FIRST TAKE | “LeBron passing the torch to Wembanyama” – Stephen A. reacts Lakers beat Spurs 123-118

FIRST TAKE | “LeBron passing the torch to Wembanyama” – Stephen A. reacts Lakers beat Spurs 123-118

Try and Scott with you Sports Center am continuing on a Saturday morning we got wemi and LeBron I think in this one I’m wemi yes and you’re and you’re LeBron you’re the Slender Man and I’m the old one second career match up between these two and off the screen James to Anthony

Davis the brow the layan it’s all deadly he had 20 points in the first half 32nd time he’s done that since he joined the Lakers now Trey Jones Rel leaving Austin Reeves in the Basketball Jones to Jeremy soan lobs up to wemi for the Finish didn’t even have to jump wemy look at

That Jordy he’s he’s Space Jam in real life you know that extension where MJ’s reaching for the go go gadget everything Spurs Trail by seven at the break Reeves off the screen to LeBron LeBron triple yes 30 points for LeBron he was two of three from distance stvin ham said when

We needed him to make plays make shots he stepped up Sohan to Wy wy’s going to cross up Davis a little bit oh yeah 27 10 rebounds eight dims five steals five block second rookie with a 5×5 game Jamal Tinsley the other in 2001 Davis though that’s fine little mid-range

Little Fall Away no big deal Davis 28 points 13 rebounds third straight game with 25 and 10 Malachi Brum duning on LeBron o Bron is a St Vincent St Mary Alum he dunked on the reason you know why that school exists wow Bron was born May 2003

That was LeBron’s wait what that was the year LeBron got drafted man Braun for 30.5 Rebound five assist games since turning 39 High Praise for Wy though he doesn’t have a ceiling he doesn’t have a ceiling so um he can do whatever he wants to do with

His career he seems like he enjoys the game he seems like he puts the work just from the outside looking in obviously I’m not with him on a day-to-day basis but I said it a long time ago how special you know he was and it’s literally that simple he’s one of them

To have a like a stellar rookie season guys have come in and you know but it’s can you sustain it see how tall he is in his length the guy next to me possesses a lot of length and he’s like even more than 0 so that’s what makes it a little bit

Different no ceiling says LeBron James wanyama joining some Elite company though joining hakee elijahwan is the only player with 25 points 10 rebounds five assists five Steals and five blocks in a game he also joined Michael Jordan as the only players with consecutive games with both five blocks and five all

Right take a look at this year so the Warriors odds to win the title at ESPN bet not too optimistics folks oh here we go sorry let’s switch this up for you uh we’ll take we’ll take this from from the top okay uh the Warriors are hanging on

To the 10 seed in the Western Conference which means they are the last team in the playing tournament currently they Trail the Lakers who are in ninth so right now both Steph Curry and LeBron James would have to make it through the playin just to make the playoffs all

Right we got it together sorry for the Ron Burgundy moment America uh Stephen A who’s more likely to get a fifth ring is it stephh or Lebron to me it’s Steph cuz I got more faith in a Warriors organization than I do in the Lakers right now simply because of assets and

What have you I think we have to look at it from this perspective I was waiting and I thought that it was a little bit delayed maybe late that Moody and kaminga ultimately would Elevate their level of play and make a contribution now we see kaminga arguably the second

Best player on the squad the way that he’s balling he’s figured it out we see Steph Curry still playing at a very elite level as a superstar in this game okay Draymond Green elevates them defensively I know that Klay Thompson has struggled okay people bring up

Clutch points you know he like dead last of the 27 qualified players over 500 I I forgot what it was but I will say this to you Klay Thompson 37% shooting from three-point range a career worse I’ve said this to Shannon on numerous occasions I know about 2017s that would

Want somebody that can shoot 37 7% from three-point range if not more I mean excuse me what’s a bad year to CL Thompson is a good year to about 80% of the league the brother listen he’s just struggling right now but he’s struggling according to a standard that he set as

Opposed to really really struggling the brother can still make a contribution and you know this better than any any of us JJ Shooters get hot and if Klay Thompson got hot at the right time with kaminga and Steph Curry balling the way that they’re balling with Steve Kerr

Coaching the way that he’s capable of coaching I can’t rule anything out about the go Golden State Warriors you could say something about LeBron and the size and stuff like that in LA but there’s too many more question marks in La compared to Golden State even though

Golden State the big thing is that they’re so small but I would say Steph before LeBron James in terms of more likely to win a fifth ring right now that’s where I’m at with it so are you going to put fertilizer in those guys shoes so they can grow no because the

Thing that’s been getting them beat getting them beat this year is their size their inability to rebound the basketball and you mentioned Steph say Well they’re excuse me clay you said there are 15 20 other teams that would have uh that would take clay but Clay is

Measured against himself right so if we measuring him against himself he’s not even close to being what he once was that’s why he got moved to the bench because if he was what he once was he still being the starting lineup still contributed he contributes but he doesn’t contribute with the consistency

That he once did I love K Draymond is gonna be Draymond he’s going to do a little bit of everything and you’re absolutely correct DEH Curry is still playing at an MVP level although his team is so bad he’s not going to get any consideration but when I look at the

Lakers they have two top 75 players I believe they have two top 10 NBA players and if DLo can continue to play the way he’s played we see Austin Reed solid ruy came in the other night with the absence I like what I’ve seen JJ I don’t know

About you what I’ve seen in the two games without LeBron that has impressed me the most it lets me know that you know what this team in a in a seven game series can cause somebody a serious problem so I’m still going to go with LeBron James because I still believe he

Has a year or two in him at this level Shannon it’s just semantics uh but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you that the L the Warriors are the third best rebounding team in the NBA this year uh so I just wanted to point

That out uh you know the question here is is the likely that’s the key word here for me likely I don’t think either of these teams are likely to win a championship this year the good news is both of these teams going into All-Star break started to Trend in the right

Direction Stephen A brought up kaminga he’s been awesome now for a few weeks their defense with Draymond Greenback has been much better the Lakers offense because of the shooting of Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russell and Roy hachimura they’ve been so much better offensively these teams are trending in the right

Direction I still don’t think they’re in the upper tier and we we could talk about sleeper teams in the west they’re not even on my list of sleeper teams I would put the Dallas Mavericks or the Phoenix Suns or or the New Orleans Pelicans as sleeper teams you know teams

Outside of the top four the other point I want to make just about this likely thing let’s let’s take it outside of this season you look at the teams at the top of the standings right now in the East it’s the Boston Celtics neither of those guys are joining the Boston Celtics and

Neither of those guys are getting players from the Boston Celtics to come to their teams and you look at the top of the Western Conference the the Oklahoma City Thunder are building a dynasty the Denver Nuggets aren’t going anywhere the Minnesota Timberwolves had figured out this pairing with their two

Bigs they’ve got a budding Superstar and Anthony Edwards the Los Angeles Clippers a little older team they’re to me the best team in the west right now if I’m looking at it through a playoff lens I don’t think it’s likely that either gets a fifth title unless they’re willing to

Go somewhere else because I I just don’t see either of those teams being capable of making a move that moves the needle in the next few years I just don’t see it because who’s the next guy that’s available Donovan Mitchell maybe I mean that’s the rumor I I I I think he’s been

Fantastic in Cleveland I hope he doesn’t leave Cleveland Joel MB does not leaving Philly like who’s who’s going to be available maybe it’s I mean maybe it’s Giannis I don’t know but who’s going to be available the next two or three years while they’re still playing at a high

Level couple of things couple of things I want to mention number one when I talked about Klay Thompson earlier NBA wors 27% in clutch time this season minimum of 35 attempts that’s number one number two when you talk about the third rebound leading rebounding team Boston

And Utah are ahead of Golden State which was make Golden State third so throw that out of the way last but not least I will say this to you Donovan mit’s coming to New York next this doesn’t matter of time this do a matter of time

Remember I said it JJ it’s just a matter of time we’ve been waiting orange and blue skies baby he’s coming he’s he’s coming to New York Knicks eventually it’s gonna happen it’s gonna happen JJ just brace yourself because that’s the Miss right there hold hold up hold up

Shannon Stephen A I want to hear everything you have to say let me just get a commercial break and we got one more commercial break we’ll come right back to it more first take after this quick break thanks guys all right welcome back into first take okay Shannon we were talking about

LeBron’s Pursuit for his fifth ring keep going my friend JJ you was talking about their third their third and rebounding but they’re a small team and they get no easy buckets everything everything is a three-point shot everything is difficult for them to do so you play them to get

Them down in a halfcourt game and I understand they can they can execute but they’re not the same team and Steph and Stephie can’t carry the load by himself they need clay to revert back to what he was and now with the budgeting star of

Kaminga yes I give them a chance but do I believe they if they played the Lakers in a seven game series who you taking JJ that third rebounding team with Steph Curry or you taking Anthony Davis and LeBron James I don’t think they’re going to play each other in the playoff series

But JJ you do JJ J JJ if we JJ if we just did a show on thing that was gonna probably we wouldn’t be on the air very long that’s a part of First Take You have to do hypotheticals at some point in time damn you want absolute every

Time you talk Shannon I know how this show works I know how this show Works yes of course I do well likely what we have we have a topic which is more likely well I don’t think either is likely well hell we should have threw the topic out we should pick something

Else hey Ste fun I produc what you piece of Love piece of love and and all is good hey Shannon peace in love I’m rolling with Steph Curry that’s what I’m rolling with bet another dinner on it you already owe me one dinner bet another one okay you got it all right I’m

Betting it’s been a pleasure first time let’s go let’s go let’s do it let’s do it see y’all again Monday Monday Tuesday fore I’m just a person here we goe spe spee spee so I know how precious life is we they need a sword I’m just a person I’m come on

I’ve known death so I know how precious life is I need a sword go speech fore speech speee spee spee oh fore fore speech spee foreign for spee here we go fore get get you stop me foree ofen o k keep keep speee for spee forign spee speech foreign

FIRST TAKE | “LeBron passing the torch to Wembanyama” – Stephen A. reacts Lakers beat Spurs 123-118