Welcome to the Get More Sports Podcast where on today’s episode we break down the Western Conference Finals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors erased a 15 point deficit on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The Warriors have gone 4-0 since Kevin Durant went down with a calf strain and have gone 30-1 without Durant in the lineup over the past two seasons. Without KD in the lineup the Warriors are a completely different team offensively.
Instead of a steady diet of KD iso plays, the Warriors have reverted to an offense heavy on pick and rolls with Steph Curry and Draymond Green. It’s like Stockton and Malone on steroids with Curry’s ability to shoot threes off the dribble and Draymond’s elite point forward passing. While the Warriors haven’t missed a beat without their two-time Finals MVP, it doesn’t mean they’re better without him. Before suffering the calf strain, Durant was averaging a playoff high 34.5 ppg, and he’s won the NBA Finals MVP in back to back seasons with the Warriors.
The drama with the Los Angeles Lakers took another turn on Monday when Magic Johnson appeared on ESPN’s First Take in an exclusive interview where he aired out the Lakers’ dirty laundry to the public. In the candid interview, Magic Johnson called out current Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka calling him a “backstabber,” and added that Jeanie Buss didn’t fully empower him as president of basketball operations. Magic Johnson’s First Take appearance coincided with the Lakers’ press conference formally introducing Frank Vogel as the 27th head coach in franchise history.
"If you're going to talk betrayal, it's only with Rob [Pelinka]."
—@magicjohnson on the Lakers pic.twitter.com/K0sSLK2rhB
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 20, 2019
We break down how Magic claims to love the Lakers yet continues to hurt them since his abrupt resignation prior to the Lakers’ regular season finale back on April 9th. Lastly, we take a look at whether or not Frank Vogel will have success with the Lakers and what obstacles he faces as the new leader.
Listen
Watch
Subscribe
