Austin Reaves on OKC: “They beat the shit out of us. They’re the defending champs”
It’s hard to have a game like that after you’ve been playing so well recently. But when OKC shoots 3’s like that, I don’t think anyone beats them.
I saw someone else say when Dort is hitting 3’s you might as well throw the towel in š
Dort 3’s are as backbreaking as Draymond 3’s, shit’s demoralizing
Worse because 1 heās streaky af and 2 his shots are moonballs, which makes them even more demoralizing
The arc on his jumper is higher than the Artemis launch
Itās the anticipation of waiting to see if it goes in or not like itās in slow motion
They have everything on that team except 5-out spacing so when Dort and Caruso suddenly turn into 40% 3-point shooters while actively attempting to murder your star player on the other end it’s the worst body blow you can absorb
When I saw Dort make that 4th three, I knew the game was over.
Honestly it wasn’t even them shooting out of this world, they did what they were supposed to do with the kind of open shoots they were getting. Our defense is absolutely garbage.
You can look for things to improve but 45% as a team is still crazy 3pt shooting
Exactly. When OKC can hit open threes, the entire equation of the team hits this level of perfection. Shai’s gravity on offense then forces an untenable catch-22: stop him from getting the easiest 2’s of his life, or cover the shooters who suddenly start banging 3’s like they’re on auto-pilot. OKC’s biggest weakness is their own ability to shoot from outside.
Yeah no one can beat that OKC team when the 3s rain.
That said, I think the team had perhaps started gaining some hope and momentum that they could have a chance at making a title run. The power of delusion can sometimes drive a group to accomplish it. And today they lost Luka and had their illusions completely shattered. Like violently.
Thereās not much he could say
But but the lakers would beat them in the playoffs
damn reaves numbers are good lol
He started off the season on an absolute tear!
Was on the MVP ladder at the start of the year, crazy hot start
The mvp ladder is one manās opinion. Itās not an actual mvp ladder. Reaves was never in mvp consideration
Never in serious consideration but he was definitely top 10 for a stretch
Yeah he was balling out
That one man is a MVP voter so I’d say he was in consideration
So donāt clown Perkinsā opinion since heās a voter. Treat it as gospel the same way
I am very well aware. But still, started the season extremely well.
He does most of his work in the second half but first halves for him have looked awful for a few months now.
Thatās how you know thereās no defense in the league lol
Teams in the regular season guard better now than they ever did in the 90s imo. Defensive liabilities get attacked ruthlessly now vs past era.
Did you ever watch him play besides clips on Reddit?
Heās great against the bottom 85% of the nbaĀ
He averages 26 8 and 5 against the nuggets and dropped 45+ on the pacers last year who went to the finals?
Lakers are gonna have a very tough decision with him
Theyāre going to re-sign him no matter what. The guy loves being in LA and Luka loves him. They might even be able to convince him to take a little bit under max.
LeBron said almost the same thing word for word: “They beat the shit out of us tonight”
Normally when players say the same things to the press, I assume they went over talking points but in this case I think they just didn’t have any other words to describe what happened.
Or theyāre just describing what happened.
Yes, that is what the end of the sentence says
I was jokingly saying thatās exactly what they were doing. Shoulda put /s
“That’s a championship team right there… we’re not.”
Yeah. As honest as he was, he essentially said, āWeāre not contenders.ā
Some years thereās only one contender
This yearās playoffs are gonna be fun because there are 4 or 5 real, legitimate contenders.
I just hope everybody stays healthy through itā¦ though thatās already looking to fall apart with Luka.
Only 3 teams for me with one outsider I trust less but are good. OKC, Boston, Spurs and Denver.
Thereās you and the Spurs for me and this Spurs has never won a playoff series so thatās a huge deal.
Boston look great but can JT keep doing it in the playoffs? Piston without Cade are not getting out. Knicks are frisky if everyone else shits the bed but the only top West team they can beat are us who arenāt making it that far.
Denver - yeah theyāre not it. For all the Jokic glazing, this team cannot over 7 games best OKC unless something catastrophic happens. They will be competitive for sure and if things break right they have a chance. Minnesota too inconsistent.
The only real question is the Spurs are legit and if Boston can keep at it. Iād rank it OKC, Boston and Spurs in that order.
Fringe : Denver and NY (if they get an injured western team and they stay healthy)
Okc and Celtics should be the clear favorites in both conferences. Then Denver is still a contender despite looking mid the last few months. And finally the Spurs obviously but I expect them to look like 2024 thunder in the playoffs and probably struggle to show up.
Outside of those 4 Iād be shocked to see a finals appearance let alone a finals win.
I mean if Luka is hurtā¦
Even if he’s healthy do they have the defense to hang with any of the actual contenders for a full series? I’d take OKC, SAS, Nuggets, and Wolves over em and wouldn’t think twice about it
I’m not taking the Wolves over them
That game was over after tipoff
The team that scored more points won
Source?
Jake Fischer
You get to go again on Tuesday.
Without Luka too
Weirdly enough i expect the lakers to do better with revenge energy lol
OKC will go to LA and it won’t be a rematch, it’ll be a reminder.
Theyāll also actually go in planing to not lean on Luka instead of him getting injured early and playing through it.
Theyāll still get beat, but I see some high lights coming up.
Oh I thought this was America. I didnāt hear no bell.
Theyāre younger and have waves of defenders at every position but mainly at the on-ball/wing.
OKC are just a nightmare matchup for the current lakers. I mean they are a tough matchup in general but the Lakers always seem to crumble around teams who play team ball lol
Smart cookie
This is the face of someone who likes his teammates but knows that itās not about being ābetterā itās about acquiring better players. That means the friends canāt stay.
Itās unfortunate but he knows it wonāt change unless the roster gets more depth.
Tbh having a camera shoved in your face and being asked stupid questions you have to take seriously is probably one of the worst things about nights like this
A loss is not a loss though. Losing by 50 is not the same as losing by a point.
Iāll explain later
Broās ready for golf season
Put Dort in the MVP conversation already. Those shots from the 1st quarter were demoralizing
I stopped watching this game early in the first quarter after AR turned it over 4 times in like 5 minutes. I checked the box score a little later and they were down 40…
Thanks Magic.
A loss is a loss in the book, way more in your head.
They sure did beat the fucking shit outta yall š¤£
youāre getting traded buddy
Isnāt he on an expiring lmao I donāt think you guys can trade him
Most teams don’t have actual money to sign guys so players have to go the sign and trade route for their max levels.Ā
whatās stopping him from signing with a team that does have the money
Those kind of teams are devoid of talent because nobody wants to go there
Those teams usually suck. Jazz probably still have money since they are only paying Lauri and now JJJ.Ā Wizards could have money if Young goes. Clippers may have money but Leonard situation. Bulls are bad Hornets maybe the only team because they turned it around. They don’t need him though.
Nets?
Yes forgot Nets and Grizz. Everyone else seems maxed out range.
You’re not a real lakers fan. Stfu.
Why would we trade him?