"The Hoop Collective" podcast, hosted by ESPN's Brian Windhorst, releases episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday during the NBA season. Windhorst and his guests break down what's happening on and off the court, evaluating the trends you need to know and examining the latest news from across the NBA.
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'The Hoop Collective' episodes
May 20: Knicks' historic comeback and how OKC can respond down 0-1
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to react to the New York Knicks' 22-point Game 1 comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night, including a breakdown of why Cleveland collapsed and how both teams will adjust moving forward. They then move on to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 2 outlook and how they can step up in Game 2 against the San Antonio Spurs. Finally, they close on the Dallas Mavericks firing coach Jason Kidd on Tuesday.
Topics:
1:12: Knicks steal Game 1 from Cavs with epic comeback
4:20: Cleveland melted down late in this game at MSG
8:17: What caused this historic comeback?
14:45: How do the Cavs recover from this?
24:45: How does OKC bounce back vs. Spurs?
43:14: Mavs parting ways with Jason Kidd
47:20: What will Dallas do with its head coach opening?
Windhorst on the Cavaliers' collapse: "This is what happens when you have a collapse. It's never one thing. It's always multiple things.
"And so, the Cavs missed some free throws. They had some some possessions that were lost due to free throws. They also stopped driving the ball. ... (Donovan) Mitchell and (James) Harden started foul hunting. The referees didn't give it to them because they didn't deserve it at that point.
"And so it was their offense resting basically. In addition to the fact that they were just being plucked apart on defense, there were no active attempts to stem the tide. This is absolutely going to go down as a game that the Cavs lost."
MacMahon on what the Thunder need to do in Game 2: Despite the fact that (Wembanyama) had 41 points, despite the fact that starting with that, 30 footer, he outscored the Thunder 12 to seven to close the game, I don't think it was a terrible defense performance against him. Again, I think this game, and the Thunder, think this game, was lost because they weren't able to generate offense. And that gets back to they weren't able to get Wemby moving around.
"You have to make him move directions multiple times. Maybe you can catch him, if you're going to be driving, you got to be able to catch him on a hard screen. You can't have him just able to roam and challenge at the rim. You've got to be able to catch him a split second late on a rotation like Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) did on that dunk in overtime -- which, by the way, he had that dunk in overtime and that was his only points in the last two overtimes."
MacMahon on the Mavericks' coaching search: "(Mavericks president of basketball operations) Masai (Ujiri) is definitely trying to be very buttoned up and and tight-lipped.
"I did inquire with a source familiar with his thinking and I said, 'Hey, would Sean Sweeney's connection with J-Kidd eliminate him as a candidate?' because Sean Sweeney was J-Kidd's right-hand man in Brooklyn, in Milwaukee and then in Dallas. And I was told no, that that wouldn't eliminate him as a candidate, that they would consider him as an individual, not as J-Kidd's right-hand man.
"I don't have at this point a list of candidates. I would say a couple things there: There are names flying ... Masai's track record is not necessarily swinging for big names. It's trying to find the next great coach. You know, he likes discoveries."
May 19: EMERGENCY POD -- Wembanyama's huge statement in instant classic Game 1
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps to react to the San Antonio Spurs-Oklahoma City Thunder epic Game 1 on Monday night, including a breakdown of Victor Wembanyama's historic performance and how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can bounce back in the series.
Bontemps on the Thunder's series outlook: "I would say if Victor goes for 41 and 24 for seven games in the series, yes, I think the Spurs will win the series. I would also say that the Thunder, as the game went on, came into the game, figured some things out and I suspect this is going to be a very long series.
"But, I mean obviously the overall headline is Victor answered the bell at every turn and the Thunder, despite playing very badly, had this game in the bag. And no one's going to probably talk about it because they're going to focus on Victor's play in the second overtime and Victor's 3-pointer that he hit on the break. But the Jalen Williams possession with about 40 seconds to go in overtime cost this Thunder team the game."
Windhorst on the Spurs' historic performance: "Wembanyama is the first player with 35 points and 20 rebounds in a conference finals game since (Charles) Barkley in 1993. Not first conference finals game, any conference finals game.
He is 22 years old. He passes Lew Alcindor as the youngest player ever with 40 and 20 in a playoff game. 40 and 20. I mean, it was so long ago that Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) was still Lew Alcindor. You've been a big believer in (Dylan) Harper ever since he was at Rutgers. I'm not saying that you were the only one. I'm just saying that you were an advocate of Harper before he was the No. 2 pick. But Wembanyama, (Stephon) Castle and Harper are the first trio of teammates 22 or younger each to have a double-double in a playoff game in NBA history.
May 18: Full conference finals previews and SGA's historic MVP
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to cover the Cleveland Cavaliers' Game 7 win over the Detroit Pistons and why it was the most important win in Donovan Mitchell's career.
They then move on to preview the Eastern Conference finals and Cleveland's chances against the New York Knicks, who are coming into the series off a sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers.
The crew then discusses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's second straight MVP and whether it will give Victor Wembanyama extra motivation in the Western Conference finals. They close on a full San Antonio Spurs-Oklahoma City Thunder series preview.
Topics:
01:28: Cavs dominate Pistons in Game 7
16:08: Previewing the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 3 New York Knicks
28:40: Gilgeous-Alexander joins elite company with back-to-back MVP's
37:17: Why the Spurs-Thunder could be an all-time series
Windhorst on the Cavaliers' ECF outlook: "The Cavs obviously will probably try to lean on their frontcourt just as they did in (the second round) because the Cavs' frontcourt depth is stronger than the Knicks'. But the Knicks' frontcourt historically has given these Cavs problems, specifically Mitchell Robinson, who has kicked the Cavs in the backside numerous occasions. So that will be a key I think early thing to look at.
"The Knicks' offensive production has been impressive. I would argue that of the eight teams left in the second round ... They certainly have the weakest defense of the remaining teams.
"So, the Cavs' defense is going to be stressed against that New York offense."
MacMahon on what Gilgeous-Alexander told him after his MVP: "I said, 'You know, Wemby is going to see this and he's going to feel a certain kind of way' and, 'What do you expect going into that series tomorrow?'
And he said this, 'In this profession, in this league guys are extreme competitors. You don't make it to be this good in this league if you're not a competitor and if you're not super confident in your ability. If you don't think the highest of yourself, that's not how you achieve things. You have to think before you achieve it. It's no different for him.' He said, 'Obviously he presents things that you've never seen. So the challenge is obvious. Everyone knows the challenge and none of this stuff matters if you don't win.'"
Bontemps on the Spurs-Thunder matchup: "What ways can the Thunder sort of do different things to try to get Victor Wembanyama out of Shai's way and out of these other players' way to be able to create space? Do you do what a lot of times the Wolves did and try to get bodies on him? Do you try to play five out as much as possible and try to space the floor even more? There's just so many little tactical wrinkles in this series with these two teams with the amount of depth they have.
"The other thing that came up a ton was the sheer amount of ball pressure that the Thunder play with and the relentlessness they attack with on the perimeter with. And how the Spurs guards, and in particular Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, will handle that because those guys have been incredible and their development has been a remarkable thing.
"For as incredible as Victor is, it's really the development of those guys is why this team is where they're at -- because those guys are so far ahead of schedule, maybe even more so than Victor. But this is a different challenge like going up against this Thunder team."
May 15: Major conference semifinal controversy and previewing two massive Game 6s
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the controversial no-call at the end of Game 5 in the Cavaliers-Pistons series, Then the trio outlines whether Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs can close out the Minnesota Timberwolves and has the latest intel from the NBA draft combine in Chicago, before talking about what the future might hold for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Topics:
0:53: Controversial ending as Cavs take Game 5
9:25: Keys to watch for in Game 6 in Cleveland
26:17: Close-out challenge for young Spurs in Minnesota
35:06: Reaction from the NBA Draft Combine
37:29: Takeaways from Bob Myers' 76ers news conference
43:03: The biggest question for the future in Philly
46:02: Will Jazz want to move up to get AJ Dybantsa?
48:12: Where does the top tier of draft drop off?
Windhorst on the Pistons-Cavaliers series: "This is something that I thought JB, in retrospect, could have gone after. There have been times where I thought JB has gone after the referees this year where I was like, 'I don't know what that's accomplishing.'
"But on this one, I'm not even talking about the call at the end of regulation. The Cavs have 100 free throws in the last three games. The Pistons have 54. It's a 46 [free throw] differential. That's a tough situation in a three-game spread."
Bontemps on the Daryl Morey firing: "I think the Jared McCain trade is why Daryl got fired, ultimately. It was the straw that broke the camel's back in Philly. Like, yes, they lost in the second round, but the trade, combined with Daryl's press conference when he said he sold high, and that became a sound bite that's been talked about for three months, I think played a part in him not having a job anymore."
MacMahon and Bontemps on the Jazz potentially trading up to the No. 1 pick:
Bontemps: "The question is, would the Utah Jazz be willing to pay a premium to move up to number one to make sure they can get AJ Dybantsa? Because that's really all you're talking about."
MacMahon: Would Danny Ainge be willing to be on the wrong side of a value proposition?
Bontemps: "And the answer to that, I feel very confidently in saying, is no. And I would refer back to the last time the No. 1 pick was traded, which was Danny Ainge going from 1 to 3 and drafting Jayson Tatum and getting another pick in return to allow the Sixers to move up from 3 to 1 to draft Markelle Fultz.
"So, I don't I don't think that Danny Ainge and Austin Ainge, his son, and the rest of the Jazz front office will be doing anything remotely like that this year."
May 13: Statement game from Wemby, did Mitchell save Cavs season, and big changes coming for Lakers and 76ers
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to react to Victor Wembanyama's statement response for the Spurs in the Game 5 win over the Wolves including talking if San Antonio can close out Minnesota in Game 6. Then, the guys talk about a historic performance from Donovan Mitchell to tie the series with the Pistons at 2 before giving big keys for Game 5 in Detroit. Next, we discuss the Thunder's dominant sweep of LA prior to breaking down a major offseason for the Lakers with the future for LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Finally, we dissect how the news from Philadelphia that Daryl Morey out as 76ers president of basketball operations will impact the franchise moving forward before honoring the passing of two members of the NBA family.
Topics:
0:54: Bontemps special combine assignment
Spurs big response, down Wolves in Game 5
12:40 Mitchell's historic second half saves Cavs
18:06 Windy Storytime: LeBron 48-point special
24:50 Not the best showing from the Pistons
29:17 Main keys to Game 5 in Detroit
31:14 OKC finishes sweeping Lakers in LA
42:39 Does the Lakers future include LeBron?
52:12 Morey out as 76ers president of basketball ops
1:04:33 Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke passes away at 29
1:06:10 Jason Collins, NBA's 1st openly gay player, dies at 47
Bontemps on the Spurs' third-quarter run to take control of Game 5: "That is an extraordinarily mature and professional response from a young team in a big spot where they very easily could have got sideways when Minnesota made that run, and instead they completely flipped the game on its head immediately and slammed the door and put themselves back in the driver's seat."
Windhorst on LeBron's future: "LeBron does have the right to take as much time as he wants and consider all of his options. However, the Lakers need to know what he wants to do relatively quickly if LeBron is going to want to get paid significant money, because the Lakers have cap space. They may re-sign their own free agents, they may go out and do another free agent, but they're going to need to know by the draft whether LeBron wants to come back and probably have a pretty good idea of what they're willing to offer LeBron and what LeBron's willing to play for."
MacMahon on Daryl Morey: "Daryl's arrogance has backfired on him repeatedly over the years. He rubs people the wrong way and I would say his biggest failing as a basketball decision maker is he's never been a guy who valued, or even frankly considered, the human element. He does not believe in basketball chemistry."
May 11: Wemby's ejection, a historic Knicks run, and the biggest winners and losers from the lottery
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to explore what Victor Wembanyama's ejection might mean for the Spurs-Wolves series, how the Knicks decimated the Sixers and whether New York should be considered the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference. Then they run through the biggest winners and losers from Sunday night's NBA draft lottery.
Topics:
1:46: Wemby ejected in Wolves' Game 4 win
16:12: Knicks destroy 76ers to sweep series
25:28: Interesting Joel Embiid exit interview
34:06: NBA draft lottery reactions from Chicago
50:31: Bad luck strikes some key teams
55:41: Big wins for the Jazz and Bulls
58:08: Brutal situation unfolds for the Pacers
1:01:17: Excellent result for the Clippers
Windhorst on Wembanyama's ejection: "Just a complete loss of composure from Victor. We have applauded him on every front -- how he's mature beyond his years. It was an unacceptable choice, and it hurt his team. He will help his team and carry his team to many wins in the future. But he hurt his team, and he extended their series in all likelihood."
MacMahon and Bontemps on the Knicks' playoff surge:
MacMahon: "Their average point differential is 19.4 points per game. That's the largest going into the conference finals since it went to the 16-team format in '83-84."
Bontemps: "Yeah, I mean, look, they've had a couple close games. You know, Game 2 in this series could have gone either way. They had the two one-point losses in the first round, but since they changed their offense around after Game 3 against Atlanta, they have been just absolutely molten hot."
MacMahon: "One hundred eighty-five points is what they've outscored opponents by in that stretch. That is the third-best point differential in any seven-game span, period -- regular season or playoffs."
MacMahon on the Grizzlies' jump to No. 3: "I can just say the lottery results will have no impact on the approach moving forward with Ja Morant. They were going to try to find a home for Ja Morant regardless of where they ended up in the lottery."
May 8: Major injuries in the East and stunning developments across the league
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss another disappointing game from the Cleveland Cavaliers and their stars, before talking about the Lakers' latest complaints about the officiating in their series against the Thunder. Then the trio transitions to talking about key injuries in the Knicks-Sixers series and massive developments in both Boston and Milwaukee, before ending with a discussion about the significant implications of Sunday's NBA draft lottery.
Topics:
1:09: Pistons overtake Cavs late, take 2-0 lead
2:24: Cleveland's stars continue to disappoint
14:43: Lakers upset with officiating in OKC
27:23: Big OG Anunoby injury update in Knicks-76ers series
38:16: Spurs respond with sound defeat of Wolves
47:24: Interesting Giannis quotes from Bucks ownership
57:24: Is Jaylen Brown's future in Boston uncertain?
1:06:41: Why this NBA draft lottery is so anticipated
MacMahon on Harden's playoff struggles: "Let's be honest, man ... like, you say "checkered history" for James Harden in the playoffs. That's very polite. Some of these stats are nuts. This guy has more playoff games with four turnovers or more than 30-point performances. He's had 20 playoff games where he has shot 25% or worse from the floor. I mean, he's a bad playoff player."
Windhorst on the Lakers' gripes with the officials: "The Thunder beat you on the court and they get you out of your game and out of your head because you're so obsessed about the calls. And it really is to their advantage. I'm not debating that the whistle that they have established is not an advantage, but you cannot play into it. You just cannot. If you're going to climb the mountain and beat them, you're gonna have to manage the way that they play."
Bontemps on the potential implications of the lottery: "Truly, if the Thunder move into the top four, I genuinely wonder if it has an impact on lottery reform. Because that is exactly the kind of thing that will be much more likely to happen under these new systems. And I I could see it really having a dramatic impact where people are looking around going, 'Wait a minute. This team, already the best team in league, goes from 12 to one or two or three or four in this draft and adds another awesome player? Like, this is what we're signing up for now going forward?'
"Like, it might just be damn the torpedoes. We're going to push these rule changes through no matter what. But the NBA has proven to be fairly reactionary on this stuff and the reaction to that would be immense."
May 6: "Never overreact to Game 1"
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Vincent Goodwill to cover what the Cleveland Cavaliers need to do to bounce back from a Game 1 loss against the Detroit Pistons, including what they need from James Harden and Donovan Mitchell to win this series. Then, ESPN's Tim MacMahon joins the podcast to discuss the New York Knicks' rout of the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday in Game 1 and whether it will lead to changes for the 76ers in Game 2. They close on the standout game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder's "imperfect" Game 1 win.
Topics:
1:30: Pistons close out Cavs late in Game 1
23:57: Windy Storytime: Ben Wallace interaction
28:02: Knicks demolish 76ers in Game 1
30:55: What can we expect for the rest of the 76ers-Knicks series?
38:28: Timberwolves win epic Game 1 in San Antonio
54:02: OKC's 'imperfect' performance
1:03:46: Takeaways from Masai Ujiri's Mavs intro
Bontemps on why the Pistons have an advantage against the Cavaliers: "I just think Ausar Thompson is going to wear down Donovan Mitchell over the course of a series, which we've seen happen before. And that's going to leave James Harden to have to make plays.
"If it's Cade Cunningham versus James Harden, I'm taking Cade Cunningham to win that battle. And James got them to the precipice (on Tuesday), but when they got it tied up -- it was kind of like watching Game 7 of the Sixers series, where I thought if Boston hit any of those shots and got ahead, these guys might just roll downhill and get there -- Cade immediately came back and hit those two buckets, (Jalen) Duren and got him a little bit of separation. They just never fell behind and stayed ahead and got a big win."
MacMahon on the 76ers' concerns against the Knicks: "The Knicks present some massive problems for the Sixers, especially for Joel Embiid on the defensive end.
"Embiid is not a guy who's comfortable moving his feet and having to close out to shooters out on the perimeter. I said (Karl-Anthony Towns) has got to make him swim in those perimeter waters. And it's not just KAT's numbers, although he had 17. He shot it well. There was the one play in particular where it was catch-and-go and it looked like Embiid was wearing concrete shoes out there on the perimeter -- KAT goes in for the easy bucket. But when Embiid is out there, there's no rim protection. The floor is wide open."
Bontemps on why it isn't surprising the Timberwolves won Game 1: "They are able to rise up and play at a level in the playoffs consistently now over the past few years that frankly they don't during the regular season. It's part of what makes them a maddening team. They have these lulls every year in the regular season where they lose some inexplicable games or have these meltdowns in the fourth quarter and lose and you're like Minnesota, you guys are really good. What are you doing? How is this happening?
"And then they get to the playoffs and like you said, MacMahon, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert ... Julius Randle had huge moments last night. Like these guys are just tough-minded and physical. They take it to the opposition."
May 4: Historic comebacks and a full conference semifinal preview
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to break down the weekend's Game 7's, including the Philadelphia 76ers completing the comeback against the Boston Celtics and their chances against the New York Knicks in the semifinals. They then move on to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons wins on Sunday and the key matchups in their semifinals. They close on the Western Conference semis to discuss if Anthony Edwards will be available in the Minnesota Timberwolves' series against the San Antonio Spurs and if the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers can compete with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in any capacity.
Topics:
0:52: 76ers finally overcome the Celtics
18:44: Previewing Sixers-Knicks
24:50: Cavaliers outlast the Raptors in Game 7
32:05: Pistons rout Magic in Game 7
35:29: Previewing Cavaliers-Pistons
40:06: "Troel Embiid" returned in Game 7 in Boston
45:05: Previewing Timberwolves-Spurs
58:12: Previewing Lakers-Thunder
MacMahon on the Karl-Anthony Towns-Joel Embiid semifinal matchup: This to me is a much different potential mismatch for Towns. In the previous series they just didn't have the size to deal with him. So you wanted him getting the ball, whether it's high post or on the block or whatever and even if he's not getting up a bunch of shots, make the Hawks' undersized defense react to him. He ended up becoming a great distributor off of that.
"To me, if Embiid is going to be guarding him, you want him to drag Embiid as far away from the paint as possible. And, OK, guard KAT on the perimeter. Let me see you do that. Embiid's going to try to beat him up on the other end. But, if Embiid's going to be defending KAT, KAT's got to drag him out by the 3-point line. See how he how he can swim in those waters."
Bontemps on the Cavaliers-Pistons series: "This series is going to be very simple: If the Pistons can impose their physicality on the Cavs, they will win the series because the Cavs are not a physical team.
"And if Jalen Duren gets back to playing like he did in the regular season, which I think he'll have more success doing going up against Jared Allen and Evan Mobley than he did against Wendell Carter Jr. and the Magic inside, the Cavs are going to have some real problems on their hands.
"You've got Ausar Thompson, who is just a heat-seeking missile on defense, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden already look tired, and the Pistons are a younger team in general. They go into the series with the best player. I think Cade (Cunningham) is pretty clearly the best player in the series. I'm taking Detroit to win the series. I think over the course of the seven games they're going to wear the Cavs down and coming out of this Toronto series, I don't see a lot of reason to think the Cavs are going to have a way to really counter that."
Bontemps on the Lakers chances against the Thunder: "The Lakers had a great series getting out of the first round. LeBron played really well.
"Obviously, the Rockets had another very rough performance in Game 6. The Lakers close the door, but the Lakers, if they had everybody, aren't good enough to beat this Thunder team. They don't have everybody, so, it should not be a competitive series. And I think if it's five, I think the Lakers should feel pretty good."
May 1: The epic first-round action continues
Brian is joined by ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss what's been one of the most competitive first rounds in NBA playoff history, including the Minnesota Timberwolves closing out the Denver Nuggets in six games, the Philadelphia 76ers forcing a Game 7 against the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks' impressive Game 6 performance. They then move on to Friday night's games and why the Los Angeles Lakers might be in serious trouble against the Houston Rockets.
Topics:
0:52: Timberwolves shock Nuggets in six
14:30: Epic disaster for Denver in Minnesota
24:07: 76ers beat Celtics to force Game 7
43:04: Knicks historic blowout of the Hawks in Game 6
51:28: Wild playoff situations in the East
54:30: Lakers in trouble?
Bontemps on the Timberwolves' new star: "The thing that stands out about this series, beyond just the Denver capitulation that we'll get to, is the star turn of Jaden McDaniels.
"And, going forward, if you want to try to be optimistic long-term about Minnesota, Minnesota's got a lot of issues right now to deal with in the future. Obviously right now they're worried about playing Oklahoma City. But in terms of trying to build with Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels can become a true All-Star-caliber guy, which to this point in his career he's been a nice player, but not that kind of player. I didn't have him going for 32 and 10 in a close-out game.
"They had guys doing all kinds of stuff. But Jaden McDaniels has been incredible throughout the series. And if he can be this kind of player going forward next to Anthony Edwards, that is a potential combo that if you're Minnesota, you can roll forward with, which is pretty exciting."
MacMahon on the Celtics' issues and outlook heading into Game 7: "How many times have you said how the Celtics shoot the 3 dictates whether they win or lose?
"Their three losses in this series? Their 3-point percentage is 26%, 28% and 29%. They knocked down 24 3s in that blowout they had in Game 4. They've knocked down 23 combined in the two games since then. ...
"The other thing I will say, the last time these teams played a Game 7, Jayson Tatum went for 51 points. This is prime for one of these Celtics stars to have, I'm not saying 51 points, but a superstar type of performance. And for all the people who wanted to put Jaylen Brown on that MVP pedestal or in that conversation, pretty good time for him to show that level of play."
Bontemps on what's changed in the Rockets-Lakers series: "What are (the Rockets)? They're an offensive rebounding team. They attack the offensive glass relentlessly.
"Well, the last couple games they have not, and they have instead chosen to get back on defense and they're daring the Lakers to score on them like, 'Hey we're not going to give you transition buckets. We're not going to give you easy shots. You got to score in the half court against our really, really good young athletic defenders.'
"And what if the Lakers done? Not been able to score. And, sort of like the Sixers-Celtics series, the last two games the Lakers have been at a significant disadvantage and the Rockets have really figured some stuff out.
"And now (the Rockets) are at home. They've got some juice, they've got some confidence. Can the Lakers figure out some ways to get some offense and start to twist things back in their direction?"