Colin Cowherd’s Instant Reaction - Lakers/Warriors Game 5

both excellent at the free throw line. The Lakers shot fourteen free throws, made twelve, Warriors shot fifteen, made fourteen assists, pretty even blocks, even steals, even turnovers, exactly even points in the paint fifty four for the Lakers, fifty two for the Warriors. So how did they win? Going away rebounds? The smaller Warrior team had substantially more rebounds, and that, to me was the difference in the game. Energy Hit

Wiggins finally played with great aggressiveness, physicality and energy. Draymond racing, pacing up the floor, great energy. This was not I mean, let's be honest. Steph was good, but so was Ad for the first three quarters. Lebron was good, so was Draymond. You know, Draymond mostly has had a very good series. Klay Thompson continues to struggle. But when I looked at this series Andrew Wiggins tonight, I thought brought something that

he really hasn't in this entire series. So Wiggins takes, you know, two months off of the Warriors, they're not the same team. They miss his perimeter defense, his twitchiness, his scoring, his mid range game. He comes back against Sacramento right and we all kind of felt like, we

don't know what we expect. I thought he played better than I expected, So I had hoped that he would be even more engaged from a physical standpoint, more locked in, more capable of giving you thirty six thirty eight minutes. Until tonight you got nothing from Wiggins. He is a huge part of this team. He's a former number one pick for a reason. Long, quick, twitchy, nice mid range game,

can drive and finish at the rim athletic. Tonight, you saw what happens when he is engaged physically and aggressive. You know that was always the knock on Wiggins that he had all the tools. But you know, when he was in Minnesota for years, he dropped twenty six points. You didn't remember any of them. He could kind of vanish, disappear in games. I thought tonight there were several moments where he was very crucial on back to back possessions.

So let's start with that. Andrew Wiggins a big factor tonight and he hadn't been. The second thing is Steph's played well and AD's played well throughout the series. I probably would have pulled Lebron and a D sooner. You saw Ad got whacked upside of the head. Lebron was limping. They wouldn't have got to that point with me. We got to be honest about it. Like sometimes tonight it just felt like the Knicks were going to win right like they got a lead. They kind of controlled the pace,

they were in control of the game. Brunson shot making, playmaking. It was the nixt night at home. I felt like it was the Warriors night at home. The Lakers just felt like they guess every time they get close. Steph at a basket, Steph at a basket, Wiggins a basket, Draymon a basket, Pool a basket. So we know Ad and Lebron are playing at a pretty high level. We know that, you know Steph is played at a remarkable level. But I thought Wiggins and Draymond Green were excellent tonight.

You know, Steve Kerr was quoted saying on a radio station in the Bay Area that you know, Steph Clay and Draymond are the future, and that when Kerr was with the Bulls at the and they were spent emotionally and physically. I think Steph is as good as anybody at in the world at what he does. And Draymond made second team All NBA Defense. Still you saw him tonight. He can be an offensive catalyst, his screening, his assists, his pacing, handles the ball very well. Draymon and Steph

are very, very important. Boy. I don't know what you do with Klay Thompson. He's really struggling. He doesn't have a ton of energy offensively. He's no longer an elite defensive player. And they have Gary Payton if they need that in Moody, So I don't know what they do with him. I know he means a lot to Steph and Draymond and Kerb. I don't know what you do with that contract. I took some notes in this game.

My first set of notes were in the first quarter, seven threes for the Dubs and they only lead by four. So my initial impressions of this game is the Lakers are getting very easy toos, the Warriors are more spectacular. Seven threes at home, still a close game. My notes in the secondcond quarter Anthony Davis again too many easy buckets.

But then Steph right before the half hit a couple of threes and it was seventy to fifty nine three at the buzzer, and at that point I thought, I really felt like it's just not gonna be the Lakers night. Every time they get close. We saw in the fourth quarter, every time they kind of inch back, they get it, they get it to nine, they get it to ten.

Step at a three. Third quarter of my notes were Lakers lethargic to open now seventy five fifty nine, Wiggins jam La way too many turnovers, Draymond highly offensive minded, good pace, and then I put two thirty left Warriors up by sixteen. Then some other notes, uh, lebron live being a d's done, get them out of the game. I think tonight though, like the Knicks at home, I thought tonight was a pretty predictable outcome, and you know, you can tell it was really important that Jordan Poole

has really struggled in this series. And I've said this and I said it again today. It's hard for him. I believe he's a starter in this league, just not for the Warriors. And he's too often compared to Staph and that's a bad comp for everybody in the league. You put him in Orlando, you put him in Houston, you put him somewhere else. He gives you twenty four points, big offensive energy. He's creative and clever. He didn't play much defense. Hey Harden didn't for a decade, Luca doesn't,

Kyrie didn't. If you score twenty five a game, people forget the defense. Mellow's a legend in New York, never ever played defense. You get the offense figured out, you got fans, you have supporters, You'll find a place in this league. So I don't want to hear about You know,

Jordan Poole doesn't play much defense. Klay Thompson doesn't play much defense anymore, all right, And Pool can be more consistent and more spectacular on offense than Klay Thompson often, So I thought Jordan Poole it looked it is, though Steve Kerr had said to Jordan Poole before last game's disaster, in this game. He said, Hey, Jordan, not everything has to be spectacular. You can shoot a mid range jumper. You're trying too hard. And I think that's one of

the things about being a backup to Steph Curry. Steph is so spectacular that you come in and you're just automatically compared to Steph Curry. And I think Jordan Pool's really talented. It doesn't play any defense, but he is really clever, can beat people off the dribble, can get a shot. Not as many guys in this league can get a shot by themselves without a screen, as you think. So I thought Pool played pretty well. Steph was great,

Dramon amazing, Wiggins completely utterly engaged. Here is the latest report, and it's disturbing on Anthony Davis. According to Mark Spears, he was wheeled into the Laker locker room in a wheelchair. Now he was hit on the side of the head. There were reports he was poked in the eye. It was much more than that. He was banged upside the head. And my takeaway he may have a little bit of a very very mild concussion. Otherwise why would he be in a wheelchair. So if the report and I trust

Mark spears, he knows what he's doing. If Anthony Davis at six ' eleven is in a wheelchair after being banged upside the head, he's probably having some stability issues. Rob Polinka his agent Rich Paul are reportedly huddled by the Laker locker room. So they wanted to get Anthony Davis. Obviously, they wanted to get him off his feet. They didn't want him wobbling into the locker room, so that is concerning.

I would have pulled him out earlier. You know, when you had two thirty left in the third quarter and the Warriors were up by sixteen. I went to Twitter and said, Hey, should we get Ad off the floor? Should we get Lebron off the floor? I didn't think it was, you know, crazy to suggest that. So Ad got banged in the head after that, and the report is he is. My guess is that he's wobbly and they wanted to get him off his feet. Take a quick break back with more in a second. Some good

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best wishes and cross your fingers with Anthony Davis. But as I look at the box score, the very encouraging part for the Lakers is they shot forty eight percent from the floor, and they were a little sloppy with turnovers fourteen and they had him in spurts, but they also created fourteen turnovers. But they continue to get I think, really really good looks. And I think it's also encouraging that more Austin reeves more of a role player. D'Angelo

Russell both played well. Shrewder gave you fourteen points. I think Lonnie Walker is somebody they're getting more and more confident. I thought the Lakers had really good looks. I thought when they attacked the rim, the Warriors were much more aggressive defensively, Draymond had blocks without fouls. Maybe you get those calls in Los Angeles. The Lakers did not get

those calls tonight. So one of the things that's been very clear in this series is that the Warriors are scoring more spectacularly, but the Lakers continue to get a lot of good looks and a lot of mid range and close looks. They're an old school offense with some limitations on shooting the ball. They hit ten threes tonight.

That's okay for them. But I did feel like, especially in the first half, that you know the Warriors, the degree of difficulty on their shots and Steph can hit them is just much higher than the degree of difficulty for the Lakers. And I'll give you a football analogy. When you watch a football game the first couple of series, I always look for who gets the easier yards. If you can get consistently six yards running the football, your receivers have a little more space on the completions. Those

are easier yards. If you're really trying to grind out yards, you're really you're getting down to third and third and three, and you know they bring out the chains again, and you make it by a hat and every first down is a struggle over the course of a game. I like the team early that gets easier yards, and the Lakers in this series get more quality easy looks. The Warriors are just much more spectacular. So you know my

takeaway coming up for games six in Los Angeles? Do I think Wiggins, Draymond and Steph will all play this well? Can Wiggins back this up with another great performance. I don't doubt Steff will shoot well and Draymond will play well. But you had three players for the Warriors play fantastic basketball. Jordan Poole I thought bounced back a little, didn't take as many high risk shots this series. You know, this is the longest stretch Anthony Davis has played big minutes

and remain healthy. This series may come down to a finger cross on Anthony Davis's health. The only reason I suspect they put him in a wheelchair is just for stability as a big guy walking. They wanted him off his feet because he didn't get hit in the legs. He got hit in the side of the head and you could see him grabbing his head. He looked woozy, so you know, and again this series, it's one day off and then you're playing a game on Friday. So this would be a great time to get two or

three days off for Anthony Davis. And this is one of the things I worried about with the Lakers. Lebron is substantially better with that second day off. Anthony Davis is a better player with a second day off. Remember, go back to Game one. He had a two and a half day rest advantage off that Memphis series against the Warriors. How good do the Lakers look in that first half against the Warriors at chase their energy, their dominance,

download their physicality. Second half and the next game didn't have that huge rest advantage, game was much closer. So cross your fingers for Anthony Davis. Three to two, Lakers still lead. My only real thought about the New York Knicks beating the Miami Heat was one of the things about sports, it's not just about deciding who you are, but what you're not. And Jalen Brunson creates so much clarity a plus leader, a plus playmaker, a shot maker.

Your set. You got your quarterback and your leader for seven years, many as you want it. He just moved into his prime. Your set. Carmelo, you had a great naw Wings score, didn't really commit the defensive end. I never thought he was a great leader. He was just talented. Brunson gives you the quarterback leadership thing, the toughness. You got your playmaker. He's going to have his hands on the ball for a majority of the offense. You also

have excellent size and length. I'd keep RJ. Barrett. I'd probably move Julius Randall. But the Knicks not only know what they are, they know what they're not. They got to go out and get another elite score. They know exactly what they need, and they got some bodies to move. So I don't think they're gonna win this series. But you go into the offseason, you know a lot of these teams like Memphis, what is John Morant? Can you really is he a one or is he a talented two?

The team often plays better when he's not around. They have a higher net rating when he doesn't play. What are the Grizzlies? They have talent, they have depth that I know exactly what the Knicks are. You got your mature quarterback for as long as you want him. That's gonna lead this franchise. Size, length, and you got to you gotta. I believe a tradable player. I think Julius Randall. I mean, the guy gives you a great effort. He's a three on a championship team, maybe a four. You

can't tell me he doesn't have value. He commits on the defensive end, excellent rebounder, great effort. Guy is gonna play a lot of games. I'd probably try to move him. If not, you keep him as a three. But as I watched that game, I thought, what a great place to be, Like, what a great it's like in the NFL when you finally find your quarterback. Okay, that box has checked. Now I gotta get a left tackle, I gotta get weapons. I gotta get an offensive coordinator or

a head coach. Let's get an edge rusher. But if you can't get the quarterback right, everything else is waiting to get the quarterback right. The Knicks have their leader, dependable, lean on me, shot maker, playmaker, ball in his hands, their quarterback for as long as they want him, and he's just a he's just a terrific player, an absolute pleasure to watch. Maybe he'll never be iconic, like a jeter and a mellow you know in New York, Lawrence Taylor.

Maybe he'll never be that level. But they got their quarterback and those Villanova guys rock solid, coach hard in college, willing to be coached hard, want to lead. All right, there's instant reaction. We'll see you tomorrow on FS one and Premiere Radio. The Volume. Make sure to check out The Draymon Green Show. I brought Draymond Green into the Volume because one of the more entertaining voices in sports. Unique perspective understands behind the rope. Also chops up with

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