2026 Playoffs: (4) Lakers Vs (5) Rockets - Discussion

Definitely. 100% agree that he needs some game time under his belt before facing OKC.

 

Thanks Chuck
Next game is a must win, so rest starters now (we're mid 3rd Q).

 

Interesting game, I thought we started well and fought hard until the offense just fell apart in the 3rd. Some thoughts:

• Ayton was having a really good game probably goes for 24/12 if he doesn't get ejected for an unfortunate, unintentional hit
• When Ayton's on the floor, we're a much better rebounding team
• Hayes really has struggled defending Sengun this series, we need to protect him from that matchup
• Jake had a better game tonight, showed life on the offensive end, he contested well but the Rocket's bench 3's were just falling
• I thought Rui was pretty good, but his release is a bit too slow, he just couldn't get enough shots up tonight and got ran off the 3 pt line too often
• Vando once again did well and his physicality has been welcome against Houston
• Bronny was good in his limited minutes especially getting into the paint to playmake
• Was great to see the young guys out there, I really like them all NSJ, Knecht, Adou and Bronny
• Kleber is a troll haha, just being really chirpy at the end there
• Lebron had maybe one of his worst playoff games, probably tired from going up 3-0
• Smart was impactful again, great role player, too many TO's from him and Lebron tonight
• Kennard was off tonight, struggled to get his shot to fall, not really worried about that, more worried about trying to get him open to take 15 shots

Defensively we were decent, Houston shot 40% from 3 and they're a rubbish 3 point shooting team, if we both shoot 35% it's a 2 possession game. We out rebounded Houston tonight, the FGA were pretty close too.

Tonight our role players fired, but the big 3 didn't. That spells positivity for us going home. Last positive - WE GOT SOME REST FOR OUR GUYS.

Let's close it out - Lakers in 5!

 

really annoyed that it took forever for JJ to pull the starters. They just didn't have the energy and it was pretty obvious

Also Vando needs to get all the Jake minutes - he's much more effective and isn't playing scared

Wish Bronny and Theiro got way more minutes in the regular season now - they both look like they can be rotation players (at least minutes eaters not difference makers)

 

they were due for a stinker. close this out at home next game

 

Didn't notice there were 2 days of rest between Game 4 and 5 .

We're good

 

Must win game...

 

We never got the 3pt going. We need to play with insane defensive intensity to offset our lack of offensive talent in the team right now.

I think we were a bit tired which is totally understandable. Let's close this one at home, probably with AR back

 

just said that in the game debrief. if we can't close it out in game 5, we may have a full collapse. we let them off the mat.

 

We won’t. There’s a reason why no one has come back from 3-0 down.

It’s funny how we all always adjust our expectations, at the beginning of the series we were hopeful of winning a single game. We went up 3-0 and lost 1 to a good team at home. That’s hardly unexpected.

The Rockets are playing hard and can’t afford a single mistake, whereas we have 4 bites of the Apple. I expect us to close them out in 5, which is much more than we could have ever hopped for to start the series. Also our role players came to play, if LeBron scores his series average, it’s a 4 point game and we most likely out execute them instead of initiating garbage time with 8 mins to go.

 

If we'll become, the first team to lose a series, from a 3-0 lead, im done, DONE. This will be the end of basketball for me.

 

i think my concern is that my expectations haven't adjusted much? in that for the overwhelming majority of the two games in houston, they looked like the superior team (which isn't surprising, given our absences) we expected to see prior to the series. i thought we could get swept. losing a 3-0 lead is really just...getting swept.

we played like we had 4 bites at the apple. now we have three. if we play like we have three in game 5, decent chance we lose the whole thing.

anyway, i expect us to win game 5, but i expected a cleaner effort in game 4, too. the loss isn't what surprised me; it was just the pure sloppiness. i can understand missed shots (or the opposition making tough shots). but just spraying the ball all over the floor is something you can't do in the playoffs.

 

The quicker turnaround after our starters played 40+ minutes in a OT game really played a part. Even more when everyone is overperforming and playing an increased role while playing extra physical.
I fully expect us to return to the 1st 2 games form on Wednesday and close out the series

 

Hell is wrong with this fool?

And Kleber would destroy him..

 

What happened with Adou’s dust up and ejection? That seemed so minor and unwarranted. Didn’t the Houston guy start the contact?

 

They ejected both, one from each team. Maxi got in a scuffle a couple minutes before with Okogie, so after the Jokic/McDaniels thing the day before, refs played it safe and threw out both players to avoid any escalation. Kid was just unlucky

 

Time to unleash connect 4