Lakers vs Clippers - 02/02/2025 GT

[90sgoat]

Anyone watching?

[90sgoat]

Luka cooking from the get go.

[Phoenix]

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jurassic-Park-water.gif

[90sgoat]

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jurassic-Park-water.gif

What mean sir?

[Phoenix]

What mean sir?

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Jurassic-Park-water.gif

You know... :D

[90sgoat]

This Lakers team is cooking.

Luka the piece to bring them all together.

[red1]

This Lakers team is cooking.

Luka the piece to bring them all together.

they dont even have their 3rd and 4th best player in reaves and rui


this is a great supporting cast for luka and lebron. two years ago the lakers were old and slow now they have a lot of athletic young players

[90sgoat]

they dont even have their 3rd and 4th best player in reaves and rui


this is a great supporting cast for luka and lebron. two years ago the lakers were old and slow now they have a lot of athletic young players

This was all around a very deep team before Luka as well, but Lebron and AD don't have the ability to get everyone involved like Luka.

[90sgoat]

Clipps are not bad, they still have firepower in Harden, Powell and Kawhi. Odds are Harden will choke some games and Kawhi will be injured though.

[red1]

clippers have a lot of firepower we just know kawhi will be injured for playoffs and harden will choke


on paper they have a very strong team

[90sgoat]

This is some serious fastbreaking from Lakers, great to watch.

[ImKobe]

clippers have a lot of firepower we just know kawhi will be injured for playoffs and harden will choke


on paper they have a very strong team

No real chance if Harden's chucking it at a below 40% rate in the POs.

[90sgoat]

Knecht seizing the opportunity.

[90sgoat]

Choooooke

[red1]

lakers beating all the good teams and losing to scrubs like the hornets


thats a very good sign for the playoffs!!

[SouBeachTalents]

40 year old LeBron continuing to carry this team to victories. Absolutely amazing :applause:

[SouBeachTalents]

I was curious and just looked it up, this was Kawhi's first 30 point game in a year, he last did it nearly a year ago to the day, 03/03/2024.

[90sgoat]

Beating Clippers twice in a row, once without Rui and Reaves and with Kawhi going off for 30+ seems very positive.

Clippers will be tough for any team in the PO if Kawhi is healthy though. Will be down the wire for most games I think.

[90sgoat]

40 year old LeBron continuing to carry this team to victories. Absolutely amazing :applause:

Got to step up, 1/6 from 3, can't have that with all the gimmes from Luka.

[FKAri]

Incredible that LeGOAT is still solo carrying a team of complete bums to #2 in the West. And his running mate is some fat Euro kid.

[Akeem34TheDream]

Clippers desperately need Norman Powell. He has been carrying them for a while.

[Thenameless]

I like that we won with both Reaves and Hachimura (and Goodwin too) out, with Knecht stepping up. Teams are likely to have some kind of injury going into the playoffs, so everyone on that bench has to have the "next man up" mentality. Be ready to play like your life depends on it, at any time.

[90sgoat]

I like that we won with both Reaves and Hachimura (and Goodwin too) out, with Knecht stepping up. Teams are likely to have some kind of injury going into the playoffs, so everyone on that bench has to have the "next man up" mentality. Be ready to play like your life depends on it, at any time.

Knecht looked like a future 3 point challenge winner.

He gives me MPJ vibes massively or maybe Peja on a good day.

[stalkerforlife]

Knecht looked like a future 3 point challenge winner.

He gives me MPJ vibes massively or maybe Peja on a good day.

I knew he was legit and have no idea how he fell to the Lakers.

Seemed rigged.

[90sgoat]

I knew he was legit and have no idea how he fell to the Lakers.

Seemed rigged.

He's not really good at dribbling, passing or defense. Very MPJ/Peja.

[tontoz]

Is it just me or does kawhi look thinner?

[stalkerforlife]

He's not really good at dribbling, passing or defense. Very MPJ/Peja.

He can flat out shoot and can play above the rim.

I thought for sure he'd be a top 10 pick.

He can score.

[Neal Romer]

Knecht looked like a future 3 point challenge winner.

He gives me MPJ vibes massively or maybe Peja on a good day.


Yeah I think the MPJ comparison is pretty spot on. MPJ is like an inch or two taller but otherwise they're extremely similar.

Also Knecht and MPJ are both young players who have specific roles on contending teams. They dont have the freedom to just go out there and play iso and work on their bag and make a name for themselves based on stats the way young players on the Bobcats or Wizards can do. I'm not saying that would ever be their natural role anyway, but people might perceive them as more all-around talents if they were given more opportunities as primary players. Again not saying that would ever be their ideal roles on a winning team. But if they did it on a shit team most fans would probably think theyre stars in the making. Most fans, including most ISH fans, have absolutely no concept of the difference between having a flashy bag and being a winner. Most fans think those two things are synonymous. People thought Jordan Poole was the next big thing that one season in GS. Actually I remember when people talked about Jordan Clarkson as the heir to Kobe.

Fans think every young iso player is destined to be elite when they see him make one tough turn around fadeaway out of seven. That's just, you know, who fans are.

[tontoz]

Some of you obviously didn't watch Knecht in college. Most of his scoring was off the dribble, including his 3s.

Defense is obviously a question mark but his ability to score off the dribble isn't.

[Im Still Ballin]

He's got those pointy elbows and knees like Luka.

[90sgoat]

. They dont have the freedom to just go out there and play iso and work on their bag and make a name for themselves

I can see how Knecht vs Kuzma is just a question of role yes.

[Neal Romer]

Some of you obviously didn't watch Knecht in college. Most of his scoring was off the dribble, including his 3s.

Defense is obviously a question mark but his ability to score off the dribble isn't.

Where did anyone say otherwise?

[tontoz]

Where did anyone say otherwise?

The MPJ comparisons. that is just the role he is playing as a rookie. He is far better off the dribble than MPJ, and much stronger.

[Neal Romer]

The MPJ comparisons. that is just the role he is playing as a rookie. He is far better off the dribble than MPJ, and much stronger.

I agree hes BETTER off the dribble than MPJ, but not to a meaningful extent IMO. I dont think he's a natural ball handler so much as physically shifty and strong. Good at straight-line finishing. I dont think you put him in Austin Reaves role for example, let alone Luka or Lebron, and expect to win games that way. You dont want your offense starting with the ball on his hands at the NBA level. He could do it on a bad team maybe, but you wouldnt win that way.

His ideal role for contributing toward winning at the NBA level is basically what hes doing now, which is very similar to MPJ. Move without the ball, use your size and range, and make cuts and rim runs where applicable. Theyre not literally the EXACT same player but functionally their purpose is the same.

[tontoz]

I agree hes BETTER off the dribble than MPJ, but not to a meaningful extent IMO. I dont think he's a natural ball handler so much as physically shifty and strong. Good at straight-line finishing. I dont think you put him in Austin Reaves role for example, let alone Luka or Lebron, and expect to win games that way. You dont want your offense starting with the ball on his hands at the NBA level. He could do it, but you wouldnt win that way.

His ideal role for contributing toward winning at the NBA level is basically what hes doing now, which is very similar to MPJ. Move without the ball, use your size and range, and make cuts and rim runs where applicable. Theyre not literally the EXACT same player but functionally their purpose is the same.

Assuming he is still there when LeBron retires I expect we will see his full arsenal. He is not a playmaker but he is a versatile scorer, far moreso than MPJ.

[90sgoat]

He did have a nice putback dunk, have never seen that from MPJ.