Lakers Lounge

Anthony plays the vast majority of yesterday's joint presser, in which JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka summed up this Lakers season and set the tone for this summer.

Rob Pelinka spoke more eloquently and positively about LeBron in today's presser than he has in years.

Rob Pelinka used his favorite key word again, but Anthony noted a difference in the way the Lakers PBO talked about it.

JJ Redick was asked about the ways he has grown as a coach. He and Rob Pelinka answer that question, and Anthony uses it as an opportunity to discuss the ways Redick still needs to develop.

Anthony opens the door to whoever wants to give their thoughts on this series and Lakers season. He gives his own thoughts on those subjects. He then answers questions from the chat on... those same subjects.

A Thunder fan hopped on to give his props to the Lakers for their fight in this series, so Anthony also asked him to explain what's gone into this Thunder culture and how long it took to arrive here.

A fan hopped on the show to make the case for a gap year and for LeBron to head back east. Anthony gives his responses on both fronts (while understanding where those stances might have come from).

The Lakers have gotten by through halfcourt execution, but Anthony makes the case for a slight tweak in their roster-wide approach to athleticism. From there, he wraps with questions from the live audience.

The Lakers are on the brink of elimination, so Anthony discusses what they'll need to carry on from this experience. From there, he dives into the lottery results and embarks on one of the fullest mailbags in show history.

Anthony quickly discusses what he noticed from game three and zooms out to hit on what actually matters here: How the Lakers respond to one of the most lopsided series losses in Lakers history.

Anthony gives his one wish coming out of the lottery (and a scenario a lot of people around the league are talking about): The Clippers landed the fifth pick. Adam Silver, you have a job to do.

Anthony tries to handle this with the nuance and appreciation Anthony Davis deserves, but no, the Lakers and AD probably aren't linking back up anytime soon.

Anthony and Pete discuss the first couple of games and what the Lakers need to do if they're going to have a chance at extending this series. Then, they take an honest look at what separates the next tier of teams from them to figure out what the Lakers need to learn heading into this summer. From there, they dive into a discussion about OKC's manipulation of the rule book and why it's more an NBA...

The speed deficit the Thunder have both from personnel and approach standpoints has become overwhelming and, while that obviously can't be addressed before this series ends, Anthony and Pete agree it's something the Lakers need to focus on this summer.

Anthony quotes a movie to Pete in discussing how he'd like to see JJ Redick throw the kitchen sink at OKC. The guys wrap with questions from the live audience, who are now just about ready to move on to summer discussions.

Anthony and Raj recap another loss in OKC -- a borderline unwatchable game that was dominated not by the Thunder's star power, but by a bunch of refs who couldn't help themselves. The guys discuss the state of refereeing, grifting and why so many teams have the same complaint after playing OKC.

Anthony and Raj start by talking about the game, and how Austin Reaves finally bounced back. Raj held Anthony off for as long as he could but eventually Anthony unleashed the rant about the refs and OKC that you're probably here to listen for.

Anthony wraps up his rant from the first segment, then recalls the time OKC tried to pretend to sub in a player just to slow down Nikola Jokic's outlet passes after makes.

LeBron has had to sit around and wait for Rob Pelinka to finally believe in the stars atop the roster again for basically four years now. He's proven once again he should be a key piece for the Lakers moving forward. The guys discuss that, as well as the NBA's awful review system.

Jake LaRavia has found the lights in the playoffs to be quite bright. He's been terrified on offense, so even the solid defense he's played has been overshadowed by the yips he's apparently picked up. The guys discuss what they're seeing from LaRavia and answer questions from the live audience.

In case anyone needed any reminding, OKC is quite good. LeBron showed up ready to compete. So did Rui. Hell, even Ayton was mostly fine in the minutes he could play because of his foul trouble. Austin, much less so. Anthony and Raj discuss the game and what they want the Lakers to get from a series they're almost certainly going to lose.

Sure feels like it!

LeBron tried to set a tone, but no one outside of Rui was ready to match that energy. It reminded Anthony of another game where James was a heavy underdog and did all he could to steal a win.

It's only one game this series, so far, but his three performances against OKC in the regular season followed this same script. Is it time to have a more honest conversation about Austin Reaves' performance against teams of this defensive caliber? The live audience sure seemed to think so.

Anthony, Pete and Jovan look back on the Lakers' upset in round one, then try to figure out whether they can do it again against a significantly better and smarter team this round. They go key position by key position, then give their predictions at the very end of the show.