FIRST TAKE | Lakers are LEGIT threat to Nuggets in the West! – Stephen A. all in on LeBron James

FIRST TAKE | Lakers are LEGIT threat to Nuggets in the West! – Stephen A. all in on LeBron James

Caps the night look who’s getting ready at the Garden right now the fourth leading scorer in the NBA Giannis ano tied for fourth in the NBA 30.8 points per game that’s that dude who by the way is undefeated against my New York Knicks this year 3 and 0 go figure go figure

Anyway back to the Celtics and Lakers this is the first Christmas game between these franchises since 2008 which was a finals rematch from the previous summer the Lakers has won 9283 behind 27 points from that man the one and only Kobe Bryant this season the Celtics are tied

With Minnesota for the League’s best record and entered today having won seven of their last eight Boston rolled in its last two games scoring 140 points in wins over the Sacramento Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers look at this right here but it wouldn’t be Christmas without LeBron James of course Shannon

Shar who’s playing in his record 18th game on the holiday the soon to be 39y old is coming off a 40o effort in Saturday’s win against the Oklahoma City Thunder we are now joined by the man the myth the legend himself the one and only Michael wilbor what’s going on big time

Merry Christmas Merry Christmas Merry chras this morning right Shannon it’s been too long I just got to watch you from afar but you all do your thing thank you I appreciate that good to see you in person good to see you in that’s right two Hall of Fame is sitting beside

Me I’m so privileged I’m so privileged will Bist get right to it right are the Lakers the legit threat to the nuggets in the Western Conference no not from what we’re seeing right now Stephen A they listen braon and AD have played in the overwhelming number of games and

What are they in this morning 9th 10th where are they nth yes okay they don’t look like it now okay I’m not saying they’re disappointing I’m not saying they can’t rally we saw them just two years ago you can’t remake the roster every time at the break you you’re not

Going to be able to do that so I’m looking at them and it just it’s not a matter of anybody being deficient my God LeBron James is playing at a level that no one close to his age has ever played right but is that enough when you look

At the Nuggets is that enough I know they had a nice win on the road in Oklahoma City and if they were in a series you’re going to take the old team young teams don’t do anything in the playoffs but there are too many teams Steph to Clin they’re not as good as

Minnesota right now they’re not as good as Oklahoma City they’re certainly not as good as a nuggets they’re not disappointing like the Suns but no they’re not a threat to the nuggets at this point said LeBron James is playing his what his 18th uh Christmas game

Playing well you left that out you just said he’s playing he’s playing well not just Christmas on a Monday on a Tuesday on a Thursday any other day because you saw that don’t try to poo poo the 477 don’t don’t sit up there you this is

What I’m gonna have to deal with all youal with this man here first of all I would like I would like to add on Christmas day in the Christmas spirit I have LeBron James as an MVP candidate they just need to win more games they need to LeBron James is playing at a

Level that no one close to his age has ever played right but is that enough when you look at the Nugget is that enough I know they had a nice win on the road in Oklahoma City and if they were in a series you’re going to take the old

Team young teams don’t do anything in the playoffs but there too many teams Steph to climb they’re not as good as Minnesota right now they’re not as good as Oklahoma City they’re certainly not as good as the Nuggets they’re not disappointing like the Suns but no

They’re not a threat to the nuggets at this point you said LeBron James is playing his what his 18th uh Christmas game playing well you left that out you just said he’s playing he’s playing well not just Christmas on a Monday and a Tuesday and a Thursday any other day

Because you saw that don’t try to poo poo the 477 don’t don’t don’t sit up there you this is what I’m gonna have to deal with all you de with this man here first of all I would like I would like to add on Christmas day in this

Christmas spirit I have LeBron James is an MVP candidate they just need to win more games they need to Wi that’s a motion talking that’s the what’s going to happen what’s going to happen to get them they got a lot of teams to climb Shannon they they’re going to have to

Make a move unfortunately they’re going to have to make a move what move you mean a big move a big move and you see what they did they they’ve already moved DLo because of the inconsistent play in the back court I mean you got Austin Reeds coming off the bench and you don’t

Want to take those bench points away because you put him into the starting lineup now where you going to get bench production from so DLo did come in and he played well the other night maybe that’s what he needed maybe hey sit that sit back we’re gonna put somebody else

In the starting lineup I think they started V instead of him and says okay DLo now get you get your mojo going against the second I want to say this about DLo I’m really really sick he needs to hear this message on Christmas Day I’m really sick and tired of those

Goat no noises that he makes in the background it’s not that LeBron doesn’t deserve it I understand that what I’m saying is this he he’s doing it because you ain’t doing what you supposed to be doing I mean could you step up and take some load off of the third the soon to

Be 39 years old Ste a no do should be able to do something he should show you got post how awful he was in the Western Conference Finals I’m sorry to do that on Christmas Day to you but D is true go ahead listen the the expectations on the

Lakers are often just out of line Stephen A they’re not good enough I mean we get to sh sh he doesn’t listen I tried to tell him all the top he doesn’t listen they not listen I agree with you they can’t remake the roster like they did two years ago right but they’re

Going to have to make a move yes because as presently constructed they’re not good enough we’re asking DLo to do things that we’ve seen his career long enough now know he’s a very nice complimentary piece right taking a load off LeBron James that is that ain’t happening but that’s the problem anytime

You play on a team with LeBron James you’ve never faced this level of expectations no matter who you are be it Anthony Davis be it anyone if you play alongside that guy because of who that guy is the expectations go up exponentially exp here’s the deal but

Here’s the deal that ain’t an excuse to let him off the hook sh oh no no because here’s the deal you were in the Western Conference finals last year so if any if there was ever a time where you could be shell shocked when you make the all inse

Tra you get haimura and then you get DLo along with Vanderbilt and those Brothers you end up going to the Western Conference L you had enough time with LeBron in a Lakers uniform and in D’s case it’s the second time you’re in a Lakers uniform you know the expectations

That come with being a Los Angeles Lakers you got to step up and handle your business right but here’s the thing maybe this is as far as he can go that’s that’s that’s may as far maybe this is as far as he can go and we ask him to go

Here when he can only go here and and that’s those are the unfair expectations I’m talking about individually not collectively right we agree collectively on what they’re supposed to do okay look here’s the other thing Stephen A they’re teams that are better we didn’t have Minnesota being this good we did not we

Didn’t have Oklahoma City being this good these are two young teams with star players we’re fresh legs and by the way we did have Sacramento being as good cuz we’ve seen it right so are the Lakers is the Lakers roster outside of LeBron LeBron is it better than those team no

It isn’t and so we’re asking DLo is going to save the day I think that expectation just asking him to do his job I mean Anthony Davis averaging 24.3 points game here the thing not only is LeBron an MVP candidate Anthony Davis is definitely a leading candidate for defensive player abely doub without

Question so when you look at it from that perspective and he’s only missed two games Jan sh might actually win a bet with me he might actually wi bet with man I guaranteed them Anthony Davis wi games but I got to admit he’s looking pretty good right now I thought he lose

The by by Valentine’s Day I thought he’d lose so Shannon sharp is looking very very good right now but we shall see but still and all you got enough pieces and there’s a familiarity a cohesiveness they wanted to stay together we they were kept together by Rob palinka and

Jeie bus I did expect more from the Lakers than a two and five record since the inseason tournament but remember we had this conversation Stephen A I said they’re going to put a lot of emphasis because it’s an inseason tournament that you wanted to be the first to win it now

I’m not saying that’s right or wrong but if they’re gonna put if the uh uh commissioner silver if they’re GNA Institute this why not win it why not win it and so they did they put a lot of emphasis on that tournament and they played extremely well didn’t lose a game

But now it’s time to refocus and get ready this is the regular season and they have I’ve been disappointed in how they played LeBron James has been exceptional and people say why would you what you got the man scoring 40 why is that a problem he’s capable of it yes

This is the expectation I have of him I’m not surprised I expect it but maybe we’re expecting Too Much from the other guys the the team play bully ball in the paint that’s what ball and he can’t he I mean listen did you see the man go five

Or five that a in the paint he went five or five from three so that’s at least 22 ft away that in’t the paint we know that ain’t going to last that’s not going to he sho 41.7% from the three why you why you blowing why you blow me like that’s

Something’s going to C you not the three-point shooting I mean he might get the 40 points but it ain’t going to come be a three-point shooting that you can’t rely on that that’s LeBron James oh my has he not surprised you over the last 21 years what have he done he has not

Surprised me I expect greatness from LeBron James because he’s phenomenal I got the number two player all time in the history of basketball I mean I expect that from him MB let me ask you as great as he is when they put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated did you

Think he would be this good not necessarily this long I thought there’d be a period of being this great that’s a good period of being this great means 8 years right I mean no to go look he’s he’s he’s playing better at at at an old

Age old age than anybody in any sport has played no question right I mean to be able to sustain it for this many years is what you look at now at 39 years old and just go my God amazing we we Marvel at it just we just don’t we

Just don’t do it the way sh Shay does it that’s all that’s all what you want me to is going to satisfy you if I put on a goat mask that’s what you want me to do that’s not going to happen but you know but you know they have something in a little

Louis Vuitton case at the end of the year about this tall the laral Once Upon a Time I didn’t know that but you you but you did buy me one of those I know it now I know it now so much to love about all the NBA on Christmas speech foreign foreign speech

Oh speech spee spe for First Blood an enemy has been deated an enemy has been defeated you have defeated an enemy get away from me an enemy has been defeated an enemy has deated kill triple kill your team has destroyed a tower blood double kill ultimate double kill victory fore speee

FIRST TAKE | Lakers are LEGIT threat to Nuggets in the West! – Stephen A. all in on LeBron James