Charles Barkley is not a fan of the way the Lakers find scapegoats after every losing season, specifically discussing how the franchise has treated D’Angelo Russell.
“One thing you can always count on with the Lakers, they gon’ throw somebody under the bus when they lose. Going back to Russell Westbrook, Frank Vogel, and I guess, D’Angelo Russell. I love the way they blame. The Denver Nuggets are a better team than the Lakers.”
Barkley elaborated on the excess responsibility being put on Russell since they lost Game 1, making it clear that the Lakers are not losing because of Russell but because they’re the worse team.
“I didn’t like the way they called D’Angelo out after Game 1. The kid is not trying to miss shots but they’re beating him at every aspect of the game, not just D’Angelo’s position. I hope he has a good game, but the Nuggets right now, are just a better team than the Lakers. That has nothing to with D’Angelo or Rui, the Nuggets are a well-oiled machine.”
Chuck: "One thing you can always count on with the Lakers, they gon' throw somebody under the bus when they lose." pic.twitter.com/oQNHBbtE4a
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 22, 2024
Russell has had a strong start to Game 2, putting up nine points in the first quarter after shooting 3-3 from 3-point range. The Lakers hold a thin 28-24 lead at the end of the first quarter, but that isn’t an indicator of anything. They led by double-digits during their Game 1 loss.
The Lakers wouldn’t be wrong for looking at D’Lo harshly if he had another rough offensive night in a loss. His offensive struggles have highlighted the Lakers vs. Nuggets matchups in the last two seasons, with Russell entering game 2 having averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 assists on 31.3% shooting in five playoff games against the Nuggets.
The Lakers Haven’t Found A Successful Gameplan
The Lakers are one of the best opponents for the Nuggets in terms of being able to go on runs and keep the game tight until crunch time. However, that’s where the Nuggets excel and usually open up leads that end the game for LA. Through five playoff games and three regular-season matchups, the Lakers are yet to find an answer.
Darvin Ham has openly said that he just doesn’t know what to do when it comes to game planning against Nikola Jokic.
“It’s like sh*t, I don’t know what to do. You just gotta go out there and try to be as disciplined as possible, aggressive, and consistent. And have a next-play mentality, man. … Kid is a generational-type player.”
Rui Hachimura seemed discontent with the results against the Nuggets so far after Game 1 as well.
“They watch us a lot. We’ve played them so many times in the last year, they know what we exactly do. We’ve got to do well as a team defense, they don’t give us many options… I think we gotta play together more, I got to be more active, sharing the ball, and all that. I think that’s going to help us this year.”
With Game 2 looking to have started well for the Lakers, fans around the world be praying they can hold onto it enough to bring the series back to LA tied at 1-1.
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