The Lakers could be on the wrong side of history now as they failed to close out the Rockets in the past two games after taking a 3-0 lead. The Rockets won 99-93 on the road in Game 5 and are now headed home for Game 6, which could potentially tie the series.
Several NBA players, some of whom had favored the Lakers to close out the series after Game 3’s debacle, are now walking back on their words about the Rockets’ chances in this series. Among them are Jeff Teague, Kendrick Perkins, Brandon Jennings, and Nick Young.
Jeff Teague, who, after the Rockets’ Game 4 win, suggested that the Pistons should trade for Kevin Durant since the Rockets are done, recently appeared on his show, ‘The Club 520 podcast,’ and pointed out Austin Reaves’ rusty performance for the Lakers’ loss in Game 5.
“Yeah, I told y’all that. As soon as you said Austin Reeves will be playing Game 5, I said I got the Rockets,” Teague said.
“He shot 4-for-16?… Luke Kennard didn’t get any touches anymore,” Teague further added on the dynamic between Austin Reaves and Luke Kennard.
“I’m the real white guy,” Teague said as he pondered on what Reaves figuratively said to Kennard during the game as they discussed how both the guards in the Lakers’ backcourt showed no signs of chemistry.
Austin Reaves was the second-highest scorer for the Lakers last night, and yet his shooting efficiency was not reflective of an efficient performance. He ended the game with 22 points, six assists, and four rebounds while shooting 4-16 from the field and 2-8 from beyond the arc.
I agree with Teague that Austin Reaves’ return did more harm than good for the Lakers in Game 5, but that does not mean that they cannot figure it out before a potential Game 7. But Teague was not the only one who sounded off on the Lakers following last night’s loss.
Kendrick Perkins And Other Ex-NBA Players Criticize Lakers After Game 5 Loss
Kendrick Perkins, the former NBA player who now works at ESPN, heavily favored the Lakers to close out the series after they took an early 3-0 lead. He also called out the Rockets for being selfish and said they were the dumbest team in the league after Game 3.
But now, following the last two wins for the Rockets, Perkins has walked back on his words and now favors the Rockets to force a Game 7 and eventually win this first-round series.
“The Rockets have found their identity on the defensive end of the floor after holding the Lakers to under 100 points in the last two games,” said Perkins in his initial remarks on ESPN’s NBA Today with Danny Green and Mallika Andrews.
“They are in trouble,” said Perkins about the Lakers. “As a matter of fact, the Rockets are going to win this series. I’m sorry because Bron is going to be on the wrong side of it. But right now this series favors the Rockets.”
“When you think about the youth that they have, and now you think about the scheduling. You look at the age of LeBron James, and they play Friday night, they have a three-and-a-half-hour plane ride, and they lose two hours. Did you see Amen Thompson last night? He played 45 minutes, and it looked like he could play another game.”
Danny Green disagreed with Perkins simply because 160 teams have been in this position before and never managed to come back. So NBA history is on the Lakers’ side, he pointed out. But Perkins still stood his ground.
“Let me tell you something about this Rockets team that I’m watching. Not only are they playing for the name on the front of the jersey, but also on the back. They’re not only proving it to the world, but they’re also sending a message to Kevin Durant saying, ‘We want to show the world that we don’t need you right now to get this done.'”
Since Perkins was on national TV, he probably held back his words on ESPN. Because when he addressed the Lakers on his podcast ‘The Road Trippin Show,’ he had a lot more candor in his statement.
“That was a must-win situation for the Lakers last night, and they f—–g blew it. I said the Rockets are the dumbest team in the postseason. Well, guess who’s right behind them, the Los Angeles Lakers.”
“The start of that game was making my damn skin crawl. The amount of f—–g turnovers that were happening on both sides. I was like, I know you didn’t just throw that pass.”
“Sengun, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith, they’ve all been coming out publicly saying some things, and to be honest, it’s been real. Believe Jabari Smith said we’re the more talented team, he’s not f—–g lying, and it’s showing right now,” said Perkins on the podcast.
But Perkins is not the only NBA player who tracked back on his claims about the Lakers-Rockets series. Even Nick Young, the former Lakers player, and Brandon Jennings, both of whom favored the Lakers to close out the series in the fifth game, now had some searing things to say about LeBron James.
“What the f–k was that? That was the dumbest s— in the world. Stupid m———r man, you got a bald dumba– head. F—-ng Doc Rivers haircut, I’m tired of this s–t,” said Young in his immediate reaction to the Lakers’ Game 5 loss.
Brandon Jennings, who was also on the Gil’s Arena show with Young, said it was time for the Lakers to hit the panic button after this loss.
“Because being up 3-0 and then losing to a team without one of their best players, it’s going to look very bad. So Luke Kennard can’t have a game as he had, one point while playing 31 minutes. Ayton, you know he’s been doing his thing 18 and 17, but you know, they’ve got to figure it out.”
“They need to push the panic button right now. Because if you lose game 6, I definitely see them losing game 7,” Jennings concluded.
With all the former NBA players who commented on the series, the shift in the media narrative is becoming increasingly clear, and even the NBA experts realize that the momentum is now with the Rockets, who are heading home for Game 6 after back-to-back wins.
Luka Doncic is not expected to be back in this series, so it is now on LeBron James and Austin Reaves to fix their mistakes if the Lakers are to close this series out in Houston. Otherwise, if they go to Game 7 at home, I do not see the Rockets messing up this comeback.
