Stephen A's Take: Stephen A updates us on the NBA Playoffs.

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Let's get to the NBA playoff where Lebron James, Luka
Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are facing elimination at
home the night against Anthony Edwards in the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers are coming off a tough game for last Sunday,
after head coach JJ Redick became the first coach to
use the same five players for an entire half of
a playoff game since at least nineteen ninety eight. Despite

(00:23):
that stat, Reddick said yesterday he doesn't believe fatigue played
a role in why the Lakers lost. Well. Listen, that
may be true. Lebron James is in better shape than most,
even at age forty in his twenty second season in
the NBA, but he was clearly taking offensive plays off
because he had to focus so much on defense. Luka
Doncic has never been accused of being in shape, so

(00:46):
when the Minnesota Timberwolves are pressing him ninety four feet
all game long, eventually the fourth quarter is gonna arrive
and fatigue is going to set. In Austin Reeves, we
thought he was a member of the Big Three. We
thought he completed the Big Three. In Los Angeles, but
Minnesota has had other ideas. We can give all a
blame in the world to JJ Reddick, the Los Angeles Lakers,

(01:08):
Lebron James's age, Luka doncis being out of shape. But
here's what we can't escape. Anthony Edwards is a superstar brother.
It's just job forty three. The brother is spectacular. He
is a skywalker. He is Jordan Esku with a J.
He is special and right now he's like a shark

(01:30):
and blood infested waters. Just like he swept Kevin Durant
and Devin Booker in the first round last year, Just
like he took out Kolejokic and Jamal Murray in the
semifinals last year, all being in seven games before running
in the Kyrie Irvin and Lukadancic in the Western Conference Finals.
Are making the huge mistake of saying he wanted to

(01:51):
guard Kyrie Irvin before the player before that series began,
and Lord did he pay for that. This man is
on a verge over the last two years of sending
home Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Kolie Okis, Jamal Murray, Lebron
James and Luka Doncic. Ladies and gentlemen, that's star power.

(02:13):
When you consider this personality. That's additional star power. When
you consider his game, that's even more star power. When
you exceed the fact that he wants all that smoke
because he's willing to get up in you and guard you,
that's even more star power. Ant Man has arrived. Now.
I think the Lakers probably will win Game five in

(02:34):
Los Angeles at the Crypto dot Com Arena, and then
that puts the pressure back on Minnesota to win a
Game six on their home turf. But I gotta tell you,
when I'm looking at ant Man, I think he smells blood,
and I don't think he's coming to play Patsy with anybody.
I think he's coming to take Lebron James and Luka

(02:54):
Doncic out. Now. I don't think he's trying to get
to a Game six. He want to take him out
right now. Whether he's gonna be able to pull that
off remains to be seen. The Lakers JJ Reddy doesn't
have any faith in his bench. He certainly doesn't have
any faith in his big men, and because of that,
you're asking Lebron James and Luka Doncics to dig deep,

(03:16):
which I believe they're both capable of and I think
that will happen in Game five in Los Angeles tonight.
But if it doesn't, I'm not gonna be surprised, because
I think I'm gonna know why it didn't happen. Ant Man. Oh,
by the way, Julius Randall bawling, bodying up Lebron James,

(03:37):
being physical with him. Ja Da McDaniels playing stout defense,
but he's also putting up points. Rudy Gobat giving you
his twenty four to twenty five minutes a game going
out at seven feet two garden on the perimeter. There's
a whole bunch of things to be positive about with
the Minnesota Timberwolves, but nothing compared to ant Man. That

(03:58):
brother is box off. And I gotta tell you, even
though I don't have much of a desire to go
to Minnesota as the playoffs continue, even though it is
warmer this time of year than it is in the winter,
of course, because the winter's a Visius, here's the reality.
To see aunt Man with a championship on the line.

(04:21):
It doesn't get much better than that. I got news
for you. As much as we love seeing Lebron James
as much as we love watching Steph Curry, it's time
to make way for the younger generation of cats out there,
and it starts with him. Trust me on that, Trust

(04:43):
me