Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - How LeBron's LEADERSHIP GUIDES Lakers in PLAYOFFS Despite Luka, Reaves INJURIES

Starting point is 00:00:00 Here's your leveraging leadership from LeBron James to try to win the series against Houston and will tell you what to look for in game two from a matchable perspective. That's next. You are Locked on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for stopping by Lockedon Lakers, Brian Keminckeski, Andy Kaminzki, game two, Lakers Rockets, tonight at Crypto.

Starting point is 00:00:37 Com Arena. Lakers trying to take a surprising two-nothing lead in this series would obviously give them a tremendous amount of confidence. The Rockets, if they can get the win on Tuesday night, will feel like things are back to normal there once again in the driver's seat reclaiming the series that everybody expected them to win. The expectation is that Kevin Durant will be able to play.

Starting point is 00:01:07 but he is officially a game time decision, so we won't know until much closer to tip. But it's interesting, and we started talking about this, and we'll get into some of the game two matchups, perhaps to look for little things that could change with Kevin Durant back in the lineup. We started to talk about the leadership of LeBron James.

Starting point is 00:01:29 I mentioned on Tuesday's big show that if you had to think of some, who would sort of be your last guy available in a scenario like this among stars that could make your team feel like they had a shot, despite losing an MVP candidate and Luca Donchish and an all-star caliber player in Austin Reeves, you'd probably land on somebody like LeBron James. He's has been there, done that as any player in the league, other than, I guess, Steph.

Starting point is 00:02:04 LeBron has been the favorite. LeBron has been the underdog. LeBron has experience in 2015 and in 2018 playing as the underdog against juggernaut warriors teams in 2015 in the finals with the Cavaliers. They lost Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving and had to completely transform themselves into LeBron and a bunch of role players trying to grind out wins. a lot more emphasis defensively. You know, LeBron has had these massive performances in games where his team may have lost simply because they were outgunned,

Starting point is 00:02:47 but you couldn't put it on not just the way he played, but any sense of he was not in for the fight. And it has felt like ever since Luca and Austin went down, and that was on the heels of, a month, month and a half, where everybody, including LeBron, seemed really invested and believing in what they were doing, LeBron has had an attitude of, I got this, we got this. Come with me, we're going to make this thing happen, or at the very least, we're going to be out there, we're going to put up a real fight, and we're going to make this a series, and however the chips

Starting point is 00:03:26 may fall, so be it. And it has seemed like it has created a mood of businesslike and professionalism, and everybody raising their focus and urgency, but there is a belief. And I think a lot of that belief is centered from what they're getting with LeBron right now. I think that's true. I mean, there only has any question about it, but it wraps up a few things into one kind of package because it would be valuable if LeBron could speak to them

Starting point is 00:04:03 sort of like the oracle of you know don't worry i've seen this before don't worry we can do it and i and i 100% agree with you that like he has established a a sort of tenor of like you know what yeah i mean we're not we're not delusional we're not stupid we're not here to believe that um we can just make this work purely out of you know belief in pluckiness but what we aren't going to do is roll over. Like we're going to, we're going to go out there and we're going to be pros. We're going to do it the right way. And we're going to give ourselves a best shot to win.

Starting point is 00:04:40 And the other part of the, I think, that carries it through and you alluded to it. Like, it's not just the guy that the, that he's seen everything. It's that the level of performance in, in key moments, has been so good for so long that even at 41, I think particularly for a team that knew like, yeah, you know what, it kind of feels like he's been saving a little something. Like the whole point of like how they do stuff in the regular season was in part to try to be able to maximize what LeBron could deliver in the playoffs. So there is this sort of underlying feeling of, you know,

Starting point is 00:05:21 there's something that's been held back that can come to the foreground in a playoff series, I think is really important. And then LeBron reinforced that with how he played in game one. He made that sort of idea that we can believe in not just LeBron, the Oracle, but like LeBron, a guy who can still really play when it matters, that makes it be like, the rockets are going to get a lift because in theory, assuming Duran plays, like, you get a guy like that. You get that guy back.

Starting point is 00:05:57 everybody walks around a little bit more bad like the lakers need to have that feeling from lebron he's still kind of able to provide it at least for now it seems like well i think it helped too it's not just the way lebron performed individually like in terms of we talked about the control that he had over this game and it was just a clinic of controlling action and you know his stat line like any of that stuff what he did defensively i think the how he went about doing this mattered a lot Like in that first quarter, there was a lot of Luke Kinnard. There was a lot of DeAndre Aiton. There was not a lot of LeBron acting like, I need to take care of this right now.

Starting point is 00:06:40 I need to set a tone of I'm going to be a one-man band. And I am going to be the guy handling everything with perhaps, however even unintentionally, the undertone of, I know you guys can't do it. Like, I do not trust you guys in being able to do this. Like, I think it helps a lot when these guys early on, Luke Kinnard sees shots going down and the ball in his hands a lot. D'Andre Aiton sees shots going down, the ball in his hands a lot. It helps these guys not just get into a rhythm, but feel empowered, feel trusted, all of that stuff. They feel like they actually are contributing to what is happening.

Starting point is 00:07:23 It's not just a matter of everybody get on. Right. And just hang on. Yeah. Right. Like I think that matters a lot. I think it mattered a lot in this game that when LeBron got his first break, the Lakers, their first possession, there was a Marcus Smart, Jackson Hayes pick and roll that I don't remember if it was a dunk or a lob or a layup. I do remember, though, that it led to an and one.

Starting point is 00:07:49 And that was the first possession that they had. I want to say the third possession after LeBron sat was a Luke Canar basket running off a curl. Like it helped too that those guys, their first moments without LeBron, they weathered the storm. Like we had talked about heading into the series. How do they survive the minutes without LeBron with, you know, Luca and Austin out? The Lakers were minus two for, what is it, 10 or 11 minutes that LeBron didn't play. You can live with that. Oh, yeah.

Starting point is 00:08:21 Absolutely. We spent a lot of time talking about, like, how do they survive those minutes? Like, that's not surviving. That's great. There was no sign of, I need to do this because it's the only way we're going to get a win. It's the only way we're going to get ahead. It was, in a lot of ways, a group effort orchestrated very often by abroad. Like, he's not a bystander, but I'm just saying the narrative,

Starting point is 00:08:50 and we talked about it. The idea that LeBron would need to put up 30 plus every night minimum in order for the Lakers to survive, that was not the way he approached the game. And I think at least for this one game and building off it, it helps the other guys buy into the belief that LeBron is putting out there. Well, then we'll get to the matchups as well and some other things. There are a couple little considerations with the,

Starting point is 00:09:18 I'm assuming the return of Kevin Durant. But there's another aspect of this that I think feeds into their ability to play the way that they did on Monday in the way that you're talking about. It's like in relation to LeBron. So we'll get to that next. Lockdown-Lakers is brought to you by five-hour energy drink. If you're someone with a sweet tooth, you know it is tough to find the perfect treat without all that sugar. And that's why the fruity rainbow five-hour energy shot brings the nostalgic flavor back in a whole new way. fruity rainbow five-hour energy shots treats your taste buds to an explosion of fruity flavor with a

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Starting point is 00:11:24 So part of the reason I think Andy the Lakers are able to do this and have the confidence and, you know, LeBron could approach this in a way that wasn't just, all right, here I am, you know, me versus you guys, I've got every possession. I'm going to start every, all that stuff, is because they played the last 20-something games or 18 games, whatever it was of the season,

Starting point is 00:11:48 in a way that wasn't predicated on LeBron having the ball at the top of every possession. Even after Luke and Austin got hurt, they still didn't just turn the offense over to LeBron in the way that I think might have been expected. They kind of tried to play in the same way. They're like, are you know what? Luke Kennard's going to be our point guard. You know, he's going to distribute the ball and he had 13 assists in that, you know, that first game. or whatever it was. And they still are operating in a way that we're going to get LeBron the ball to make

Starting point is 00:12:27 things happen in the most advantageous way possible. And in doing so, it's going to allow LeBron to be the best version of himself. That was sort of the theme we got into going into the series. Like, the Lakers need to help LeBron help them. They were able to do that. And that left LeBron in the position to play the. way that he did. But like, you're right, that buy-in is there, the confidence is there, and the fact that that the Lakers didn't instantly turn back to, okay, save us, LeBron,

Starting point is 00:13:00 in the regular season when those other guys got hurt, I think laid the groundwork for them to be able to at least try to weather what's coming. And again, I'm not pushing the Lakers through to the second round yet, but I am, you know, they're going to make this as hard as they possibly can for Houston. Again, they bought in. And I think as a group, they believe, at the very least, they believe in what they are attempting to do. They know the advantages are still there with Houston once Durant is back, just in terms of who has who and who doesn't have who. And these guys aren't stupid. And, you know, the Lakers are actually the more playoff experienced team than the Rockets. So on one hand, it gives you a lot of experience to lean on. And that can be super,

Starting point is 00:13:47 super valuable. On the other hand, it can make it harder to genuinely dilute yourself because you've been through this stuff before and you've seen what works and what doesn't. But I do, I mean, again, I was at practice all last week. You did not get a sense at all that the confidence they were putting out there and talking about was faked. And you and I have been around teams that were clearly faking their confidence. This is not a group faking their confidence. No. And I, I will say, like, that experience issue is a funny one because, you know, return to a couple little matchups and things that, you know, we talked a lot about how the return of Durant impacts game.

Starting point is 00:14:28 Obviously, he brings a tremendous amount of confidence, but also playoff experience back into the lineup. And so, you know, the level of composure from the rockets offensively ought to be better. Durant can still do it defensively when he needs to. It can be very disruptive guys really long. But where I think the biggest difference is going to be like if this game is close in the last five minutes, if Durant can't play, I give the Lakers, actually give the Lakers a bit of an advantage in there because I feel like they have a level of organization and confidence in their,

Starting point is 00:15:14 their in their setup as to like sort of where the next shot's going to come from and how a shot's going to be generated and all that kind of stuff. Whereas the rockets, I think, would struggle more with that. Prettino, the Laker. Lakers been an excellent executing team late in games all season long. And that's, that's been true when Luca plays. It's been true when Luca doesn't play. And so without KD, we didn't really see that in game one because the game didn't get close

Starting point is 00:15:41 enough late. But in a three-point game with four minutes left, I would have a lot of confidence of the Lakers being able to execute and less confidence in Houston. If Durant plays, that dynamic changes because Houston knows where they're shot or at least the initial beginnings of a shot can come from because you have Kevin Durant on the floor. Yeah, but even then, though, I still would have more confidence in the Lakers in that height of a situation because I trust a bronze decision making more than I trust anybody in the Rockets. And I'm old enough to remember when the Lakers, even with Durant there and even with Alpern-Shingon, both of them in the game,

Starting point is 00:16:28 old enough to remember where they really capitalized on the lack of season ball handlers and the lack of season facilitators and floor generals. Like, you know, I'm sure they're going to, if Durant plays, try to go back to those high doubles and the pressuring that really openly bothered Durant. Maybe they're better prepared for it. But honestly, they've spent a lot of this time in the lead up to the playoffs, just trying to get Durant on the floor as opposed to practicing against those sorts of things. And again, Houston's offense can be dicey even when all hands are on deck.

Starting point is 00:17:08 and in certain respects with who Imi Adoka will or will not play. The starting lineup we talked about on the big show, but if Durant plays regardless of what, you know, if he plays Shepard, which is what I would do, he plays Shepard as the fifth guy. But if he sits Shepard, I would play Tari Yason more than I would play Joshi Kogi

Starting point is 00:17:31 because I just think it makes it more difficult for the Lakers. And I think it puts the Lakers in a position where if it doesn't lead to changing their own starting lineup to get more size in there, I would personally sub in Jake. I would sub in Jake for a combination of more size and better defense if Durant is playing, just because Houston becomes so much more. Either Conard or Rui, like one or the other. If you wanted to keep Conard in there just so you have a third ball handler out there at all times,

Starting point is 00:18:05 I get it. I would probably sub in Jake for Knard, but I understand the logic of sitting Rui instead. I just think you should sit one or the other to have a better defensive option out there if Durant plays. Otherwise, I think you start putting LeBron in a position where he may have to take on a more taxing defensive assignment. And then if that's the case, you start putting more on LeBron that makes it more difficult for him to operate the way he did in game one. also going to be so much of this really so much that really will end up depending on you know how aggressively the lakers switch and like do they play a little more zone like the how they respond to Houston you know i've read some of the comments and stuff like that about attacking

Starting point is 00:18:50 those switches you know a little more aggressively making the lakers pay for some of the switches that they're just doing a better job with that stuff so maybe the lakers try you know so that if the lakers are switching as much as they often do some of those individual matchup Rather, it becomes a matter of like, how do you avoid certain switches being allowed to happen? So we'll see what happens with it, obviously all predicated on Durant playing. One other item I'm going to be looking for would be from Houston standpoint, do they put Amman Thompson on LeBron this time around just trying to get LeBron more out of rhythm? He is their best point of attack defender.

Starting point is 00:19:32 or does Amin Thompson, if he stays on the same assignment, which was largely Luke Conard, is he more dialed into it? I had Will Guillory, who covers the Rockets for the Athletic on my weekly ESPNLA 7-10 show Lakers talk. And he said that after the game one loss, Amman Thompson admitted, I was not as focused during this as I should have been. There was probably a lot of I was not familiar with your game, Luke Conard. but, you know, Amman Thompson was, he was the guy tasked with slowing down Luke Conard

Starting point is 00:20:06 and he did it in ways that on paper feel like advantage Amman Thompson. If he takes, if he still stays on Luke Conard, he is likely to be much more aggressive and dialed in. So it'll be interesting to see how the Lakers respond to that. I've locked on Lakers on YouTube is we're going to hang out with over 38,000 subscribers to the channel. Obviously, we'll be back after game two to break it all. down. We'll see everyone then.

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - How LeBron's LEADERSHIP GUIDES Lakers in PLAYOFFS Despite Luka, Reaves INJURIES

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