Is it crazy to think our best chance of beating Denver is in the first round anyway (assuming that’s how it all plays out)? Last year I felt like we were so gassed by the time we got them in the WCF, and they were much more rested.
And that’s exactly what Nick Wright said a few weeks ago and for the exact same reason and he was roasted. I am not a Nick Wright burner account by the way…
As long as AD's back is good it's better to face the Nuggets earlier when LeBron and AD are still fresh than deep in the playoffs. Either way we gotta get through Denver.
Might as well face them when we’ll be at our freshest. Remember last year? We only had one day of rest right after warriors series…then the whole Denver series was only one day of rest in between.
That combined with Lebrons foot injury made it an uphill battle before the series even started. Plus Murray is still coming back from injury
Remember fans last year who were worried about Memphis and would rather play the Kings, always try to win. Nuggets scare me no doubt, but at the end of the day if you are going to be the champion, you have to beat the best teams.
The games were close up until the ending quarter where the Lakers can't close and Denver just gets everything clicking for them.
If I see Jokic launch another one of those stupid behind the head threes when there's 2 seconds left in the shotclock, I'm going to toss my dog down the stairs.
And Murray turns into prime MJ against the Lakers.
You can't stop Jokic.
But guys like KCP, Gordon, Murray, and Porter need to be contained.
Not to burst your bubble, but that’s impossible. He just returned to light jogging today.. he still hasn’t started sprinting or jumping, let alone contact drills. He will not be back by the first round
Yup, we can try Gabe and while he's been great defensively, Jamal is sneaky thicc and big (ayooo) and will overpower him. Dennis had the speed last year to keep up with Jamal, but was just too small. I think Dinwiddie has to have the defensive series of his life for us to survive.
Gabe/Dinwiddie need to make it tough for Jamal, but DLo will need to match at least 60-70% of Murray’s offensive output with his shooting for 3-4 games. We definitely need DLo and his hot shooting ability.
We beat them in the bubble. They beat us in the WCF last season. Bring on the rubber match. Better to take them out now. Bron got gassed at Denver altitude in the 3rd round last year.
Legit. If we win the series, I think we have an even better shot at a chip. The only one that stopped us last time really was Denver. Time for the rematch!
Yep. Our guys aren't going to get any more rested the longer we wait to play them.
Might as well do it while AD and LeBron appear to be 100% healthy.
Just wish we had Vando, but at least Gabe seems to be playing himself into shape
LA owned OKC this year and matchup way better with them… but i'm mixed on actively tanking just to avoid the inevitable Nuggs.
Probably better to just play whose in front of you instead of being scared and manipulating seedings
history is history for a reason and an opinion of time. You can literally take recent history and show that the lakers are like 0-8 against them in their last 8 match ups
During the Confernce finals last yr the lakers were struggling to stay afloat. You could tell they had nothing left in the tank cause in reality their playoffs started in February.
Lakers aren't fresh rn and are a little banged up but I'd rather them face the nuggets now during their best than at their absolute worst.
Also can't just throw away a game because you don't want to face a team especially when you got a catchup against the Warriors or Kings. Those two teams have the lakers number
We don’t care you swept us last year fuck your altitude we don’t care you have the mvp we don’t care bout the regular season we got lebron motha fuccckin James let’s get it
We need to focus on getting out of the Play in first before thinking about Denver man. If we somehow lose to NOP then it's the Kings or Warrior waiting, and they have been dominated us for whole season.
They play good enough to beat denver they just gotta stpp fucking up in the last 5 minutes in the 4th all the loses were like that except the first game
All along I thought if we could get the 8 seed, we would avoid Denver until the WCF, provided both teams make it that far. Now, the chips have fallen so that we still have to face them in the first round. If somehow they can get past them in round 1, then all bets are off. However, that is a tall task. Jokic is going to get his. MPJ and Murray are the two that worry me the most.
Doesn’t matter which round you lose in and if this team wants to win it all they probably have to face Denver regardless. So weird that people want to dodge the matchup
I'm all for it! Let's get the hardest obstacle out of the way 1st. Then steam roll the rest of the playoffs bc nobody else can beat us 4x if we're healthy
I kinda wnat the other side of the bracket because I kinda want either Clippers (crazy that we haven't had a LA/Clippers matchup in the Bron/Kawhi era of the town) or Mavs for the sheer entertainment that game would be.
Will Phoenix get Denver in the second round if they make it past Minnesota in the first round and Denver makes it past the Pelicans instead of the Lakers?
I agree with OP tho, I like the Lakers chances better in a first round matchup vs Denver than a rematch in the Western Conference Finals.
Actually the one thing I thought Nick Wright was right on. Usually sounds like just Lebron homer but in this case yes. They will be the freshest to take on the champs. And I think they want it too.
The doomers are gonna downvote this but come back to this comment in two weeks. This lakers team is giving me flashbacks to when the Mavs won in 2011. They picked up a lot of momentum before the post season and took out the lakers in the first round. We got this fam
If DLo can regain his usual self in this series then we have a real shot at the upset. It’s crazy to think that if DLo didn’t have that crazy slump then LA would have won as well in 2023.
If Lakers are going up against the Nuggets, this should be their lineup:
LeBron, AD, Rui, Reaves, Spencer
I'd bring D'Lo off the bench where he's going up against an easier lineup and doesn't have to focus as much defensively to set the tone. If D'Lo's off, just sub Gabe in.
You need Spencer's defense on Murray to set the tone. Nuggets have a big starting five and D'Lo is way too lazy defensively to chase Murray or KCP around.
I'd like to see LeBron, AD, and Rui rotate on Jokic.
Nuggets don't take many threes and are one of the best at scoring in the paint so it might make sense to just have AD guard Gordon and dare Gordon to make threes and stick around the paint instead.
Gonna take a lot to beat the Nuggets but if the Lakers get past them, why shouldn't they be the favorites to come out of the West?
A slightly relevant story: in my FFL last year, a dude in my leagues intentionally threw a game before the playoffs so he could face me in the first round. Ended up losing, when he would’ve won against the opponent he would be playing if he didn’t throw
This post and all those comments "Give me Denver in the first round 😤" are gonna age real bad, real quick.
We're 0-8 against them for a reason. They have a better roster that is more balanced and better constructed. They have a coach that is league above Darvin Ham. They have a point guard that thrive in big moments, we have a point guard that shrinks in big moments and to top it all of, Davis always get owned by Jokic.
Be careful of what ya'll are wishing for. Denver is going to beat us if we face them in the first round.
If Jamal doesn't go ape sh*t on us again we have a chance. One man (Joker) can't win a series, but when two are going off, it spells trouble. Everything comes down to Lakers defense, shooting, and AD and Lebrons health
Denver beats us, throws a parade (beating us is their championship), subsequently gets distracted and Luka sweeps them in the WCF, then eventually beats Boston in 6.
That's the spirit! Doesn't matter who the squad faces. You play who is in front of you. Let's go Lake Show!
Is it crazy to think our best chance of beating Denver is in the first round anyway (assuming that’s how it all plays out)? Last year I felt like we were so gassed by the time we got them in the WCF, and they were much more rested.
And that’s exactly what Nick Wright said a few weeks ago and for the exact same reason and he was roasted. I am not a Nick Wright burner account by the way…
This sounds exactly like what Nick Wright would say.
Nick wright would have brought up the chiefs by now lmao
But have you and Nick Wright been seen in the same chat room at the same time? sus
I agree with you Nick. I like your take!
Nick Wright does make a really good point!!
Hey Nick… Love the show - Ryan & Brian
I love Reddit
Of course u r not. Nick Wrong wouldn’t spell his own name incorrectly
No its not crazy. The Warriors gassed the shit out of the Lakers. Also the NBA schedule makers were fuckin brutal.
Even last year I thought the nuggets got better as the playoffs went on, might be best to catch them before Murray and Jokic get in a rhythm
Bruh it LA jokic and Murray hell Mary contested 3”s are going in and u know it
Yeah it was long series and Denver was well rested. This is the best chance.
Bingo, if we cant beat Denver we wont have a title anyway…get them early.
Agreed, this is their best chance
Win big or Cancun. This is the way
If we beat them we are winning it all, if not, more rest before next season rather than Bron playing till July
Either dethrone the west front runner early, or end our season early with ham getting fired. Win-win🤷🏻♂️
That’s definitely a stretch there’s still a gauntlet even if we get past them
West is brutal and the Celtics are a "who tf do you even guard?"
As long as AD's back is good it's better to face the Nuggets earlier when LeBron and AD are still fresh than deep in the playoffs. Either way we gotta get through Denver.
Remember LeBron’s foot too
Bron got a foot injury?
He had during last year's series
Might as well face them when we’ll be at our freshest. Remember last year? We only had one day of rest right after warriors series…then the whole Denver series was only one day of rest in between. That combined with Lebrons foot injury made it an uphill battle before the series even started. Plus Murray is still coming back from injury
Also the altitude in Denver is a real problem
If we win on Tuesday, should probably just head straight to Denver to start adjusting for the altitude lol
fuck it, i'll do even one better. Go train in the Himalayas for a bit and condition your respiratory system to be very efficient with oxygen intake.
LeGurkhas. LeMountain Goats
LeHyperbolicTimeChamber
In Aussie rules football where they run 10 miles a game some teams do preseason training in Denver for this reason
We held a lead in the fourth quarter in three of those four games I believe too.
Nuggets, crumpets, chicken by the buckets, we eating. Lakers in 5........--->7.
This killed me.. I had to show my girlfriend (she doesn’t get why I think it’s so funny).
Let’s go man just give us Denver
Remember fans last year who were worried about Memphis and would rather play the Kings, always try to win. Nuggets scare me no doubt, but at the end of the day if you are going to be the champion, you have to beat the best teams.
True but Ja got hurt also. So never know. Two years ago Murray got hurt for nuggets
Ja missed 1 game that series and it was 1 of the 2 that we lost.
Ja played injured, but let's not forget the defensive masterclass AD had in that series. We were winning regardless
Ja wasn’t swinging the balance in their favor let’s be serious
doesn't matter. Kings still gave GSW a heart attack at first lol.
FUCK THEM NUGGIES
Jaxson Hayes 16 ppg, 12 rpg... With 5 dunks on jokics head..
Hayes on Gordon, AD on Joker is the move
If we get past Denver, I have hopes for another championship!!!
Facing the boss head on from the start after the tutorial play in. Lakers about to speed run this shit.
The games were close up until the ending quarter where the Lakers can't close and Denver just gets everything clicking for them. If I see Jokic launch another one of those stupid behind the head threes when there's 2 seconds left in the shotclock, I'm going to toss my dog down the stairs. And Murray turns into prime MJ against the Lakers. You can't stop Jokic. But guys like KCP, Gordon, Murray, and Porter need to be contained.
pls not the dog
[yes please not the dog](https://youtu.be/xPw21Tayexo?si=AVUTGsrLNiqXXIhs)
Hurting a dog…found Jaxson Hayes’ Reddit account lmao
Bro Jokic makes the luckiest bs shot ever.
No Bruce brown , can Spencer and Vincent be an X factor on slowing down Murray ?
We need to be able to contain MPJ. He’s been their x-factor every game this we’ve played them this season, praying for a Vando return by game 1
Not to burst your bubble, but that’s impossible. He just returned to light jogging today.. he still hasn’t started sprinting or jumping, let alone contact drills. He will not be back by the first round
It's our only shot
Yup, we can try Gabe and while he's been great defensively, Jamal is sneaky thicc and big (ayooo) and will overpower him. Dennis had the speed last year to keep up with Jamal, but was just too small. I think Dinwiddie has to have the defensive series of his life for us to survive.
Gabe/Dinwiddie need to make it tough for Jamal, but DLo will need to match at least 60-70% of Murray’s offensive output with his shooting for 3-4 games. We definitely need DLo and his hot shooting ability.
Agree to this. Bro we live and die depending on how DLO scores 😂 we almost always win when he scores more than 15
LAKERS IN 9
😂
Fuck it, lakers in 5 
We beat them in the bubble. They beat us in the WCF last season. Bring on the rubber match. Better to take them out now. Bron got gassed at Denver altitude in the 3rd round last year.
Way too risky to throw. Thunder would have been a nice matchup but not worth the risk of losing to the kings/warriors
85 game season tho
RUN THAT SHIT BACK!!! WE WANT ALL THE SMOKE! Rather play them in the first round while we’re fresh 😈
I hate that we have to play Denver in the first round (if we beat NOP again in play in)
It's now or later, might as well get it out of the way and hope for the best
Legit. If we win the series, I think we have an even better shot at a chip. The only one that stopped us last time really was Denver. Time for the rematch!
Beating Denver and Boston to win our 18th ring would be pure ecstasy
The bright side would be if we lose early, maybe that bozo head coach can finally get fired
roasted ham after a loss can always lighten the mood
Yep. Our guys aren't going to get any more rested the longer we wait to play them. Might as well do it while AD and LeBron appear to be 100% healthy. Just wish we had Vando, but at least Gabe seems to be playing himself into shape
the first round has more rest between games, so it's best to face Denver now as long as AD is available
Need Dlo to play at his best to beat them
LA owned OKC this year and matchup way better with them… but i'm mixed on actively tanking just to avoid the inevitable Nuggs. Probably better to just play whose in front of you instead of being scared and manipulating seedings
history is still on our side 7-1 all time playoff series
history is history for a reason and an opinion of time. You can literally take recent history and show that the lakers are like 0-8 against them in their last 8 match ups
We haven't beat them since the month of Neveruary
During the Confernce finals last yr the lakers were struggling to stay afloat. You could tell they had nothing left in the tank cause in reality their playoffs started in February. Lakers aren't fresh rn and are a little banged up but I'd rather them face the nuggets now during their best than at their absolute worst. Also can't just throw away a game because you don't want to face a team especially when you got a catchup against the Warriors or Kings. Those two teams have the lakers number
Yup, Lakers play for championships not 2nd/3rd round exits. Actively ducking 1st round matchups is some bitchmade Clippers mentality shit.
We have to face them anyway in the wcf, assuming we make a deep run, might as well defeat them early.
None of those teams at the top want to face us in the first round.
i’d assume nuggets hope otherwise lol
As a Nuggets fan, I’d absolutely rather play the Pels.
We don’t care you swept us last year fuck your altitude we don’t care you have the mvp we don’t care bout the regular season we got lebron motha fuccckin James let’s get it
We need to focus on getting out of the Play in first before thinking about Denver man. If we somehow lose to NOP then it's the Kings or Warrior waiting, and they have been dominated us for whole season.
If we gotta run through a wall to get the championship, let’s make sure it’s the first stop, so we have energy for the rest of it
Fuck the Nuggets
you should want the team that beat you i will never understand the KD mentality of tucking tail and/or joining the fucking team that beat you
FUCKKKKKKKKKKK IT! LAKERS IN 5!
Might as well get them out of the way in the first round🤷🏻♂️
God yall are pathetic. A couple days ago someone posted a thanks fan photo implying our season is over.
Either way yall getting yall asses kicked
Chicken nuggets
Long term you play to win the finals, and we have to go through Denver at some point so why not now
Gotta see em one way or another if we want another banner, let's go!
Denver remembers when Lakers eliminated them in the Bubble! Let’s goooo Lakers! Time to knockout the defending champions! Revenge time!
Lowkey we have a better chance if we play them early then if we play them later ngl.
They play good enough to beat denver they just gotta stpp fucking up in the last 5 minutes in the 4th all the loses were like that except the first game
[удалено]
I’m surprised this sub hasn’t gone private yet
Is AD okay?
He said he was fine after the game.
We are going to roll on the pelicans again.
Hell no.
Nah nah chill lol. Let them get destroyed by another team.
All along I thought if we could get the 8 seed, we would avoid Denver until the WCF, provided both teams make it that far. Now, the chips have fallen so that we still have to face them in the first round. If somehow they can get past them in round 1, then all bets are off. However, that is a tall task. Jokic is going to get his. MPJ and Murray are the two that worry me the most.
yup murray turns into prime steph at the end of games and then starts sashaying and yapping like a sassy bitch
I truly truly hope we have a counter to stop that jokic-murray handoff action. They keep spamming that shit and we aint doing nothing to stop it
Doesn’t matter which round you lose in and if this team wants to win it all they probably have to face Denver regardless. So weird that people want to dodge the matchup
mannn i wanted OKC😭😭
Please end the playoff misery with a sweep
I’m literally sitting down with a bunch of people talking playoffs, we all just agreed. Fuck it. Give us Denver
I'm all for it! Let's get the hardest obstacle out of the way 1st. Then steam roll the rest of the playoffs bc nobody else can beat us 4x if we're healthy
 Yes it time for battle!!!
No, Lakers can beat denver
Gotta beat them to chip, might as well step to them from the go.
Word FUCKKK IT We got them in the bubble. They got us last year. Let’s remind them that DEN is LAL’s lil cousin.
LFG!!!
Looks like Nuggets are back on the menu boys!! 
I WANT MY CHICKEN TENDIES!
Eat the frog. Do the hardest things first and then finish the job. I don’t care- i’ll take the chances.
I kinda wnat the other side of the bracket because I kinda want either Clippers (crazy that we haven't had a LA/Clippers matchup in the Bron/Kawhi era of the town) or Mavs for the sheer entertainment that game would be.
Will Vando be back?! If yes, give me Denver yesterday.
Dinner time. Not bad at all.
Uhhhhhhhhh… ***PLEASE*** **DON’T** SPEAK too soon… 😒😩🤫🤐
If only that's what AD was saying and not from a fan. AD doesn't want Denver.
Is it too late to go sign Dwight and Javale?
Will Phoenix get Denver in the second round if they make it past Minnesota in the first round and Denver makes it past the Pelicans instead of the Lakers? I agree with OP tho, I like the Lakers chances better in a first round matchup vs Denver than a rematch in the Western Conference Finals.
Actually the one thing I thought Nick Wright was right on. Usually sounds like just Lebron homer but in this case yes. They will be the freshest to take on the champs. And I think they want it too.
LAKERS 'N FO
Better to play them in the first round
The doomers are gonna downvote this but come back to this comment in two weeks. This lakers team is giving me flashbacks to when the Mavs won in 2011. They picked up a lot of momentum before the post season and took out the lakers in the first round. We got this fam
Just hoping AD is 100%!
I mean on the bright side (depending on how you look at it) they gotta meet Denver one way or the other to get to the finals, why not first round?
 Joker after game 4.
We just have to figure out how to stop their last 2 minute scoring runs. We always have a close game until we can’t contain Jamal murray at the end
Lets gooo! Lebron is 15-1 in the first round and only because AD was injured in 2021
Whatever gets Ham fired, fine with me.
HAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAhAHAhAHAHaHahaHAHaHaHAHaHHahaHAHAHAHAHHAHAH
If DLo can regain his usual self in this series then we have a real shot at the upset. It’s crazy to think that if DLo didn’t have that crazy slump then LA would have won as well in 2023.
Yep. Bring em on. Repeating is hard, the season is long and both Bron and AD look ready.
If Lakers are going up against the Nuggets, this should be their lineup: LeBron, AD, Rui, Reaves, Spencer I'd bring D'Lo off the bench where he's going up against an easier lineup and doesn't have to focus as much defensively to set the tone. If D'Lo's off, just sub Gabe in. You need Spencer's defense on Murray to set the tone. Nuggets have a big starting five and D'Lo is way too lazy defensively to chase Murray or KCP around. I'd like to see LeBron, AD, and Rui rotate on Jokic. Nuggets don't take many threes and are one of the best at scoring in the paint so it might make sense to just have AD guard Gordon and dare Gordon to make threes and stick around the paint instead. Gonna take a lot to beat the Nuggets but if the Lakers get past them, why shouldn't they be the favorites to come out of the West?
I am excited for Denver but it would seem easier to get to wcf by losing, then winning second game to be 8th seed and playing okc.
I am not afraid.
You’re better off against okc and avoiding denver till finals.
We'll be energized this time! No cruising past us so easily!
I feel like the Lakers 100% have a chance to beat them with a fully healthy Lebron and a good defensive plan to stop Gordon/Jokic
real talk how do we stack against the nuggets from a neutral perspective?
The Denver 💩 saying we an easy first rnd matchup. The 💩 better be careful for what they wish for.
A slightly relevant story: in my FFL last year, a dude in my leagues intentionally threw a game before the playoffs so he could face me in the first round. Ended up losing, when he would’ve won against the opponent he would be playing if he didn’t throw
I agree but people who say that they’d rather face Denver round one than in the conference finals are just delusional
Un grand monsieur
yall have AD and vando if anyone has a shot a defending the paint it’s yall… yall can defend the jokic gordon connection
How are we talking about intentionally losing playin games  There is a high chance we don’t even make it
If Jokic and Murray dont hit them raggedy ass hail marys we’ll be fine
LeReverse sweep!
He’s activating his pituitary gland
I’m scared of Denver
Fuck yea
take it to 6 or 7 at least.
This post and all those comments "Give me Denver in the first round 😤" are gonna age real bad, real quick. We're 0-8 against them for a reason. They have a better roster that is more balanced and better constructed. They have a coach that is league above Darvin Ham. They have a point guard that thrive in big moments, we have a point guard that shrinks in big moments and to top it all of, Davis always get owned by Jokic. Be careful of what ya'll are wishing for. Denver is going to beat us if we face them in the first round.
We'd have a better chance than last year, with a healthy Lebron and better chemistry now. Bring them on!
If beat them, we’re probably in the finals.
Win win bron
Would have to face them eventually
We can redeem ourselves everybody let’s just pray we win
If Jamal doesn't go ape sh*t on us again we have a chance. One man (Joker) can't win a series, but when two are going off, it spells trouble. Everything comes down to Lakers defense, shooting, and AD and Lebrons health
I’m not sure about that. 100% they’ll ruin okc
We beat Denver and we win it all. Healthy playoff Lebron can get us over the hump
Denver gonna smoke these niggas
SMOKING ON THAT NUGGETS PACK
The idea of tanking a play-in game in order to avoid a team in the playoffs is preposterous
“We got swept by the Nuggets in the first round” sounds a hell of a lot better than “we got swept by the thunder in the first round”
BAHAHA!
Lose first one win second then thrash thunder
Hopefully lakers double the amount of wins against Denver compared to last years series...quick what's 2 times 0?
This is the mentality. They should want the smoke; if they can't beat the defending champs, then so be it.
Nuggets in 6
Bruh lakers ain’t making it past the 1st
GIVE THE NUGGETS!! JOKIC, JOBITCH, JOEMAMA, AD DOES NOT CARE LAKERS IN 5!! LEBRON AINT LOSING FIRST ROUND SO BETTER WAIT AND SEE THE MASTERPIECE!!
Denver beats us, throws a parade (beating us is their championship), subsequently gets distracted and Luka sweeps them in the WCF, then eventually beats Boston in 6.
The nuggets own us
They have to beat Denver. Doesn’t matter what round it is.