2024 NBA Playoffs: West 1st Round: #2 Denver Nuggets vs #7 Los Angeles Lakers (DEN WINS 4-1)

[durden_tyler]

Not sure whats more impressive, the 20pt comeback or the fact that Denver had beaten the Lakers 10 in a row.

Would be nice if it’s 12 in a row. A fitting end to the “Who’s Your Daddy” era.

[Michael Jackson]

Man just watched the last 2 plays Lebron had a WIDE OPEN shot but you can see he has doubt on it and missed it then Murray gets it going down the floor Lebron is out there to guard him but nope Lebron easily gives up the switch you can see in his face and body language he is so scared and knows what might happen knowing Jamal Murray then bam Murray hits the shot.

This is what separates Lebron from Jordan, Jokic, Bird, Magic even Kobe. He just is scared of the moment sometimes when the stakes are highest. You can say 2016 and 2013 but really Ray and Kyrie hit the shots with the most pressure. Even on defense he on last plays he is afraid he will get put on a poster game winning shot unlike Kobe who really wants to guard the player taking the last shot. This is what we say when it comes to MENTALITY Lebron is weak. Although the amazing thing is despite that weak mentality he is still one of the greatest. What is just unfortunate is we couldve seen someone so much better with that Jordan Bird Mamba Mentality.

Murray hit a few shots in his face the first two games and obviously that must have been going through his mind, my I doubt he was "afraid". Top elite athletes don't normally have fear. I think he probably figured Davis was a better option on the isolation given his length. Murray just hit an incredible shot.

Lebron must be disappointed he missed a wide open shot which got punished down the other end. Going fro. Potentially stealing homecourt to going into a 2-0 hole isn't great.

Oh he was not afraid, that was the planned defense, in the 4th that was the game they were switching LeBron and AD on defense. Plus AD on Murray is as good as it gets Murray just magiced it in.

[vulture]

I’m tired of these players complaining about the referees when they’ve been tricking them for years with their grifting.
Now they are asked to play through the contact and they are crying. Stop it the game is simply better this way.

[Jta444]

Man just watched the last 2 plays Lebron had a WIDE OPEN shot but you can see he has doubt on it and missed it then Murray gets it going down the floor Lebron is out there to guard him but nope Lebron easily gives up the switch you can see in his face and body language he is so scared and knows what might happen knowing Jamal Murray then bam Murray hits the shot.

This is what separates Lebron from Jordan, Jokic, Bird, Magic even Kobe. He just is scared of the moment sometimes when the stakes are highest. You can say 2016 and 2013 but really Ray and Kyrie hit the shots with the most pressure. Even on defense he on last plays he is afraid he will get put on a poster game winning shot unlike Kobe who really wants to guard the player taking the last shot. This is what we say when it comes to MENTALITY Lebron is weak. Although the amazing thing is despite that weak mentality he is still one of the greatest. What is just unfortunate is we couldve seen someone so much better with that Jordan Bird Mamba Mentality.

I just watched the whole game this morning (live in London atm) and Lebron played amazing all game. He was really good on D and took it to the rim all game and made clutch shots all game. I was sure he'd make that three in the end that he missed. Fatigue will get to the best. LeBron had a really good game and this loss is not on him. This coming from a Denver fan btw.

Not only that but you would rather have AD switched on Murray given that AD is one of the best defenders in the league when insane quickness and length for his size.

I critique Lebron a lot but he was really good last night.

Too bad he was bad game 1. He has already wasted 2 great AD games. Also if youre the self-proclaimed GOAT you should take matters into your own hands. He was afraid of Murray like he was afraid of Durant before he let JE smith defend Durant during the clutch lol. Dude is just weak mentally. He is quicker than AD which is what you need on last second shots not length but quickness to stay close to the shooter without fouling.

[Drakeem]

I'm a little confused. Porter is playing with a heavy heart?

I was under the impression that his brother was sentenced to prison for killing someone in a DUI.

Not exactly the heart strings to be tugging on

quit trolling. we aren't here for your bs. I wish the best for the porter family even though I dont agree with all his political views.

What you talking about? You don't care about his political views but you're ok with his brother killing someone? If Kenny Albert is gonna say he's playing with a heavy heart then perhaps he should also inform the viewer that the heavy heart is actually over his brother drunkenly killing someone.

It was a bull remark and the Porter family feelings on the matter isn't to be sympathize with. It was a bizarre thing to bring up considering the Porters aren't the victims here.

You can feel for a guy who just had one brother banned from the league and the other being sentenced to jail. Even if the brother was the one at fault, as MPJ, it's still on your mind and its still something that's impacting your mental state.

I'm not having sympathy for the murderer; I'm having some sympathy for the guy who isn't involved in any of this but has to be dragged into it now and has to help and support the rest of his family.

[SK21209]

Last night's game was a good snapshot of the 2023-2024 Lakers. At times, they can look awesome. Lebron is better than he was last year and can still dominate a game on both ends (he's doing a lot defensively, which is why he's been gassed in the 4th quarter in each of these games). When AD's post and floater game are working he can look like one of the 5 best guys in the world. DLo can get on these crazy hot shooting streaks and Austin sort of glues everything together offensively.

But they get stuck in these ruts where they forget how to play for long stretches. For the season, when we're missing less than three rotation players (so not even healthy, just not depleted), not on a back-to-back and run organized offense more than 50% of the time we've won at a mid-to-high 50s win pace. This team has been quite good when its been rested, relatively whole and organized offensively. Last night our set offense was killing the Nuggets to the tune of about 1.5 points per possession. We came out of halftime with a bunch of great sets and pushed the lead up to 20. We then proceeded to freelance on 9 of the next 11 possessions, scoring once total in that stretch. For the night, it was 0.81 expected points per possession out of freelance which is awful.

This is why Lakers fans have been so furious with Ham, because there's a very good team in here that has been hampered by weird rotations in the regular season and this infuriating tendency to abandon organized offense for ineffective freelance.

[MarcusBrody]

Man just watched the last 2 plays Lebron had a WIDE OPEN shot but you can see he has doubt on it and missed it then Murray gets it going down the floor Lebron is out there to guard him but nope Lebron easily gives up the switch you can see in his face and body language he is so scared and knows what might happen knowing Jamal Murray then bam Murray hits the shot.

This is what separates Lebron from Jordan, Jokic, Bird, Magic even Kobe. He just is scared of the moment sometimes when the stakes are highest. You can say 2016 and 2013 but really Ray and Kyrie hit the shots with the most pressure. Even on defense he on last plays he is afraid he will get put on a poster game winning shot unlike Kobe who really wants to guard the player taking the last shot. This is what we say when it comes to MENTALITY Lebron is weak. Although the amazing thing is despite that weak mentality he is still one of the greatest. What is just unfortunate is we couldve seen someone so much better with that Jordan Bird Mamba Mentality.

Murray hit a few shots in his face the first two games and obviously that must have been going through his mind, my I doubt he was "afraid". Top elite athletes don't normally have fear. I think he probably figured Davis was a better option on the isolation given his length. Murray just hit an incredible shot.

Lebron must be disappointed he missed a wide open shot which got punished down the other end. Going fro. Potentially stealing homecourt to going into a 2-0 hole isn't great.

Oh he was not afraid, that was the planned defense, in the 4th that was the game they were switching LeBron and AD on defense. Plus AD on Murray is as good as it gets Murray just magiced it in.

Yep, this "criticism" is just baffling. You fight the pick when the switch would mean that the offensive team gets a mismatch. Not when the switch means the ball handler will be covered by one of the longest, quickest, and generally best defenders in the league as time expires.

Jokic is a great screener. Waiting to switch and fighting the incoming screen means Davis has to hedge hard so Murray can't turn the corner and hold him long enough for Lebronnto get through a Jokic screen. If Davis does that, Jokic can roll. If he doesn't hedge super hard, Murray gets an easier jumper. As long as you have two defenders versatile enough to switch places, the quick switch before the pick comes avoids that.

Murray made a great shot, but claiming that forcing a tightly contested fade away over anthony Davis is a defensive failure is absurd.

[Sorkoram]

This is why Lakers fans have been so furious with Ham, because there's a very good team in here that has been hampered by weird rotations in the regular season and this infuriating tendency to abandon organized offense for ineffective freelance.

Pretty much said it all here. He allows the offense to get hijacked to end the game and they pay for ineffective ball movement every single time against Denver. My only gripe with him this postseason has been his inability to call timeouts quicker to halt momentum runs and player management. They have enough to win against Denver, but can't get out of their own way and with a razor thin margin in the series, you can't have lapses where your Ham is continuing to just watching 11-2 runs and waiting for the media timeout.

[LightTheBeam]

Lebron and Dlo complaining about the refs is hilarious. Net ft differential 3x the next closest team over last 2 years. Lebron got away with a push off and choked the wide open 3.

[The Corey's]

quit trolling. we aren't here for your bs. I wish the best for the porter family even though I dont agree with all his political views.

What you talking about? You don't care about his political views but you're ok with his brother killing someone? If Kenny Albert is gonna say he's playing with a heavy heart then perhaps he should also inform the viewer that the heavy heart is actually over his brother drunkenly killing someone.

It was a bull remark and the Porter family feelings on the matter isn't to be sympathize with. It was a bizarre thing to bring up considering the Porters aren't the victims here.

You can feel for a guy who just had one brother banned from the league and the other being sentenced to jail. Even if the brother was the one at fault, as MPJ, it's still on your mind and its still something that's impacting your mental state.

I'm not having sympathy for the murderer; I'm having some sympathy for the guy who isn't involved in any of this but has to be dragged into it now and has to help and support the rest of his family.

There are real people with real problems. I don't need to hear about how this millionaire is having a bad week cause his brother killed someone.

It wasn't the time or the place and the narrative by Albert was clear, look at him put on his big boy pants and goto work even though his personal life is a mess


It was embarrassing

[KokoKaizer]

If the Lakers get swept is it the closest 8 game playoff sweep and 12 game losing streak ever?

Come on, Lakers figured them out, at least for one year already

[cupcakesnake]

Lebron is the new Toronto Raptors and Jamal Murray is the new Lebronto.

It's very satisfying to watch as a canadian and Raptors' fan.

Lebronto was such an effective a brutal name to come out of those series.

If the Nuggets dominate this series, I propose Jokic gets the nickname: Joke Angeles.

[dWadeOwnzYou]

Read on Twitter

Fighting or shoving? Two very different things.

[JM00n69]

Read on Twitter

You can see baby Jok and mum on the vid. sure that guy said something

[Lebronnygoat]

This isn’t fair for AD and LeBron. Ham is the worst coach in the league for multiple factors and only three players can play good at a time for LA, and in game 1 it was just AD and LeBron (Prince was fine just didn’t play enough).

In the first half for LeBron- 10/7/5 3 stocks (great defense) on 64%TS.
4th quarter as a team- 3/9 (37%TS) 8 points
4th quarter for LeBron- 64%TS 12 points

AD was a non factor for majority of the 2nd half, I guess that’s what happens when you can’t supply these guys with solid help, coaching and rotations/substitutions. 2020 Lakers beat Denver.

[xxSnEaKyPxx]

LeBron blaming the refs perfectly sums him up as a basketball player.

[Jta444]

Murray hit a few shots in his face the first two games and obviously that must have been going through his mind, my I doubt he was "afraid". Top elite athletes don't normally have fear. I think he probably figured Davis was a better option on the isolation given his length. Murray just hit an incredible shot.

Lebron must be disappointed he missed a wide open shot which got punished down the other end. Going fro. Potentially stealing homecourt to going into a 2-0 hole isn't great.

Oh he was not afraid, that was the planned defense, in the 4th that was the game they were switching LeBron and AD on defense. Plus AD on Murray is as good as it gets Murray just magiced it in.

Yep, this "criticism" is just baffling. You fight the pick when the switch would mean that the offensive team gets a mismatch. Not when the switch means the ball handler will be covered by one of the longest, quickest, and generally best defenders in the league as time expires.

Jokic is a great screener. Waiting to switch and fighting the incoming screen means Davis has to hedge hard so Murray can't turn the corner and hold him long enough for Lebronnto get through a Jokic screen. If Davis does that, Jokic can roll. If he doesn't hedge super hard, Murray gets an easier jumper. As long as you have two defenders versatile enough to switch places, the quick switch before the pick comes avoids that.

Murray made a great shot, but claiming that forcing a tightly contested fade away over anthony Davis is a defensive failure is absurd.

You been watching too much of Mind the Game lol making it too complicated than it is like Lebron wanna look smart lol it’s simple. He should’ve hounded Murray earlier to get him off his rhythm then used his quickness to recover then with the clock winding down to 1-2 seconds anticipate the shot and jump since Murray cant pass anymore at that time. Good defenders would’ve done this. But Lebron makes it more complicated than it is with all that switching theory **** he lets Murray get the space to operate and get the stepback on the slower Davis. If only Lebron wanted it more but he already felt bad and was out of it after missing that super wide open jumper

[WentzerWuver]

Man just watched the last 2 plays Lebron had a WIDE OPEN shot but you can see he has doubt on it and missed it then Murray gets it going down the floor Lebron is out there to guard him but nope Lebron easily gives up the switch you can see in his face and body language he is so scared and knows what might happen knowing Jamal Murray then bam Murray hits the shot.

This is what separates Lebron from Jordan, Jokic, Bird, Magic even Kobe. He just is scared of the moment sometimes when the stakes are highest. You can say 2016 and 2013 but really Ray and Kyrie hit the shots with the most pressure. Even on defense he on last plays he is afraid he will get put on a poster game winning shot unlike Kobe who really wants to guard the player taking the last shot. This is what we say when it comes to MENTALITY Lebron is weak. Although the amazing thing is despite that weak mentality he is still one of the greatest. What is just unfortunate is we couldve seen someone so much better with that Jordan Bird Mamba Mentality.

I just watched the whole game this morning (live in London atm) and Lebron played amazing all game. He was really good on D and took it to the rim all game and made clutch shots all game. I was sure he'd make that three in the end that he missed. Fatigue will get to the best. LeBron had a really good game and this loss is not on him. This coming from a Denver fan btw.

Not only that but you would rather have AD switched on Murray given that AD is one of the best defenders in the league when insane quickness and length for his size.

I critique Lebron a lot but he was really good last night.

Exactly, even if AD was too tired to jump, he's still tall enough to disrupt his shots with his long reach when old Lebron was just gassed at the end. Smart play by the Lakers but Jamal made a great fade back clutch basket which Kobe does to perfection....no one could've guard that shot without fouling.

At least you noticed the right defensive play unlike some here. Jta444 is obviously a Lebron hater.

[dWadeOwnzYou]

Who the heck was Dlo guarding on that last play, the air? Why did he sag off on Murray?

[The Laker Kid]

Lakers can be up 850 pts and still lose the game somehow

Fire Darvin Ham!