean which is bad news for the NBA…next season. He looks like he’s in the best shape of his life, good for him.

The Lakers look nothing like the team LeBron is quoted as saying needs to “play near-perfect” in order to win. It’s hard to imagine the team we started with weathering a rash of injuries and tough schedule so smoothly. Reaves and Hachimura out? No problem, next man up and let’s keep the good times rolling baby.

1. The man who I am quickly running out of superlatives for. Luka is rounding back into game shape and it’s going to be a problem for the Association. His line of 29 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists won’t be hung on the wall, and was offset by his 6 turnovers, but seeing Luka casually play this way when he clearly still doesn’t have his legs or wind is exciting. By the time the playoffs roll around we should see the best, current version of Luka. Like any great playmaker it’s exciting to watch him maneuver and orchestrate. Toying with defenders, probing effortlessly, and having a blast doing it. It looks like he’s settling in now and once he gets up to full speed physically watch out.
2. Lebron just missing history. 49999 combined regular season and playoff points. An astounding number and he came up 1 point shy of history. LeBron had a rough game, wasn’t hitting his threes and had a whopping 8 turnovers. The thing is, if you told me that Rui and Austin would be out and LeBron and Luka would combine for 14 turnovers themselves I’d tell you we likely lost the game. That’s the beauty of what’s happening in LA right now, it’s as much a team success thing as individual greatness colliding.
3. Dalton Knecht’s return to form. DK4 had himself a ball game. Crashing the glass, hitting threes, and generally making a positive impact. A lot of bench guys had an overall minus rating but I’m putting that on LeBron and Luka giving the ball away like a fruit cake in a white elephant gift exchange. Dalton got hot early and the Clippers adjusted their defense but that left other guys free to rebound or drive. Solid game for Dalton and here’s hoping he’s putting all the BS behind him and letting all of it help him grow and improve.
4. Vando’s best game this season. You can see The Vandolorian returning to form, his legs are springier and he’s recovering quicker. 5 of his rebounds were on the offensive glass which we desperately needed in the midst of so very many turnovers. He passed up a three or two I wish he would let fly but in general you can see what kind of look we can feature him in with Luka, LeBron, Vando, DFS and either Vincent or Reaves for a defensive, analytics juggernaut on both ends. He was the only bench player with a positive rating, mostly due to that fact that he played down the stretch in the 4th when we closed out the win.
5. Jordan Goodwin info. I had feared we missed our window to retain Jordan Goodwin on an NBA deal but, after doing some research, I believe I was wrong. We can waive one of Morris, Reddish or Len at any time prior to the playoffs (they no longer would be able to sign with another team being the issue there). We have until April 13th to decide if we want Goodwin available for the playoff roster and convert him from a two-way to a standard deal. Given his recent injury it’s good that we have more time, and I haven’t given up on Reddish being a bigger part of this, but I don’t see much of a role for either Len or Morris other than rah-rah, positive voice in the locker room. Stay tuned.