Episode 58: Lakers/Suns Game 4 Postgame Show

not over by any stretch of the imagination. Um, but man, it's it's with how good this Phoenix Suns team is, which is what's something something that Roger and I talked about extensively. With as good as this Sun's team is, it's difficult to imagine, um, uh, beating them down to starters, especially when one of those starters is Anthony Davis, who, coming into the series we talked about was, you know, the key to the series. So it's definitely not a

time to be super optimistic. But I think as Roger and I worked through some of this stuff today, we might be able to find some silver linings. Roger, who are you at right now after all of this. Yeah, So, like before every one of these spaces, I try to write down the things that go on in the game, and after a D went down, it was kind of like there's no point of really writing down tuning notes, like they were just trying to fight through that. Um eight is a guy that goes down a lot. You

have a lot of lingering issues. So a lot of people playing doctor on the timeline saying he's going to be, you know, out for a long time. You never know, We just have to see. But you're right. This is a two two series. And I think I told you and I told any one who would listen, that the Suns are really good. They're really well coached. Um I didn't expect this to be a short series. I thought this would be a six at least a six gamer.

It looks like that's what will be. They'll have one more game um in Phoenix and then a game back here. So I guess that's the silver lining with it. And there were good things to take from this game. UM. I thought Phoenix came out, they punched hard, the Lakers energy was non matched. They went up like eleven and then Lebron went out and all the all the things that they were doing well just went off the floor. Um. So that's the main thing here. And Chris Paul I

thought had an amazing game. Um, he looked as healthy as he did this whole series. He looks back to where he was hitting jumpers right in the mid range. And that's how this game went. And now you have to at least hope that a D at least can give it a go in a game game five. So let's we'll talk about a D as we start to project forward to game five. But you know a couple of things. I thought the Lakers came out last days ago in the first half, I thought that they were

the less urgent team, which is to be expected. Like kind of a general rule of fund with NBA playoff basketball is whoever won game the previous game is probably gonna play less hard than the team who who who lost the previous game. That's a general rule of thumb. It's not always the case, but it's generally the rule. And uh, and the Suns came out and kind of

took it to him. There was some highlight plays from the Lakers, but for the most part, the Suns were better and more solid in the first half, and they take a four point lead. A D goes down grabs his growing. We'll talk about it after we talked about the game. But I thought that the Lakers came out of a halftime UM. I came out at halftime looking like a team that was a little bit shell shocked. UM. Particularly Lebron, I thought in that third quarter had absolutely

no urgency. It was the exact opposite of the way he approached the third quarter in Game two. Um, you just just came out and floated through the third quarter, Which makes me think that Lebron was discouraged. Um, which is on an excuse. I just think that that that's

what happened to the Lakers. I thought, as a unit, they looked discouraged and shell shocked by the a D injury, and I think they kind of blew an opportunity because from about the you know, four three or four minute mark of the third quarter through the end of the game, the Lakers actually kind of stepped up to Phoenix and showed some fight, and with exception of some big shots that Phoenix made at the end and a couple of huge mistakes, the Lakers actually played pretty well, but to

start the third quarter they blew any opportunity of stealing that game by floating and pouting and and and showing kind of a lack of of of mental toughness as a result of the a D injury. So I thought that was kind of a blown opportunity. But if there's a silver lining, it's the fact that over that last fifteen sixteen minutes stretch they played better than Phoenix by some amounts and that means that you can go into

Phoenix and win. Um. So I thought that was kind of like the weird dynamic in the second half as far as their belief went, if that makes sense. Yeah, they were kind of finding the refs a lot tonight. I thought Booker got a lot of like touch fouls early that really frustrated them. I think, um he had like eight early free throws um Lebron and I think three for the whole game for the majority of the game, And I think that that kind of really frustrated them.

But they lost this game on open jumpers. Again, I thought like a lot of open jumpers didn't go down that have to go just to get those runs going, and when those miss it puts a lot of pressure, especially without a d being himself. He wasn't aggressive on Jake Crowder because obviously he wasn't feeling a percent and puts a lot of freshure on Lebron's score. I thought he came out in the third really just not aggressive

on the Sun's pushed that lead. They were up four, They pushed into double digits really quickly, and then he tried to wait to go going. I thought he waited till the fourth, might have waited a little too long to get going, and that kind of um ended the game. But yeah, I looked they looked really frustrated tonight, and they looked like a team that knew they weren't getting their second superstar back. So that was a tough one. But I think I look, it's a two two series,

so both teams are really good. This is I've said before. I think this is the two best teams in the West when they're healthy, and that's what it's looking like. These aren't easy games, These aren't easy series for either of them. It will be a long series and game

by both teams will build to adjust. In the Lakers, I think will come out with a little bit more energy, a little bit more forced hopefully a little bit more intensity um than they did tonight and these twelve thirty games to man, it just I don't know, it looks very sluggish, a lot of turnovers early. It looked like they both teams waited until like after the first quarter to get going out. And did you see that as well, Um, these early starts seem to just have a have a

really rough blow to start with them start these games. Yeah, I mean, well it compounds that thing I was just talking about as it pertains to the gap and the effort between the two teams. But again, like for what it was like, you know, I thought the Lakers had some moments there where they looked like the confident team that felt like they were gonna win. It's it really was. You know, I'm everyone everyone knows I'm a Lebron fan.

I grew up with two USA on Arizona. I'm not necessarily associated with any NBA franchise, but I'm a Lebron fan. But I'm I'm the kind of Lebron fan that's hard on Lebron because I actually do think he's one of the greatest basketball players ever, potentially the greatest player ever, and and I think that that means you get held

to a certain standard. And I was really disappointed in the way in which he approached that second half because like again, let's say, let's say A d has mildly strained his groin and and it looks like he's not

going to be able to play for a week. Okay, if you're Lebron, you've gotta be looking at that like, Okay, we have to win tonight or today, because if we win today and we're up three games too, that buys this a margin of air to potentially close out this series quickly or three to one, I mean to potentially close out this series quickly and give Anthony Davis a chance to rest. And instead he went out discouraged and sloppy. UM, and I thought the rest of the team to followed suit.

And you know, like from that standpoint, I thought it was it was a doesn't mean you know, Lebron won't have a chance to to redeem himself. I certainly think you will, and we're gonna talk some strategy stuff with that here in the second UM. But like I I was really disappointed in his lack of aggression and just the lack of focus. Like, like, Drummond had a really really bad game. It was one of the worst drumming games he's played in the in the last few weeks.

I thought he was bad on the defensive end. He was he was getting psyched out and doing too much flopping and too much, too much extracurricular activity that was getting himself unfocused and away from the game. And I think that that kind of thing. Again, I'm not blaming Lebron for that, but I think that those types of things, like guys like Drummond that contend to get unfocused, I think those things can slip off the rails a little

bit when your leaders not in it. And so I feel like Lebron does deserve some criticism for the way that that second half went off the rails. Yeah, for sure. I mean is the leader he has to get going um But again, it just looked looked like the whole team was just not ready after they heard about a

D and with Drummond. Like for Drummond, for me, like he he looks great when a D and Lebron are at the top of their game, right, That's where he can play his best, when he can use his physicality with a d n himself, he wasn't able to dominate the offensive remounds. Chris Paul started to get really aggressive, started to attack him on switches, Um hitting jumpers over him. I thought Devin Booker as well was a lot more aggressive.

But yeah, but like going with Drum and like Marcusol was great though, I guess we can kind of move on to like on the stuff. I thought that was the real big positive here. Marcusol again looked like he should be on the floor. His defense I thought was fantastic in that second half, especially um really getting in, getting in stands, getting off screens, and then him shooting threes was huge got them back in the game. Um he was the only one that could hit three, it

looks like. But just giving Lebron that space to work, especially without a d being himself, I think he needs to be in the lineup more. Did you see that as well from Marcus Saul today being the being the big factor? Yeah, Mark was Park was amazing and he needs to be someone they lean on more heavily in

this particular three game series coming up. Because the number one takeaway I had from that game in terms of strategy in the second half was Eighton was a freaking beast, just an absolute animal on both ends of the floor and particularly on the defensive end. He really discouraged Lebron

and Dennis Shrewder from getting to the basket. Like part of the reason why Lebron was a little bit passive and part of the reason why Schroeder missed all those layups was because of the fact that Eighton was parked underneath the basket the entire second half. And strategically, Vogel has to figure that out because what they can't keep doing is asking Lebron and Shrewder to cover for the absence of Anthony Davis and set them up for an

extremely difficult process by letting Aton camp under the basket. Now, whether that's just a whole out to screen and roll with when Drummonds on the floor and then just begging like there were a couple of possessions that were marcusol Is like standing in the dunker spot, like what are you doing? What's the point having you? What's the point of having you out there? If you're going to do that, like at a at a certain point, like you've got to put like so we need let's say a D

S is hurt, which we don't know. We need Lebron to go like straight up vintage two thousand eighteen Lebron in this next week in order for the Lakers to win this series. The only way that's happening is if they can get eight and out of the paint. That's the only way it's happening because right now, as you can tell, his jump shots just a little too inconsistent,

probably because he's recently returned from injury. And even if it is like, he's just not gonna be able to make enough jump shots to to swing a series like this unless they can find a way to open up the driving lanes for Shrewder and Lebron so that they

can get something going on that end. And so I think it'll be interesting to see what Frank does strategically to try to because I think when he looks at the tape, he's just gonna see Lebron and Shrewder driving into Eton, and uh, Shrewder was just thrown up wild scoop shots and missing them almost every time, and Lebron would get beat to the spot by eighton and would turn over his right shoulder and take that fade away,

And I think he missed three. He missed three or four of those where he got where he got turned away at the rim, and that's because he beat Crowder and there's eighton just waiting for him underneath the basket. It was like the two thousand twelve Semis against Indiana all over again with with Roy Hibbert, like he just he's got to figure out a way to get get the center out of the wayne. Yeah. I think part

of that. Our shooters have to start hitting their open shots too, right, So the Suns are absolutely packing the paint that daring our guys to make threes. Lebron was one for seven from three, but even the shots that he's creating a d was over three. But I mean that was in the That was the first half, Ty,

who's my gain? One for five? Like they're just daring them to make threes, and if they're not hitting the three, they're gonna continue to just pack the paint on us and there's nothing really that they can do so and tell our guys say three, they're just gonna keep doing that. And like you brought up Dennis Shrewder, I had him in my notes. He's the next guy. I guess we can go to Um, he went, where do you go

for to three? For thirteen? Like that's just not enough, Like he needs understand thirteen shots probably is good for him, but he needs to get into that mid range shot like rather than just going all the way to the rim or hitting threes. Um, he needs to be a little bit more aggressive. He can't have games like this, especially with a d um kind of out. He was

a minus saved for the game tonight. Uh, And I think what three assists for Dennis Shrewder So, Like he's the one that has to pick up the offensive production here, especially in game five without Anthony Davis. He's the one that is demanding that contract as well. So like that's where the production has to come from. Like, if Anthony Davis is out, we need offense. I think we had like what sixty points with three three minutes left in the third, Like, no matter how good your defense is,

that's just not winning games. Um, this team already struggles to score. So he's the neck guy, Like what do you want to see from him? Um? In in game five again, So so that that that beginning that stretched there at the start of the third was where everything went off the rails. And and we and we talked earlier about how it had a lot to do with the uh, the bad body language and things along those lines.

But you know, Drummond, we talked a lot in in in previous podcast about how Drummond he he's he's a classic trade off. You're trading spacing for his physicality on the offensive glass for his defensive activity and pick and roll where he can be good with his hands, and he's he does he does a good job of being up at the screen while at the same time recovering back and and bothering eight and around the basket. He

brings all of those things. Um, but you do understand that there is the downside of that lack of spacing. And so in a game like tonight where or today, I should say, where he's a little bit unfocused on defense and he's flopping instead of playing good, strong, physical defense and and he's giving you anything on the offensive blast, it kind of the tradeoff kind of swings in a negative favor. And at that point, like with Shrewder, you've made a great point. He's he's right now, he's putting

his head down and getting to the rim. He's not taking those midrange jump shots right now. And so at least I think he took two or three of them today, but I'm with you that that that number needs to be higher. But the question becomes like, at what point when Frank is looking at the film, does he look at this like, okay, without Anthony Davis, I need to get more out of Dennis. I need to get more out of Lebron. Lebron's jumper doesn't look great right now. You know, what what do I have to do to

kind of create some space? And and I'm like, like I said earlier, I I'm interested to see what they come up with, and I'm hoping that it just involves a steady diet of when Drummonds on the floor, using him as a screener. So at least you're working against Eton while he's on the move rather than while he's loaded up and way eating for you at the basket.

I just like their chances they're better. Lebron had a couple of layups in the second half where where when he got in pick and roll, he was meeting eighton you know, ten twelve feet from the basket and able to get his shoulder into him so that he could extend and make, you know, a left handed layup as opposed to in a traditional isolation set or anything like

a screening action with West Matthews or whatever. He's doing to get past Crowder where Aton's waiting for him, and and he's not able to get that same advantage, you know, Lebron just he just got to get you on his hip and on his shoulders somehow so that he can finish. And the same thing goes with Shrewder, Like Shrewder needs to get you on his back hip so that he can extend out in front of him to make those little scoop layups, and when he's going into a shot blocker,

it's not the same. So it'll just be it's a chess match here. And the chess match just got way more complicated because the Lakers lost their you know that they lost their queen, they lost their their want of arguably their most important piece. So they need to figure out a new strategy here, and I'm curious to see

what they come up with. Yeah, I mean, even before the series, I think we both um when we talked about it was Anthony Davis was the huge matchup problem right in the series, Like Obviously they didn't have much for Lebron either, but we always thought that A d would be the killer for them. We destroyed them in the regular season, last regular season matchup, last two last two games, he had like what seventy points combined getting to the free throw line a lot, and that was

a big part of their offense. Thirty free in the last two games. That's a huge, huge part of their points, especially when they're barely scoring over a hundred. So he was the big matchup for them. So without him, it's going to be really imperative that all the other guys I'm kind of get going. I guess my adjustment here would be just more marcusol. I think they tried Montrese Harold tonight. Um, I really don't like that against against

Aid and Um, they play Kaminsky but commits. He doesn't play enough to me to where you can play Treads and kind of putting that matchup, and I think they'll fund him on ball screens. As bad as Drummond was tonight, I still think he's better than whatever Treads will do on on ball screen matchups. Right, His building kind of come up and get back to you in some sort of manner and be able to be able to contest those jumpers enough. I thought he contested him. Chris Paul

still hits those. He's a generational midrang shooter. He's gonna hit those. But I thought Drummond was at least okay on those. But the thing that the adjustment for me is just playing more Marcosol and tried to Um have him space. He's the only guy hitting threes for us right now. I think he's shooting from three. He went three for five tonight, so I think he's shooting over from three in this series. I think he's the only person on the team doing that. We need his shooting

need is facing and his passing. He found you see that past he got to Lebron while Um, I think he was being fronted by Jake Crowder late. Like those kind of players just don't open up without him. Get shooters and backputs, like, just get the offense kind of flowing more. I think it's tough to play Drummond when there's no a D as well. The point of playing Drummond there is to have a D and Lebron as those back line helpers right playing off ball, being able

to create turnovers and we lose one of those. It's just really tough. I thought Lebron was Lebron really kind of took a bunch of defensive plays off tonight, like a lot of rebounds he just did there. Um. I don't know if you saw that as well, and I think, yeah, he was like pacing himself throughout the game, which is understandable. I thought he wanted to turn it on in the fourth. The lead was kind of too big, and I will see in game five, Um what happens with that. But

I guess that's my adjustment from there. Um, what do you see from Do you see anything else from the defense that like you're worried about going into game five? Like with Phoenix, did they do anything tonight other than Chris Paul? I guess any more tough jumpers. I thought mckill bridges, it's huge, big timely shots. Did you do anything concerning going to game five? Um, even without Anthony Davis playing well? So first of all, like this is something that you and I talked about all year, the

difference between the defensive floor and the defensive ceiling. Um, the Lakers without Anthony Davis have a good defensive floor. Because they play their ass off and all the guards play hard, and Frank Bogel is great with scheming, and and they do have enough depth at each position to keep a steady wave of defensive pressure coming. Okay, but we talked about how against the very best offenses that you needed Lebron in a D because they were the

defensive ceiling. Because any truly elite offense, a truly elite offensive force like Chris Paul or Devin Booker is gonna find holes against even a fundamentally sound defense. And and so you know, like inevitably without Anthony Davis, that the whole geometry of the floor changes on the defensive end.

You know, each each each each little crack just gets each little crack in the defense just gets a little bit wider, you know, one of the big ones I noticed in the second half that the Sun's did a really good job of as they would have Booker and Paul on opposite wings, or before Paul came back, to have Booker and Pain on opposite wings, and they would basically, you know, kind of start slowly dribbling up to that wing and you know, whether it was Crusoe or or

or Schroder, they would start she shading heavily over so almost the top of the key in the health defense spot because they were giving up so many straight line drives to those guys, and then they would just throw a quick swing pass and all of a sudden, you've got Booker or Paul or Pain attacking in a close out, and all of a sudden, they've already got you on

their hip and they're going into the basket. So they're they're like and again like they don't need to shade over as far if Anthony Davis is one of the guys on that back line that is rotating around, and so it's it's it's a problem, you know, Like I thought, like you know, we always talked about playoff series as a list of advantages. One team is more advantages than the other, and that usually over the course of a

seven game series, those advantages will will show. You know, they might the other team might steal a game by by by playing off of their advantages. But if you've got significantly more advantages, like this Laker team does, you're just gonna inevitably win over the course of a seven game series. Well several advantages. Anthony Davis on the offensive end, and Anthony Davis on the defensive ent got taken off. You think about k c P. We don't know if

he's going to be a go on Tuesday. So all of a sudden, it's like a lot more level playing field. And so now it's really going to be about the little tiny details that are gonna end up swinging these next three games. Like you know, Lebron didn't have to be a consistent jump shooter to win this series when everyone else was playing well and was healthy. But Lebron is gonna literally have to shoot the ball really well in this next three game stretch or if a d

s out or the Lakers won't win. That's a little detail. That's a huge difference. It's gonna have to be really smart strategy from Frank, It's gonna have to be role players making shots. All of it's gonna have to come together at this point under the circumstances. That's just kind of the way that the math of the series changed.

And like I said, what was unfortunate about today. I don't know if you guys felt this way, but I felt like the first half was kind of a continuation of of the Game three's fourth quarter, a little bit, show Body, a little bit loose, a little bit, We've got these guys already, and and they went into halftime down four, and then the A. D News comes out there shell shocked. They waste seven eight minutes of game clock, and then they finally kind of snapped to a fight mode,

but it's too late. Like you look at it and you think, oh, Chris Paul sitting shot. Stephan book are sitting shots and Kale Bridges sitting shots, but really those shots are just stemming the tide of what was a Laker run. They were playing well, but they wasted their opportunity by by sloppy in the first half in Show Body, and then by being shell shocked there to start the third. So now it's like this clean slates two games to two.

Two of the games are gonna be in Phoenix. All of these little details become so much more important, and it's gonna be it's gonna be really interesting. And Frank Scott's work cut out for him, Like I keep saying, um, it's gonna be interesting. What kind of adjustment teammates? Yeah, and just looking at like the forest through the trees or however that saying goes like, you still held Phoenix to a hundred points, And we talked about it before, like,

I don't think they mind DeAndre and going off. If you can hold off Chris Paul, Devon Booker, and Chris Paul went eighteen points tonight Devon Booker seventeen, you hold those due to like thirty five combined thirty six over that math goes on, Um, I think you've kind of done your job there, um, right, so you hold them to that low scoring eight and gets goes six for eight. He's been going eight for twelve or lines like that, and they've still been held to a hundred points. So

I think their game plan still was there. It's just they did not score enough. Tonight Phoenix against Phoenix shot from three again, they shot low from three. I don't think those are coincidence that they shot low from three for like three straight games. Um. I think that's part of the game plan. Fly them up three point line. So I think their defense still kind of held up in like a larger some point, but they just did not score enough. They did not hit enough open threes.

They shot forty three shot like thirty two percent. If you just hit a couple more of those. This game is a little closer. I think that's the key here. And now, like we're going into small and smaller sample size, like I know I've been I keep tweeting you have to take these open ones. They'll go and eventually, but like the sample that we're getting is getting smaller and smaller. I guess that's like this, that's like the silver lining to kind of look at you played, what four games?

You defended well on all four of them, Like you defended well enough to where if you scored just at an average amount, you win these games. Like you hold the phoenix is the top offense, Like you held them again to a hundred points. They were completely healthy tonight. Chris Paul even said he's back, so he's healthy. It looks like so you held them to a hundred and I think they'll live with that. Chris Paul seven for fifteen, Um, you know you put them to the line only four times.

I think you live with that. Devin Booker one to five from three. You make him take all these mid range jumpers. He did get to the line seven times. A lot of that was in the first half. Like those are things you can take in the game. Five. Those are things you can do. Eight being out really hurts, but those are things you can still kind of due to even a lesser extent with eight with a drummond

and gasol. That's the things that I would take from this. UM. I think they'll go into game five expecting eighty not to play, and that's how you have to go into it. And Lebron being a little bit more aggressive and man if our shooters can just hit a couple more open open looks. Cru So I think got a couple ago tonight. Who's might think I wanted to go just just the open ones. Man, that's all we're asking that they're creating open looks. The phoenix is living, dying in the paint,

just just living with these shots. So that's what I'll take from this um. And look, it's a loss, but it's too too like this is how good teams go, Good conference finals teams go, like this is not a first round matchup to me, um, I I keep saying it. These are the two best teams in the West. These are extremely well coached, Chris Paul is a superstar. On the other side, like, these aren't gonna it's not gonna be easy series. Man, I never thought it was so

um six gamer, seven gamer. It is what it is. But I just think that's how these go. In game five, they'll we have to be ready and I think they will. Yeah, you know, the series that I would compare this to in Lebron's career um as of late, would be the game in the series against Indiana in the first round of two eight team. It's not a straight up comparison in terms of the identities of the teams and the

stars involved in blah blah blah um. But I still think even with Lebron in his somewhat limited state, which by the way, he looked better physically today, I don't think you can blame Lebron's ankle for his behavior in

that second half in my opinion. I know I said behavior that's a poor choice of words, but just his his passivity in the in the second half I thought, I thought, what mostly had to do with his him being a little bit mentally psyched out by the e D injury and and then the lack of spaceing um. But that said, like, he's still the best player in

this series. And if you remember, in the Indiana series, Indiana was up two games to one, and they were going on a run in the fourth quarter, uh in Indie, about to go up three one in the series, and Kyle Corver hit a couple of shots and and it just completely changed the psychology. All of a sudden, the Calves had like a two point lead with like three

minutes left, and Lebron just took over. He had like a driving layoup where he scored on Miles Turner and then he had another, uh driving spin move on boy on Bogdanovitch where he scored. He just sucked the pace out of the game and and just and just slowed things down and just made the plays, and he won the game. And then it swung the series back in Cleveland's favor, and then they won their two home games

and ended up winning. And that's kind of the way I see this, this game, this game five here in Phoenix, Like this game, the Lakers are not going to go in there and manhandle him. That's not gonna happen. Even if a d plays, He's gonna be some limited version of himself. So what's gonna end up happening is that game is gonna be close, and Lebron's gonna have a run in him somewhere, and somebody's gotta make some shots.

Somebody's gotta make some plays somewhere down the roster to give that little bit of a boost, just like Kyle Korver did for that calvs team, just to kind of put it to a Ray Tames where Lebron can can close the deal. That's kind of the way I see game five. And you know, fortunately with this Laker team, there's a bunch of candidates for that role. There are a bunch of guys who are capable of that, and a lot of guys. The Lakers made thirteen threes today.

I think they took forties, so wasn't a great percentage necessarily, but some guys got to see some shots go through the rim. Crusoe made some shots after he didn't make any in the previous two. You know, West made some shots again, Mark made some shots. Um Kuzma was his jumper still off, but he's getting into the paint and starting to make some of those little like running floaters that he likes to make. There's something there they that group just needs to kind of, you know, Galvin, I's

come together and and just get through this game. Because if you can go home for the Lakers in Game six. They're they're gonna attack that game from the start in a way they didn't today, And I like their chances. And if you can close this series in six while Denver in Portland are beating the hell out of each other, do you have a better chance to get a d back to something resembling himself. So I think I think this Game five it's gonna be a really a really

really uh pivotal moment for this season. Yeah. One of the last things that kind of wrote down here was like no KCP tonight, which obviously he's not as big as missing Anthony Davis, but I thought they still kind of missed his speed is athleticism in transition. Um, he's not shooting well in this series, but he would have been nice to have one more shooter out there right just trying to get some open looks. Um. I thought Wes Matthews was good on Booker, but he's a little

bit more physical. I thought Devin Booker kind of used his physicality against him to draw a couple of those cheap vouls. KCP does a really nice job of top locking and uh putting back pressure on him at a point where he doesn't really get get called for those, So I thought he was a guy that they really missed as well. And hopefully, um he can go, he can play in Game five. And also I just wanted to give you a chance. Ben McLamore got met his

with Lebron tonight. Um, I thought Vogel again was looking for shooting. Ben hit his first three and then decided to hit a fade away three pointer as well um his second shot. So it was cool to see him get minutes and look that they need shooting man and game I thought Bend kind of hurt them on defense. His off all defense was still kind of lack of days ago to me, Um, the whole team wasn't locked in, but still like he kind of lost his man a

few times. But they're gonna need shooting man. They're gonna need anyone who can help in Game five to just to give offensive production. Like I said before, sixty points and like the end of the third quarter is just not enough offense to be any team. I don't care if you have the best defensive league, it's just not enough. So those are things they'll have to go. And I'm sure Bogo and everybody else will look at the film

and stuff like that, and hopefully eighty can go. Eighty is a guy we talked about it like he falls almost every game. He gives us heart attacks like two or three times every night. And maybe this is just another one, another like lingering um to hope this is separate from the one that he was questionable, right, So he was questionable with a knee contusion I believe before the game, and this was now growing strain. So these

are two separate issues. Hopefully these are both of minor issues that they find and hopefully you can go in game five. But yeah, did you have anything else, um from tonight, from this game or looking ahead to to game five? You can go ahead and start bringing up the first guest, I mean, the last thing I was gonna say. Everybody gets your request, and I will take at least four or five collars. Um. Uh my, my

impression of the a D injury. The one thing that made me nervous was in immediately grabbing at it, Um, and then also the fact that he had some growing tightness you know a few weeks back, Um did the thing that makes it sketchy is like that, like he said, you know to to Chris Haynes, like I'm I'm I'm gonna give it a go, um, like no matter what. And so you could tell a d S mentality is

like I'm playing. And so him not playing in a game that they trailed by four, I mean, I don't know if there was a psychology, you know, amongst the team where they felt like they could win without him

or what. But and then again, that attitude from the team coming out of halftime him was a little bit you know, sunken and and and just like like they all just looked like they lost their belief, which I haven't really seen them play without belief like that since that Clippers game a few weeks back when Lebron was out and uh, and the Clippers just punched him in the mouth to start the game. Um, So it's definitely

it's definitely concerning. But if you if you can somehow win this series without him, you know, there's a chance that you can give him seven to ten, you know, seven days off at least here. So I would I would hope that that they see the opportunity. Uh, if he's not playing, I hope they see the opportunity too, that they're still, in my opinion, even without a D, the Lakers are still capable of winning this series. I

really do believe that. And even tonight it was a seven point game, Marcusol had to turn over in the backcourt and Dennis Shrewder missed the point point blank layout with like two and a half minutes left. Um, that's not to say they would have won, but the point is is like from that, you know, two thirds of the way through the third quarter, the Lakers put their foot on the gas and when they really engaged defensively, the Suns were sloppy. They rushed things because they're a

young team. With Chris Paul on the floor, he was able to make some tough shots, but he wasn't There was also something that he missed because they defended him really well. So I still think they're capable of getting enough stops and making enough shots to win this series without a D. But yeah, let's get somebody on. Yeah, I agree, Let's see if if I can get Evan

on here. It's connecting. Yeah, they're gonna have to try to win without him, But I don't know, I feel like they just saw a half time that he wasn't ready to go. It looked like he limped off really hurting. There. It looks like Evan's connecting. And see if I can get appreciate everyone's staying with us here on uh on a Sunday afternoon with a bunch of more basketball. I think coming this this day, h yo, j are you there? Can you hear essay? Yeah? I think you're muted? My guy?

Okays it's also muted, and Evans is still connecting. Got anybody else mhm? Thinking most people are kind of down after this loss. I don't have that many requests here. Well, if you don't have anybody, we can call it. Um. We take a lot of callers in the other games. Everybody must be enjoying their Sunday. I thought you came up. Yeah, it looks like and it's not connecting. I'll give the last shot. Last shot anyone wants to come up. But now, well we'll call this one. Let's see. It looks like

that's all we have here. All those guys kind of left, all right, everybody, Thank you guys so much for coming hang out with us. I'm sorry that Roger and I didn't have something more cheery to talk about. Hopefully we will on Tuesday night. As far as I know, UM, I should be able to do Tuesday night for sure,

and then maybe on Thursday. I'm going to a Ruba on Thursday on an overnight flight, but it doesn't leave until eleven thirties, so even if it's just for like twenty or thirty minutes, I'm hoping that I'll be able to get get that one in with you guys. But I think this game on Tuesday is going to be extremely entertaining, extremely kind of like coin flip type of game, and I'm very excited and I'm looking forward to it.

And I think you guys coming to hit for, come to hang out with us, and we will talk to you right after that game. Appreciate everyone, Thank you every bye,