Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers Locked On Podcast Network

When those who defend the Lakers talk about how the distance between them and the best teams in the league isn't necessarily that big, Monday's Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, eliminating the Lakers from the postseason, is what they're talking about.

Jamal Murray, once again, was the catalyst. He scores Denver's final five points, and they beat LA 108-106.

This was a fantastic game, with huge punches thrown by both teams, and massive emotional swings. Both teams were banged up. There were significant injuries during the game, to Anthony Davis first and foremost (a shoulder that functionally removed him from LA's offense for the last 18 minutes or so), but also Murray, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and for a moment, at least, LeBron. The Lakers lost this game on the margins in many ways - untimely offensive rebounds given up, open shots that needed to go down - and spots that aren't exactly marginal, like nine missed free throws.

The Lakers went down swinging, but they went down. Really, the issue wasn't that they lost this game, but that they lost Game 2. Or the opportunity to win Game 1, or Game 3.

So now the Lakers have a ton of questions to ask. About Darvin Ham, most importantly. But about the roster, as well. What happens if/when LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell opt out? Do the Lakers package guys in a trade for another star? Which one? Can the Lakers make significant improvements to the supporting cast? Do they run it back and try to continue developing the continuity that has served a team like Denver so well?

Is Rob Pelinka the right guy to be orchestrating all of this?

It's going to be a VERY interesting offseason...



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose a heartbreaker.

SEGMENT 2: Who gets blamed for Game 5? A lot of fingers are pointing to Ham, as usual.

SEGMENT 3: What to make of the series.



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Playoff series often hinge on the fairly random prospect of who is available and who is not when the games need to be played. You can be the second best team in the East, but if Giannis and Dame are injured, you might just lose in the first round to Indiana. The Lakers, while they've enjoyed a good run of health from Anthony Davis and LeBron James (and this is the most important thing, obviously) they've been unable to really play big in ways that would benefit them against the Nuggets because of injuries.

Now Christian Wood is back, having returned for Game 3. And Jarred Vanderbilt has been upgraded from out to questionable for tonight's Game 5 in Denver.

Wood didn't play in Game 4. He might not play in Game 5. But if Vanderbilt is available, even acknowledging that he likely won't be fully healthy and certainly won't have his full level of fitness, would Darvin Ham put him in the game?

Probably, and with good cause. We explain.

Meanwhile, Nuggets star Jamal Murray is going the other way for Denver, having been downgraded to questionable for the game with a calf injury. This situation provides a legitimately tricky set of options for Denver. Play him, and there's a better chance of eliminating the Lakers tonight and getting Murray (and everyone else) rest. (The Nuggets would start the second round next weekend.) Sit him, and while Denver could still undoubtedly win (and would likely still be favored, with the game in Denver) it would significantly increase LA's chances of forcing a Game 6. That would be dangerous, but it would also give Murray until Thursday to feel better.

Finally, while the Lakers did get a little bit of weight off their shoulders by winning Game 4 and putting the losing streak against Denver to bed, they still have a looooooooong road ahead of them before they'd be in position to actually win the series. How do you play the mental games required to not get overwhelmed by the long odds at hand?



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What would losing Jamal Murray mean for Denver? What would be the smart play?

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers might welcome back Vanderbilt. Should Darvin play him?

SEGMENT 3: The mental gymnastics the Lakers have to execute in order to give themselves the best chance at pulling off the miracle.



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Let's face it, the Lakers put themselves in a position where winning their series against the Denver Nuggets would be very, very, VERY challenging after they blew a 20-point lead in Denver to fall down 0-2.

But to even have a shred of hope, Game 3 had to be a win.

It wasn't.

The Lakers dropped yet another game to the Nuggets, this time by a 112-105 final score. Once again the Lakers got off to a solid start, going up by as much as 12, and once again Denver came back. In relatively short order, the Nuggets ate up the deficit and built themselves a lead. And given how much trouble the Lakers have had scoring points this series, the idea they could make up a 10-plus point gap felt... unlikely.

For LA, Anthony Davis, like he did in Game 1, did his part and then some, finishing with 33 points and 15 rebounds. LeBron James was solid (26/6/9), but three turnovers—including two in a critical stretch in the third quarter—hurt. But after them? Austin Reaves had the most misleading 22 points in NBA history (hitting four shots and scoring 10 points in the final two minutes, after the game was out of reach). Rui Hachimura was, again, invisible. Five points, two rebounds. D'Angelo Russell was awful, managing to miss all of his shots (including 0-6 from 3). Zero points on the night.

Zero!

So now the Lakers are down 3-0, and will need to do something that's never been done. Non't know yet if the Lakers have even a shred of belief that they could be the team to pull it off, especially against a team as good as the Nuggets. Probably doesn't matter, but could very well influence whether the Lakers go home for good on Saturday in Game 4.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers lose Game 3.



SEGMENT 2: The offense, again, failed the Lakers.



SEGMENT 3: The issues with the supporting cast this series are stark.



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The biggest headline to emerge from the total collapse of Game 2, where the Lakers allowed a 20-point second half lead to disappear, was after, when Anthony Davis said the Lakers have stretches on both sides of the ball where they don't know what they're doing.

This was a very pointed criticism, to say the least.

Wednesday, Darvin Ham was asked about AD's comments and ... made it worse. ""I just think sometimes the plays don't turn out the way you think they should. The frustration sets in a little bit. But I don't think it's, for us, not being organized. I think I have incredibly talented coaches all along my staff and we pride ourselves on, whether it's a practice or shootaround, games, whatever, we pride ourselves on being highly efficient and organization. So I would just chalk that up to being frustrated, you know it's an emotional game the way it ended and all of that. But I'll agree to disagree on that one."

It hit all the high notes of terrible responses. It was dismissive of AD's premise. It showed no accountability, while by extension turning that accountability back to the players. And third, with that last sentence he basically said his star player was wrong. In public. That he didn't know what he was talking about.

It's often very easy to overreact to what coaches say, because what they say to us isn't the same as what they say to the players. This isn't one of those times.

Meanwhile, the Lakers need to make some adjustments in Game 3. One of them is finding a way to get Rui Hachimura going, because his performance through two games isn't close to good enough. One potential problem? He's just not getting the ball enough. Rui's touches are way down, relative to the regular season. How much of that is scheme? How much is Denver's defense?

And finally, reinforcements aren't coming. Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt? Didn't do contact work at practice Wednesday and while that doesn't mean they absolutely can't play... it makes it highly, highly unlikely.



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky



SEGMENT 1: Darvin Ham stepped in it. And it matters.



SEGMENT 2: Why Ham's comments reflect a problem he's had all year.



SEGMENT 3: Rui Hachimura isn't touching the ball enough in this series. Why?



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Monday was a brutal night all around for the Lakers. They blew a 20-point lead in Denver against the Nuggets in Game 2, and while it doesn't end their chances of winning the series it certainly does some very serious damage to their hopes. Psychologically, too, blowing a 20-point second half lead is not an easy thing to recover from.

But that's what the Lakers have to do, and if they're going to be successful they have to figure out how to keep the offense from experiencing the long stretches of stagnation that have plagued them through the first two games. Monday, as Denver started to chip away at the lead, the Lakers became excruciatingly slow. Maybe it was because they were trying to bleed the clock? Maybe they were just looking to slow things down as Denver was building momentum? Maybe LeBron was tired, and needed to conserve energy?

How about a lack of confidence in what they were trying to do, after a regular season where the time spent building good habits was lacking.

Maybe a little of all of it. But the end result is a team that got stuck in the mud, especially relative to a first half where they were fast up the floor and into their sets/choices. Even when the Lakers did manage to run an organized offense in the final 24 minutes, it often took them too long to get into it, and the results were the same. (Meaning bad.)

No wonder Anthony Davis was so upset after the game, when he said rather pointedly that the Lakers go through long stretches where they simply don't know what they're doing, on both sides of the ball. That was, by most, seen as a shot at Darvin Ham and the coaching staff. And likely it was.

But was AD talking about his teammates, too?

Finally, the Lakers have some reinforcements coming, as early as Thursday. Christian Wood (likely) and Jarred Vanderbilt (possibly) could very well return to the lineup after extended absences. The Lakers badly need their size and rebounding, but can either of them really contribute after so much time on the sidelines?



HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: What went wrong in Game 2? Start with the slow pace of play in the 2nd half. What did it reveal about their confidence?



SEGMENT 2: Anthony Davis unloads.



SEGMENT 3: Could reinforcements actually help the Lakers?

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eBay MotorsFrom brakes to exhaust kits and beyond, eBay Motors has over 122 million parts to keep your ride-or-die alive. With all the parts you need at the prices you want, it’s easy to bring home that big win. Keep your ride-or-die alive at EbayMotors.com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers.

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