The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t a popular pick to win the championship with ESPN’s panel of NBA experts.
Maybe it’s the long break. Maybe it’s the power of lemon pepper chicken wings from Magic City. But ESPN’s panel of experts believes that the Los Angeles Clippers are the most likely team to win the NBA Championship, according to newly released predictions on Tuesday, ahead of Thursday’s restart.
ESPN released staff predictions for the Conference Finals and Finals, where the Clippers received 8 of a possible 16 votes to win the NBA Championship. The NBA-leading Milwaukee Bucks were the second-most popular pick of the bunch, being selected four times, while the Lakers came in third with only three picks to win the title. The Toronto Raptors got a solitary vote.
Most sportsbooks have the Los Angeles Lakers as the favorite to win the championship, but we also have to remember that those lines are often influenced by very passionate Lakers fans, who have the biggest fanbase in the league. Still, it seems like the experts aren’t buying what the books are selling by a pretty significant margin.
It’s honestly pretty impressive that Danny Green and LeBron James have teamed up again after their many battles.
With the NBA Restart on the horizon, we are going to take stock of who is on the Los Angeles Lakers, what they did, or didn’t do this season, and what to look for as the Lakers look to march towards their 17th championship banner in the most unprecedented circumstances in NBA history.
Danny Green
Even though Danny Green started his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers during LeBron’s first stint, the full circle of NBA life has seen these two be fierce foes. But now teammates on the Lakers, Green is one of the crucial pillars that LeBron will have to count on if he hopes to win his 4th championship ring.
Green has done what the Lakers were hoping for when they signed him to a two-year, $30 million contract after they were unable to form a Big 3 with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kawhi Leonard. Green has had the stellar defense both in the half-court and in transition that he’s always brought, helping him survive what has been a sub-par shooting season for him from the 3-point line at 37.5% Green is a career 40.2% 3-point shooter.
However, Green has had his moments, such as this 3-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks to send the game to overtime, a game the Lakers eventually won. While they may not all be buzzer-beaters come playoff time, Green showed at this moment that he can be trusted to catch and shoot on a shot created by LeBron James. They will need more of this if they are going to go deep in the postseason.
Green’s experience is also crucial. Along with J.R. Smith, JaVale McGee, and Rajon Rondo, they bring a wealth of NBA Finals and playoff experience to the table. Green’s pedigree from the Spurs organization also bodes well in a potential Western Conference Finals matchup against his former running mate Kawhi Leonard.
Surely, LeBron will have to try his hand at guarding Kawhi some but Green will likely get the duty due to his combination of shooting, size and experience in pressurized moments. Green and LeBron battled against each other in the Finals back in 2013 and 2014 but now they are allies in looking to add another championship banner to Staples Center.
JaVale McGee hasn’t played for the Nevada Wolf Pack since 2008, but the next three months might give him flashbacks to his college life.
“I feel like I’m in college. I feel like I’m in a dorm,” he told his dad on a video chat featured in one of his YouTube videos.
The 7’0 Lakers center recently started Life in the Bubble, a vlog that gives a true insider look at what life is like for NBA players staying in the Disney World bubble. McGee’s oldest video on his YouTube channel is the Golden State Warriors’ Championship parade three years ago. He has not always been a consistent vlogger, although he has shared a decent amount of music credited to Pierre, his music producer alter ego.
Life in the Bubble is only about two weeks old, with the first episode being released on July 12. However, each of the first six episodes have reached at least a million views and have helped him acquire 432K subscribers even with less than 40 total videos in his channel. An episode titled Full Team Scrimmage! Who Won?! posted on July 21 has been the most popular so far, reaching 2.1 million views. That video also happens to debut LeBron James and head coach Frank Vogel.
Sports bubbles are something that have not really been done before, so a lot of people are curious about the details of it. McGee’s videos show a range of stuff, from the Call of Duty set up in his room to the area where players get tested for COVID-19. Since McGee is a familiar face, other players and staff are seen having relaxed, casual interactions with him.
Stacey Robinson, a massage therapist who McGee playfully teases, has quickly become a fan favorite. She doesn’t love being on camera, she told McGee to “turn that mess off” after he told her she was a star and people love her on the internet.
A handful of players have already shared photos of food, but the vlog shows McGee’s experience with his vegan diet. Spoiler alert: not everything is good, but the tater tots are fire. McGee is not afraid to share parts of his personal life. In one episode, he is seen having a conversation with strength and conditioning coach Chattin Hill talking about when he first found out he had asthma.
McGee films his own videos but they are edited by Devin Dismang who is also an executive producer of the series. They feature some of Pierre’s music.
The latest episode came out July 26 and it’s a little different from the other ones.
“Another 9AM Practice? I wasn’t in the mood to vlog so decided to make one of my teammates do it,” wrote McGee, not a morning person, in the YouTube video description.
Danny Green, who has his own podcast called Inside the Green Room, was the lucky player to take over the show for that day.
The Lakers are not the only ones with this type of content. Matisse Thybulle from the Philadelphia 76ers is also vlogging a series called Welcome to the Bubble. The rookie films and edits all the material himself. As for media members, outlets like the Washington Post have published content sharing their own experiences.
Fans have already shown their love for insider looks. Earlier this year, Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance averaged 5.6 million viewers throughout its 10 episodes. In Thybulle’s first video, Tobias Harris joked about how they were practically filming their own version of an ESPN 30 for 30. With a limited amount of media access in Orlando, any content that gives an inside look at the bubble should be hot stuff for a while, so maybe that’s not so far fetched.
The NBA is currently playing scrimmages but the season is set to officially restart at the end of July. McGee and the rest of the Lakers will face the Los Angeles Clippers for their first game at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Arena on July 30.
It hasn’t taken very long for the Los Angeles Lakers to enjoy the presence and game of Dion Waiters.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been at the Walt Disney World for over two weeks now and they’ve wasted little time in making a couple of the newest faces on the squad feel welcome. J.R. Smith looked comfortable on Saturday but it was really the reactions the Lakers bench had to the play of Dion Waiters, in particular something that the bench screams everytime Waiters decides to pull-up from the 3-point line: ‘Say Cheese!’ which is of course a reference to one of Waiters’ nicknames, Philly Cheese.
Waiters had 12 points, including two 3-pointers, in Saturday’s scrimmage win over the Orlando Magic. After the scrimmage, Waiters told reporters that Danny Green was the catalyst for the ‘Say Cheese’ cheer, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times.
‘Philly Cheese’ has been one of the nicknames Waiters has gone by since his Miami Heat days. The Lakers will need Waiters to handle the ball even more now that they’ve lost Rajon Rondo but the good news for them is that he and the Lakers look like they’re having a lot of fun together.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been teasing us with some practice footage of LeBron James working out at Disney World.
The Los Angeles Lakers got back on the court on Wednesday for practice after taking a day off earlier this week for the first time since they arrived at the Disney World Campus, the folks at the Lakers teased us even more with some practice footage from yesterday.
Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy shared some video on Thursday of him putting LeBron James, Alex Caruso, and Dion Waiters through a workout, along with some other practice footage from Disney World.
With the injury to Rajon Rondo and the opt-out decision of Avery Bradley, the Lakers have taken a major hit to their guard depth. That puts even more pressure on LeBron James to create and will also likely lead to bigger ball-handling roles for Alex Caruso and Dion Waiters, who LeBron was working with yesterday.
Earlier in the week, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that he is curious to see what Dion Waiters can do in the lead facilitator role in light of Rondo’s absence.
The Los Angeles Lakers had their first practice on Saturday but they were without a few key pieces.
The Los Angeles Lakers had their first practice since the season went on hiatus on Saturday but they did so without a couple of key pieces to their team, with both of them being healthy but being held out for a couple of different technicalities.
Bill Oram of The Athletic reported on Saturday that the Lakers were without Dwight Howard and Danny Green in their practice on Saturday. Howard flew separately to the Orlando area, meaning he had to quarantine while the team was practicing and Green also had a testing glitch that made it so he wasn’t allowed to leave his quarantine yet. The good news is that by Saturday night, Howard was out and about, according to his Instagram story.
More info on this, per source with knowledge of situation: Because Dwight didn’t travel to Orlando with team he needs an extra day to clear quarantine. Danny Green’s was a lab error. https://t.co/5a90m2cLf6
The Lakers are expected to get back on the court today for another practice as they continue to ramp up the intensity of their workouts ahead of the NBA’s restart. The Lakers will have about 10 more days of practice before they get to their scrimmages against other teams, which begin on July 23 against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
The Los Angeles Lakers could have the best collection of guards in Orlando for their second unit.
With the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers loading up their respective benches, the Los Angeles Lakers now have also bolstered their backcourt, particularly off the bench, prior to heading to guard at Disney World.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that J.R. Smith would sign with the Lakers for the rest of the NBA season to replace Avery Bradley. Bradley has chosen not to play in Orlando because of family reasons.
With Smith joining the team, it’s as if the Lakers have acquired their last Infinity Stone — for quick scoring, shooting guards who can guard multiple positions.
Smith, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dion Waiters make up the trio of guards that could be a key difference for the Lakers in the playoffs. Each of these players are capable shooters, with Caldwell-Pope having an exceptional year shooting at a career-high 39.4% from deep, already playing a major role.
Free agent guard J.R. Smith and the Lakers are working through final steps of a deal today and he will be added to roster for the Orlando restart, sources tell ESPN.
Since Bradley was the usual starting two-guard, Caldwell-Pope will likely slide into his spot and still play some minutes with the second unit. He has been a key player throughout the season, scoring 9.5 points per game on a career-high 47.2% shooting. He has also started 20 games this season, averaging 11 points while shooting 43% from the 3-point line in those games.
In addition to Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso figures to have an increased role. Caruso is arguably the best defender out of the four, with Caldwell-Pope right behind.
As an effective bench guard, Caruso has had a breakout season because of his quality perimeter defense. He will replace the level of defensive production Bradley brought. Caruso has scored 5.4 points per game and shot 35.5% from the 3-point line this season.
According to NBA.com stats, Caruso has a defensive rating of 100.3; Bradley posted a defensive rating of 104.0 this season. Units featuring LeBron James and Caruso have been incredible this season, posting a net rating of +20.8 over 54 games.
While Caldwell-Pope and Caruso bring more certainty, Smith and Waiters are the two wild cards, who could sprinkle in much-needed variance during the postseason. Smith hasn’t played since the 2018-19 season, when he only competed in 11 games with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Smith and the Cavs agreed for him to step away from the team in November 2018, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. The franchise worked to create a trade but one never surfaced. The Cavs waived Smith in July 2019, per NBA.com.
Smith hasn’t played in a game since Nov. 19, 2018. It’s going to be an adjustment for most of the players in the Orlando bubble, as the league’s regulars haven’t played since March.
With Smith coming into a situation filled with pressure — only eight seeding games precede the playoffs — it’s worth wondering how much value he can really bring. He’ll be rustier than many of his counterparts, and yet, the risk is worth taking for the Lakers.
ESPN isn't airing Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals tonight but let's not forget that J.R. Smith threw a no-look alley-oop over Draymond Green to LeBron in that game. #Cavspic.twitter.com/qHgkh0OTJR
— Jeff D Lowe (Not Tiger King Guy) (@JeffDLowe) April 1, 2020
As the 2013 Sixth Man of the Year, Smith has proven he can score in bunches as well as anyone. Aside from his mishap at the end of regulation during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, Smith was pivotal during the Cavs’ playoff runs, especially during their 2016 Finals win.
During the 2016 Finals, Smith scored 10.6 points per game and shot 35.6% from the 3-point line. He was the Cavs’ third-leading scorer behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Waiters, who was signed shortly before the league shutdown, is the most gifted of this group when it comes to creating his own shot.
But he has only played three games this season. He was suspended by the Miami Heat multiple times, but he shined in the three games he earned run. This season Waiters has scored 9.3 points per game, grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game and shot 47.1% from the 3-point line on 5.7 attempts a game.
Those numbers make up a small sample size, but Waiters has proven his ability in previous seasons. Last season with the Heat, he scored 12.0 points per game and shot 37.7% from the 3-point line in 44 games. He has scored 13.2 points per game and shot 34.8% from deep for his career.
The quartet of Caldwell-Pope, Caruso, Smith and Waiters isn’t going to completely mask the absence of Bradley. The Lakers are losing one of their best defenders in Bradley, and the perimeter will have to be secured more.
Still, the scoring punch that particularly Caldwell-Pope, Smith and Waiters could deliver is intriguing.
Add in Caruso’s utility play style, and the Lakers could end up boasting a bench that can legitimately compete with the Los Angeles Clippers, the deepest team in the Western Conference.
After LeBron James scored his first NBA Finals win against the Spurs, the San Antonio Spurs bounce right back with a statement of their own.
During the NBA’s indefinite hiatus, I will be rewatching every game of LeBron’s NBA Finals career. Every Finals game from the last 20 years is available to NBA League Pass subscribers on the NBA app or through apps like YouTube TV. We will be going chronologically through LeBron’s Finals career.
Game 2, 2013 NBA Finals: LeBron stones Splitter and gets his first Finals win over the Spurs
We enter Game 3 of the 2013 NBA Finals as LeBron James has just scored his first-ever NBA Finals win over the San Antonio Spurs in his first six tries, between 2007 and this series six years later. It still remains quite impressive that LeBron and the Spurs would meet again, six years after the first time and then again in 2014. But one thing that hasn’t changed since 2007 is that LeBron remains winless in San Antonio. His first game in 2007 he was feeling things out to the degree of letting his teammates feel out too much of the game for him, then responded with a better performance in Game 2, before the Cavs were ultimately swept after losing two close games at home. Now LeBron, who finally obliged the Spurs defense to shoot some pull-up jumpers, has momentum going into San Antonio. But he would again be quiet in looking for his own shot early.
Tony Parker has been the motor of the Spurs offense for the first two games and in Game 2, the Heat did a great job of putting multiple guys on him and bothering him. Mario Chalmers, in particular, stepped up big time. But the Spurs were still in the game until it was broken open late in the 3rd quarter, mostly thanks to Danny Green, who contributed a barrage of 3-pointers and led the Spurs in scoring. But the Spurs keep you on their toes and after a lackluster game, Tim Duncan makes it a point to be more aggressive, calling for the ball in the post and punishing the smaller Heat by attacking the offensive boards. A Kawhi Leonard 3 makes it 5-2 San Antonio early on. It looks like the Heat have a classic transition opportunity which they are known to exploit, but again Danny Green foils the attempt, as he did a few times in Game 2, forcing Dwyane Wade into a turnover. Green can still shoot it in 2020 as a member of the Lakers and is still a capable defender, but he’s not a one-man wrecking crew of arguably the greatest fast break the game has ever seen. Seven years will do that.
Speaking of years, Duncan throws down an emphatic dunk and forces a Heat timeout at 11-4. It’s feeling a little bit like 2007 early on. It’s time for LeBron to show Coach Pop and the Spurs what he has learned, as well as who he has come to the party with. Just as happened in Game 2, the two-man game with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade leads to a Wade basket. On the next play, Wade uses Haslem as a screener and it ends in a second chance, with Bosh getting to the foul line. The Spurs, however, have their offense whipping the ball and moving bodies around in a tornado of pick and rolls. But Mike Miller comes through with a 3-pointer and then a James steal leads to a Wade layup to calm things down. When this game was happening, I was working a catering shift and watching it on my phone in the back waiting for the event to be over and I could clean up. I do remember that Mike Miller was pretty special in these road games.
LeBron gets his first field goal at the 3:23 mark of the first quarter, a powerful right-handed hook shot over Kawhi Leonard from the left block. Then LeBron finds a cutting Wade to get an easy bucket. I hope Dion Waiters is watching films from these games. Then LeBron works as the screener with Norris Cole, catches the ball in the post and then LeBron finds a cutting Birdman. LeBron turning it on has helped but the Spurs still lead 24-20 after the first.
It’s been a slow start to the 2nd quarter offensively as both teams are locking in on the defensive end. A 3-pointer by Gary Neal is the only basket of the first two minutes between either team. Then Danny Green, again, somehow stifles LeBron in the post. I don’t think I can truly convey how weird this is to see, considering LeBron’s go-to move these days is his classic spin-move where he barrels over guys to a lay-up. Green has all of his moves down and frankly, so far in this game, has been better against James than Kawhi Leonard. The quarter gets to the 9:37 mark before Bosh breaks the Heat scoring drought at the free-throw line, splitting a pair to make it 27-21 Spurs. The Spurs inability to score has been curious as they’ve gone to a smaller lineup with Matt Bonner at the power forward spot. Bosh then hits again to make it 23-27, then Bosh makes a block. A Norris Cole 3-pointer makes it 26-27 and the Heat have cut this lead all with LeBron taking a brief rest. It’s exactly what the 2007 Cavs could never do. But Danny Green hits another 3-pointer as Dwyane Wade leaves him open, rather than stunting.
A rare Ray Allen offensive rebound gives the Heat a little life and LeBron continues to get one of his rare rests, as he averaged 43.3 minutes per game in this series. James is finally back in the game but the Spurs continue a few steps ahead as Tim Duncan is playing like a Hall of Famer. A jumper by Gary Neal follows, then a dunk in transition by Leonard off a turnover, and the Spurs now have their biggest lead of the game at 40-30. Luckily, the lifesaver, Mike Miller is there to keep the Heat afloat with his second 3 of the game. The Heat then force a couple of turnovers and make the game a little bit tighter in the last two minutes of the first half. Mike Miller hits AGAIN and it’s a one-point game. Then Wade ties the game at 44, but it doesn’t last long as Tony Parker hits a corner 3. Then Green blocks LeBron and it ends with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Neal. After all the work to tie the game, the Heat trail by 6 again in the blink of an eye.
But of course, as it always does, the conversation comes back to LeBron as his team is in danger of going down 2-1. For the second straight game, he’s been setting the table offensively and being active defensively, rather than take the open shots the Spurs are obliging him to take. He had four points in the first half and he’s got to do something to make the Spurs pay for their coverage. They are building a wall, but the best way over the wall isn’t through it but over it. Miami is struggling offensively to start and the Spurs are humming, with Green again being a major difference. The Spurs are 8 for 16 from the 3-point line and the Heat continue to come up short. They are trying to play through Wade but the Spurs are walling off the penetration to make life difficult for him as well. Green entries to dunk it on Bosh, but gets fouled and the lead is up to 59-46, the largest Spurs lead of the game and the series.
Mike Miller hits another one to keep the Heat afloat. Glad to know my memories from the back of the catering room are still as good as they were then. But Danny Green just has had everybody on the Heat one better from the outside, hitting again and pushing the lead to 13 again. It’s starting to feel a bit like Game 2 did for Miami, with the Spurs hitting all of the shots and the Heat in a drought. LeBron is taking more jumpers, but they will not go. Meanwhile, Chalmers, a key to the victory in Game 2, has been awful and commits another turnover. Miller thankfully for Miami hits another 3-pointer to make it a 10-point game, but it feels like it’s going to go to waste in Game 3, as valiant as Miller’s effort is. A Ginobili dunk with 5:07 to go pushes the lead to 14 anyway. Miller’s Game 3 is feeling a lot like Danny Green’s Game 2, a great performance that will ultimately be forgotten.
However, all is not good for San Antonio. Tony Parker, who has been dealing with injuries all playoffs long, has walked back to the Spurs locker room, thrusting a young Cory Joseph into the Spurs line-up for the first time all series. But the Spurs machine hums on with a fresh new cog, pushing their lead to 17, then eventually to 21.
This one is as good as over, but it’s still the 3rd quarter and the Heat have an obligation to at least try to make one more run. It’s the NBA Finals, after all. LeBron makes a 3-pointer, his first shot outside of the paint, but he’s a loathsome 3 for 14 tonight. LeBron hits another shot and Jeff Van Gundy is having a party that LeBron is finding confidence in his shot. LeBron’s scoring spurt of 9 straight points cuts the lead to 13, but again the Spurs get a basket just before the buzzer with a dunk by Splitter, again slowing the Miami momentum before it can get them back in the game. Altogether, Game 3 was one of LeBron’s four worst shooting performances in Finals history in games where he took at least 20 field goal attempts, going 7 for 21.
LeBron doesn’t come out of the game until the 5:43 mark of the game, as Van Gundy believes Erik Spoelstra is making the Heat own their awful performance. It also turns out I was wrong that the 2012 Social Media Awards were the first and last ones in NBA history. It happened in 2013 too. Sigh.
LeBron showed some life with the jumper but if there’s a note he’s got to take from both Games 2 and 3 it’s that he’s got to establish that he can hit it earlier in the game and be the biggest threat to score on the court in order to make things easier for the rest of the Heat. The Spurs won’t make it easy, but championships never are. See you for Game 4.
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Danny Green said something that could be construed as a shot at his former teammate Kawhi Leonard.
All signs are pointing to the NBA not only making a return but finishing a 70-game regular season before going into the playoffs. And we’ve already tried to visualize what the final regular-season games for the Lakers may look like. With the return of games on the horizon, we also get the return of a little bit of good ol’ sports drama. And today, that comes to us in the form of Los Angeles Lakers Danny Green, who said something that could be seen as a slight to his former Spurs/Raptors teammate and current rival, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
During an interview with ESPN’s Ros Gold-Onwude, Green said that LeBron James is ‘right there’ with Tim Duncan as his ‘best teammate,’ without even a mention of Leonard, the 2019 and 2014 Finals MVP.
Green has been teammates with LeBron at two very different points of LeBron’s career, back during his first run with the Cavaliers and now with the Lakers. Tim Duncan is widely seen as the driving force behind the Spurs dynasty, but it is interesting that after seeing Leonard dominate the last playoffs, he didn’t even get consideration. But while Leonard is one of the arguably the best player in the league right now, he doesn’t have the resume of either Duncan or LeBron.
Jared Dudley spoke with reporters on Wednesday about what he’s been told about the reality of the NBA coming back in remote locations.
Little by little, we have started to see the picture form of what the NBA is envisioning about its potential return to play at some point this summer, with Walt Disney World in Orlando being one of the reported locations where games will be played. And while there had been certain talks about what a “bubble” would look like, Los Angeles Lakers star Jared Dudley made waves by suggesting players can leave the bubble if they choose to, but that teams competing for a championship, like the Lakers, would be highly incentivized stay within it.
“Bron, AD and all the top guys we have, we’ll be wrapping them in a bubble and not letting them go anywhere,” Dudley said. “You’ll have that be a team rule. Now, it won’t be a league, an NBA rule, but you’d want to say, ‘Listen, guys, we’ve come too far. We’re going to put our family on hold.'”
It appears that both the players and the league are ready to assume some level of risk in order to finish the season. However, they are trying to do it safely and anybody who does catch it will be quarantined. How that will actually work out, in reality, is for the league to decide with medical experts. But doing it safely is a sacrifice that the NBA needs to take, not only for the players, but for the essential workers on-site, but they aren’t going to police their players to do it.
