NBA Season/Playoffs 2025-26

[Who]

LAL look exhausted. They have nothing left. OKC just out-running and out-working them here in Q4. Fresher legs. They have high quality depth. LAL has a lack of depth especially without Luka and with A Reaves only at half strength.

[Phantom255x]

I will say, the Lakers even without Luka have actually played OKC tough this series and kept it close for a good chunk. SGA has also been mostly been kept "in check" given his usual lofty standards, and especially Game 1 with only 18 points.

But yeah, OKC is just loaded with scary depth and a lot of shooters + pesky defenders.

Reaves is getting exposed though, he's been complaining about the refs all series but he's also getting shredded defensively and letting it all get to him. I'm curious to see if LAL will give him a 5/241M extension this offseason.

[MattyIce]

I will say, the Lakers even without Luka have actually played OKC tough this series and kept it close for a good chunk. SGA has also been mostly been kept "in check" given his usual lofty standards, and especially Game 1 with only 18 points.

But yeah, OKC is just loaded with scary depth and a lot of shooters + pesky defenders.

Reaves is getting exposed though, he's been complaining about the refs all series but he's also getting shredded defensively and letting it all get to him. I'm curious to see if LAL will give him a 5/241M extension this offseason.

they won't....i wish they would

[smicker16]

Crazy that OKC is without J Dub and may get a top pick in this draft although that is unlikely of course. Team is already so deep.

[Who]

I will say, the Lakers even without Luka have actually played OKC tough this series and kept it close for a good chunk. SGA has also been mostly been kept "in check" given his usual lofty standards, and especially Game 1 with only 18 points.

But yeah, OKC is just loaded with scary depth and a lot of shooters + pesky defenders.

Reaves is getting exposed though, he's been complaining about the refs all series but he's also getting shredded defensively and letting it all get to him. I'm curious to see if LAL will give him a 5/241M extension this offseason.

He doesn't look healthy.

I wouldn't judge him harshly on this. Looks like he rushed back early to give LAL whatever he could give them knowing that LAL were already short-handed without Luka.

[jambr380]

The only thing better than LAL being down 0-3 in a series is being swept. I am enjoying this quite a bit

[Phantom255x]

I will say, the Lakers even without Luka have actually played OKC tough this series and kept it close for a good chunk. SGA has also been mostly been kept "in check" given his usual lofty standards, and especially Game 1 with only 18 points.

But yeah, OKC is just loaded with scary depth and a lot of shooters + pesky defenders.

Reaves is getting exposed though, he's been complaining about the refs all series but he's also getting shredded defensively and letting it all get to him. I'm curious to see if LAL will give him a 5/241M extension this offseason.

He doesn't look healthy.

I wouldn't judge him harshly on this. Looks like he rushed back early to give LAL whatever he could give them knowing that LAL were already short-handed without Luka.

I don't disagree, but outside of his second year (first in the postseason) where he had good series against the Warriors and Nuggets, I just think he's been solid. Not bad, but also not as great as advertised. His defense isn't good when up against an opposing star guard/wing. Ant and the Wolves attacked him last year and now OKC is doing the same, granted yes he is injured right now.

[Who]

I will say, the Lakers even without Luka have actually played OKC tough this series and kept it close for a good chunk. SGA has also been mostly been kept "in check" given his usual lofty standards, and especially Game 1 with only 18 points.

But yeah, OKC is just loaded with scary depth and a lot of shooters + pesky defenders.

Reaves is getting exposed though, he's been complaining about the refs all series but he's also getting shredded defensively and letting it all get to him. I'm curious to see if LAL will give him a 5/241M extension this offseason.

He doesn't look healthy.

I wouldn't judge him harshly on this. Looks like he rushed back early to give LAL whatever he could give them knowing that LAL were already short-handed without Luka.

I don't disagree, but outside of his second year (first in the postseason) where he had good series against the Warriors and Nuggets, I just think he's been solid. Not bad, but also not as great as advertised. His defense isn't good when up against an opposing star guard/wing. Ant and the Wolves attacked him last year and now OKC is doing the same, granted yes he is injured right now.

Agreed. His playoff record hasn't been good enough. Nowhere near what he has done in the regular season. He underperformed the previous 2 playoff runs. He went cold. Couldn't shoot well enough from outside. I can live with the dodgy defense but he has to be producing offensively. He didn't (last 2 post-seasons).

His regular season play this year is max money.
His post-season play is more like $30mil.

Small samples though. Two 5 game first round series losses. And then this year a few games whilst injured. It is not a lot to go off of compared to all the success he has had in the regular season. Especially this year which was a breakout campaign.

[Phantom255x]

What's crazy is, OKC might end up starting the playoffs 8-0 if they go on to sweep LAL.

The OKC-San Antonio series will be amazing, but this might be the first time in a while we see a B2B champ if OKC beats them. And honestly I think they will. I hope I'm wrong, SAS did go 4-1 against them in the regular season and have a huge advantage with Wemby. But even the Spurs lost Game 1 to Minnesota with their injuries at home, and then in the Blazers series we saw Wemby go down. If Wemby is compromised in any way or the other guys are meh, that's advantage OKC plus they got a ton more playoff experience to date. Their depth is no joke, I envy it

[SparzWizard]

Wow the Lakers got waxed in LA.

Safe to say season over barring any miraculous 0-3 comeback.

[Phantom255x]

Wow the Lakers got waxed in LA.

Safe to say season over barring any miraculous 0-3 comeback.

You never know, Luka might decide to come back!   

[Moranis]

Every game in the Thunder/Lakers series has been a dog fight in the 1st half and then at some point in the 2nd half the bottom falls out on the Lakers.   They just don't have the firepower without Luka to have any real shot of winning a game. 

[Adelaide Celt]

OKC have an embarrassment of riches. Still getting potentially good draft picks from trades of years gone by. Got the MVP from one of those trades. Most teams have to fill out their roster with journeymen, OKC has theirs filled out with excess first round picks.

Then having Ajay Mitchell, a 23 year old 2nd round draft pick on a 3 year/$9M deal through 2028 emerging as a star... Hard not to be envious. What they've built is pretty amazing.