It has to be intermittent. He's nearly 40 years old and being asked to play 40 minutes a game every two days in the NBA playoffs. Everything is about conserving energy at this point in his career, it's the only way they can possibly make this run.

On that point, I half expect both LeBron and AD to go through the motions in a few days after the major effort they gave today to get home advantage back. They were incredibly gassed at the end of the 4th there.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Does LeBron make his teammates worse or not? LeBron haters always switch the narrative depending on the game result. <a href="https://t.co/6SEnfq7881">https://t.co/6SEnfq7881</a></p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1653621543082049536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Indeed they do Barry.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Outside of the KD years, Steph &amp; the Warriors are now…<br>7-8 vs LeBron in the postseason.<br>44-18 against everyone else.</p>&mdash; nick wright (@getnickwright) <a href="https://twitter.com/getnickwright/status/1653625614618746881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Now that's a stat.

3 Warriors hit 6 3’s each and they lost, while the Lakers combined for 6 total 3’s.

Warriors can’t feel good about that.

Yes, but the Lakers negated a lot of that by shooting 23 more free throws. The free throw discrepancy won't even out as much as the 3 point shooting will but that's how they made the difference up in game 1.

Hope so. I went to bed at half time and the Lakers had like a 20-1 FT ratio or something stupid. I also knew the way AD was playing it was going to be tough to beat them. He is a huge difference maker and will be the reason why they make a run.

Glad it is a 7-game series though

It’s almost like a team built small who relies on volume 3 point shooting doesn’t get fouled as often as the more physical team that drives to the basket. The Warriors are easily beaten by size and physicality if teams decide to play actual basketball instead of panicking early and getting caught up in a 3 point shooting contest. The Warriors have no answer for AD and Lebron’s physicality. I think they’re smart enough to not get pulled into playing the Warriors game. This is definitely looking like it will be a gentleman sweep at best for the Warriors. They don’t match up well at all with this Lakers team.

Oh. I'm not saying it wasn't deserved by any means. Just that's how all the extra 3s were made up for. The Warriors have fouled all year and have been fouled less all year. It's going to be the same this series.

I wouldn't put them out in 5 games at this juncture though. I do think the grizzlies would have been a much friendlier opponent for them though.

Besides, KCC will tell you that someone on the Lakers is bound to get hurt and gift Curry a championship.

You should that many more free throws on the road and there's no amount of complaining about the officials that can explain it away.

That's a massive stylistic distinction and it should hold. I think the Lakers led the league in FTs attempted and I wouldn't be surprised of GSW were at/near the bottom.

Yeah, the gap CAN stay that wide, especially in LA.

I didn't argue otherwise. I specifically noted that it was probably wise. He doesn't have a choice. But you don't get extra credit on the scoreboard for being old. There is no curve. He did what he could do and that required he take many possessions off defensively. He was no sort of anchor out there.

Now as the the next point - it's a tough call. Yeah, they did what they needed to do and locked in the split, but I STILL hate the idea of needing to win two in LA to maintain your edge. Just look at how close they were to throwing it away in game 4.

I mean there's just so much benefit to getting that 2-0 road lead. I don't know what the numbers are, but they have to be staggeringly in favor of teams that start 2-0 on the road.

Sure, they can take a game off and head back to LA having broken serve. Or they can keep the pedal down and go back to LA having put their foot on GSWs throat.

The Grizzlies matched up better against this Lakers team without 2 of our centers. There is no way the Warriors stand a chance in this series. They tried putting Kevon Looney on AD because they literally have no one else. Kevon Looney. :LOL:

Think they wish they had Wiseman back right about now?

I just can't imagine LA was on their radar at all when they made that deal. They had to know that if they played LA in the post-season, Davis was going to be a real problem for them.

But Wiseman, if nothing else, is 6 fouls to give and a big body that can lean/bang on Davis to maybe get him off his game. Because again, Davis is just kinda fragile between the ears.

I think fatigue is the only thing that can be a factor in this series. When AD is playing in the post the Warriors have no chance. When he gets tired and starts hanging at the 3 point line more they struggle. It will all be about load management this series. I’m sure there will be a game where Steph and Klay somehow can’t miss and they’ll steal a game, but if the Lakers stay healthy and fresh they should have no problem with this Warriors team. I think they’ll be pretty motivated to get the sweep too and save as much energy as they can for the West Coast finals when a team finally has a big that can stand up to AD. AD just has to keep his focus and remember there is no one in this series that can stop him in the paint. If he can be dominant against the DPOTY I think he can continue being dominant against Kevon ****ing Looney. ROFL

This should be fun. My 4 favorite players.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will be joining Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for a 2v2 golf match on June 29th in Las Vegas. TNT will carry “The Match” starting at 6:30pm EST. <a href="https://t.co/vTYrme3ao5">pic.twitter.com/vTYrme3ao5</a></p>&mdash; Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1653813274721366045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Might have to get tickets to this shit. I should be there at on June 29th

Curry is a much better golfer than anybody there. Not a fair fight.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: The Warriors are trying a new starting five tonight for Game 2 vs. the Lakers:<br><br>Stephen Curry<br>Klay Thompson <br>Andrew Wiggins<br>JaMychal Green<br>Draymond Green <a href="https://t.co/0ZU9MZeuch">pic.twitter.com/0ZU9MZeuch</a></p>&mdash; Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1654283671388717062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Poole blows

This might be a quick series for the Lakers. They are playing really good basketball

LeBron absolutely dominated that half and they are down double digits. AD can’t no show like this if they are going to win any game.

ad needs to remind himself he's the biggest dude in the series and play like it

It amazes sometimes that LeBron won a championship with a guy who can’t bring the intensity in half of these games.

Unsurprisingly, the Lakers are going away easily. A split it is.

poor draymond he totally didn't deserve that

What a shot by Curry

That was a foul Lebron why are you complaining?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Steph&#39;s Soldiers were on here crying about LeBron being carried after Game 1 because AD scored 30.<br><br>Unfortunately LeBron just isn&#39;t good enough to have a teammate that can consistently do this. <a href="https://t.co/qYnirYvUNk">pic.twitter.com/qYnirYvUNk</a></p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1654311388792209413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Nice defense lol

Lakers waving the white flags

Take curry out you idiot

The Dubs ended it in the 3rd quarter. Lakers will adjust and come back strong on Saturday. This is shaping up to be a great series.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Steph out there with a 30 point lead in the 4th quarter to pad his stats for his cult to brag about after Klay did the heavy lifting. Shameless. The NBA will be so much better when he &amp; the Warriors finally fall off.</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1654324043703615489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Such a disgraceful organization. Would be hilarious and on Kerr if Curry got hurt running up the score here.

Turd. The Lakers are a disgraceful organization.

The Lakers didn’t have to cry to Kevin Durant to save them from LeBron James after blowing a 3-1 lead with a 73 win team. There will never be anything more pathetic than that and it will forever tarnish all of them.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Stephen Curry Pick-and-Rolls Vs. Lakers<br><br>Game 1: 22 in 38 minutes<br>Game 2: 24 in 30 minutes<br><br>Simple but effective adjustment by Warriors to again ramp up Steph&#39;s on-ball usage. And still can do it even more: per <a href="https://twitter.com/SecondSpectrum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecondSpectrum</a>, Curry ran 42 P&amp;R in 38 minutes in Game 7 vs. Kings. <a href="https://t.co/d8ZDPLsQvD">pic.twitter.com/d8ZDPLsQvD</a></p>&mdash; Kevin O&#39;Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinOConnorNBA/status/1654325038533971969?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Well ****.

Play a 1st quarter that gives you every opportunity to end it now and then completely no-show the 2nd and 3rd.

And yeah, AD put a stamp on this one. I don't care if he'd have scored 5 points on 25 shots - it would've been better than taking 11 damn shots in the game.

He absolutely has to impose himself on these games.

From 30 and 23 in game 1 to 11 and 7 in game 2. Will never understand this guy.

Good win, 3 more of them to make the NBA great.

The Millennium GOAT now 16-8 head to head against James in the playoffs.

Well if we're being tacky then we can point out how Curry didn't have to leave the team that drafted him for a championship. I'll also note that Durant will probably only have his championships playing alongside Curry.

Did GM LeBron bring in AD to LA?

Seems the Warriors are always elevating guys play. Jamychal Green playing in his second game this season scores 15 in 13min.

Funny how that happens. How much money did MJ make for scrubs who looked good playing with him only to shit the bed with their new team. With LBJ, you have guys like Westbrook looking much better after leaving.

Can I get a foul call ref!

https://fb.watch/kkQG4OkO4e/

Kerrs game 2 lineup change was brilliant. I’m shocked Ham didn’t keep his starters going in the 4th to figure out how to even adjust to it. Because if they don’t figure out an adjustment the series is over yesterday

It's going to be the same strategy to defend the Warriors as usual. Trap Steph on the screens, force him to pass, help over and make his teammates beat you. They're going to get some good shots that way, but they always will. It's still better than giving up open threes to him.

The real adjustment has to be AD actually showing up to play on both ends for game 3. If he does that, the Lakers can win any game in this series.

Why would Curry ever want to leave a team with multiple other HOFers for his entire run? He's had the easiest time of any superstar in NBA history.

Embiid is easily the largest player to ever flop at the quantity and quality he does.

Lol, Harden is washed.

I like Embiid, but I don't understand how he got MVP over Jokic.

My theory is that didn't want to give a guy 3 MVPs in a row when they didn't do the same for LeBron and MJ. Jokic clearly should have won though.

I see PJ Tucker is playing the role of Ben Simmons

He was CLEARLY the best player this season and had the most value for his (#1 seeded) team. I mean, without question. The people who I saw justifying it for Embiid certainly never made a statistical argument. Hell, they never even made a comparison argument. It was all "it's his time" or some bullshit. I don't get it.

Lol right on cue.

Embiid lead the league in scoring

If that is the sole criterion, they got it right.

It is one of them. Embiid is a much better on defense as well which makes him a more complete player when healthy.

Real fans don't care about defense...

-Steph

76ers have no shot if Harden continues to no show

I know it's a regular season award, but I wonder what their respective playoffs numbers look; perhaps Embiid has some better advanced stats in the playoffs or something.

Jokic is the best player in the league currently and it isn't even close.

Jokic is averaging 27-14-8 in the playoffs with a .284 WS/48 and 11.6 BPM.

Embiid is average 18-9-3 in the playoffs with a .106 WS/48 and 1.7 BPM.

Jokic this year posted the 10th best WS/48 in NBA history (.3085). Only Kareem (3), LeBron (2), MJ(2), Wilt (1) and Curry (1) had better seasons than that.

His regular season BPM (11.64) was also the 17th best in NBA history.

There is no rational argument for Joel Embiid being the MVP in 2022-2023. They just didn't want to give it to a guy 3 times in a row.

Teams shot 70% at the rim against Denver this year lol

It's surprising that you'd attack a guy's defense when your favorite player of all time (Curry) plays absolutely none and hasn't his entire career. Jokic at least is not a complete one-way player like him.

Man Embiid stepped on Grant Williams head. **** that had to hurt

Harden has been working very hard at building brick houses these last two games,.

Dude got curbed stomped

Jokic also led the league in VORP by a wide margin (8.80) to Doncic (6.58) and Embiid (6.44). Was the 35th best season ever by the stat as well.

What is the argument statistically for Embiid?

This is about Embiid vs Jokic. Jokic is an incredible offensive player but meh on D. Embiid is great on offense and defense.

I guess you didn't watch jokic play the warriors in ast years playoffs.

Jokic is historically good offensively and meh on D. It's much the same reason Curry won his MVP. When one side of a player's game is that much better than everyone else, they get credit for that.

****ing hell, that stomp

NBA playoffs have been good. Not great but good.

We're talking about the series where Jokic was by far the best player on the court at all times averaging 31-13-6 on 58% shooting? That series against the Warriors?

It's not on him that his teammates are much worse than Steph's and bricked shots for five games.

Embiid still hasn't made an Eastern Conference Finals appearance and won't again this year. Not my MVP.

The Joker should have got the MVP. ESPN did espn stuff.

Correct.

Also, I'd rather have Kyle Lowry in a big game than James Harden. Pathetic performance here.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The NBA will be so much better once Steph &amp; the Warriors finally **** off.<br><br>So many young &amp; exciting players/teams in the league right now with fans who don&#39;t behave like a cult of unfathomably dumb psychopaths.</p>&mdash; Barry (@BarryOnHere) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarryOnHere/status/1654670061423017984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He's right, you know.

I'll never understand what happens to Harden in these games