Portland 100, Lakers 93 — L.A. Drops Game 1



It took a long time for the Lakers to return to the postseason, and for the first few minutes of Game 1 Tuesday, they still hadn’t, falling behind big to the TrailBlazers before coming back… at least temporarily. In  the end, the Lakers fell down 1-0 to Portland in their first round matchup, injecting a very healthy dose of fear into the fanbase ahead of Thursday’s Game 2.

LeBron James wasn’t perfect, but put up a historic line nonetheless. Anthony Davis, despite decent numbers (28/11, with two steals and two blocks), wasn’t nearly good enough.

He wasn’t alone. James received precious little support, and as a team the bubble shooting woes continued in a huge way. The Lakers shot 35.1% from the floor, and 15.6% from three.

So what was the root cause, and can it be fixed before Thursday evening? Andy and Brian break it all  down. (Note: The show was broadcast live to Twitter, Periscope, and Facebook Live.)


Lakers vs. TrailBlazers: NBA Playoffs Preview with Peter Sampson



The Lakers are back in the NBA Playoffs, for the first time in nearly a decade, and as a top seed in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, they draw an unusually difficult opponent in the Portland TrailBlazers. Damian Lillard is red hot, and the Blazers are a better team than the one that struggled throughout the regular season.

So how does this one play out? To preview, the Kamenetzky Brothers break it down with Peter Sampson, contributing writer at the great blog Blazer’s Edge and a host at Portland’s 750 The Game.

From there, Andy and Brian explain why winning this season, weird as it may be, is critical because L.A.’s championship  window may not get much wider. Plus, Jimmy Butler’s totally epic bubble coffee bar, and a Hollywood wedding with some weird math.

 

 


LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and Big Lessons from the Bubble Games with Mo Dakhil



Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report and The Athletic joins!

The Lakers have finished their eight tune up games before the playoffs start on Tuesday. Does it matter they only won three of them? Does it matter that LeBron wasn’t all that great? What about Kyle Kuzma, one of the team’s few bubble bright spots? As the Lakers head into the postseason, should they be the favorites?

Plus, LeBron’s hairline and what should be a come to Jesus moment, the NBA lets visitors into the bubble (but not all visitors), and who makes the best bubble buddy.

 

 


Will the Lakers Offense Ever Leave Quarantine?



The Kamenetzky Brothers are back with the Land O’Lakers Podcast! Unfortuantely, the same can’t be said for the Lakers’ offense, which hasn’t really returned from the NBA’s hiatus. LeBron James has been… meh? Anthony Davis has played two great games and four pretty ordinary (or worse). What can be done to fix it, and what does it mean for the postseason?

Can the Lakers depend on Dion Waiters? (Spoiler alert… no.)

Then, did Frank Vogel really get snubbed in the Coach of the Year race?

Finally, edibles gone wrong, songs you want to hear again for the first time, and more…

Check out the video on the Kamenetzky Brothers YouTube and Facebook pages.


Land O’Lakers Is Back!!! A Trailer…



The Land O’Lakers Podcast is back. New episodes every Monday, at least. Talking Lakers, NBA, the bubble playoffs, and much, much more. Plus, we’re adding video! So you can answer that question, “What do Andy and Brian look like when they podcast?”

All the insight, all the fun guests, all the love for Slava Medvedenko you’ve come to know and love… or get to discover for the first time.


The Lakers Make Their Play in Free Agency. How Did They Do?



The Lakers took a big swing on Kawhi Leonard. They missed. And in a matter of hours, they’d filled out most of the roster. So was it a success? We highlight the good and the less good, and give our overall grades to Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office. From there, it’s a question of where the Lakers fit in against a hyper-competitive Western Conference. Are LeBron and Anthony Davis enough? How good does the supporting cast need to be? Who are the wild cards that could make the Lakers championship caliber?

All that… and more!


Ty Lue is Out… Who is Going to be In? With Pete Zayas (@LakerFilmRoom)



Well, Wednesday was busy!

The Lakers fought of what seemed like the smart, safe, inevitable hiring of Ty Lue as their next head coach. Instead, they’ve plunged themselves deep back into the abyss of bad process, bad press, and bad optics heading into arguably the most consequential free agent summer in team history.

So what happens now? We discuss with Pete Zayas, the awesome curator of LakerFilmRoom. Find him at @LakerFilmRoom…

 


Who Should Be the Next Coach of the Lakers?



The Lakers need a new coach, and have sent the gang out to interview. That includes expected players like GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss, but also more eyebrow-raising folks like the Rambi, Kurt and Linda. What should we make of the current Lakers braintrust? And what should we think of the three primary coaching candidates they’ve interviewed?

What do Ty Lue, Monty Williams, and Juwan Howard offer? Who should they hire, and why?

All that, plus…

…a look at a great article from Kurt Goldsberry about the evolution of the 3-pointer, and adjustments around it the NBA should consider.

…and a big week in pop culture, with Avengers: Endgame and GoT’s big Battle of Winterfell joining huge audiences together in ways rarely seen anymore.


The Lakers After the Trade Deadline… What Now?



We all kind of knew how this movie would end, but getting there was nonetheless pretty interesting. The Lakers went through the trade deadline unable to pry Anthony Davis away from the Pelicans (because, in large part, the Pelicans had zero incentive to make a deal now). Still, it was a messy, public process in which basically everyone on the roster was rumored to be part of a package.

So what happens now? Are the Lakers still on the right path to restoring themselves to full glory. Is it time to re-evaluate the work of Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson?

What about the trades they did make, bringing in Reggie Bullock, Mike Muscala, and whatever buyout candidate ends up filling that empty roster spot they’ve created?

All that and more in the newest Kamenetzky Brothers Lakers Podcast.


Kuzmania II: The Return of Kuzmania, Trevor Ariza Returns? And Who Hosts the Oscars?



What a week!

The Lakers are on a roll, pushing their record to 17-10 and drifting closer to the top of the Western Conference. Why? Because (among other things) LeBron James is still great, but also because the defense has become a top 10 group, and Kyle Kuzma is playing well on both ends (including stuff like rebounding and passing on the offensive side).

Even better, the Lakers are a team that can reasonably be expected to improve over the course of the season. If that’s true, what’s their top end? And how much higher does it get if the Lakers acquire Trevor Ariza?

All that, and who should be hosting the Oscars? And what does the Kevin Hart story mean not just for hosting gigs, but stand up more broadly?