In the first round, the Lakers went up 1-0 against Memphis, and had a golden opportunity to win Game 2 with star Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on the sidelines. Instead, they played a horrible, indifferent game and blew a great opportunity.
There are many, many reasons to believe LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers won't make the same mistake again in San Francisco. For starters, there are an AWFUL lot of people watching this series, and vanity can be a powerful motivating tool. But more than that, this series is just a little too special for either team to show that level of indifference.
Expect the Lakers to play hard. But can they play this well again? Can they keep the free throw disparity large? Can the Lakers finally have a good shooting game?
The Warriors are asking themselves similar Q's, and will undoubtedly come out as if their season depends on a win, because from a practical standpoint it probably does. The Lakers, on the other hand, can get greedy.
One guy who can help? D'Angelo Russell, who has been a bit of a bellweather for the Lakers this postseason. When he plays well and scores, the Lakers tend to win. When the shot is way off? Not good for LA. And Dennis Schröder is exactly the type of role player who can have an outsized impact on this series, in part because of his role as a defender.
Both Russell and Schroder are making a case for their presence in LA next year, but with Schröder it's a little more complicated.
Finally, did Rob Pelinka deserve more Executive of the Year love?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: The Lakers have a chance to get greedy in Game 2. Expect a better show than the one they put in vs. Memphis in Game 2.

SEGMENT 2: Is D'Angelo Russell the canary in a coal mine for the Lakers? As he goes, so goes the team?

SEGMENT 3: Dennis Schröder had a huge Game 1, and the Lakers need more if it going forward.

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