Lakers-Thunder Game 2 Reaction + Perk calls out James Harden after Cavs loss | SC with SVP

0:02 Reigning champs haven't lost a postseason game in their defense,

0:08 if you will, or their reign.

0:10 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [music] in action against

0:12 a man in his 300th playoff game ever.

0:15 That's LeBron, the most all-time.

0:17 [music] James here looking for a whistle, didn't get one.

0:23 Austin Reaves here loses control, that goes the other way.

0:27 SGA easy two, and Redick he is [music] pleading his case.

0:35 Invited to be more constructive with your feedback, please.

0:38 Gets a technical.

0:40 Reaves here with a scoop and the Lakers

0:44 within three after the [music] made free throw.

0:47 Here James on an alley-oop and LA leading OKC

0:52 at half for the first time in over a year,

0:55 which is the last time the Lakers beat Oklahoma City.

0:58 Second half Shai called for an [music] offensive foul.

1:02 That's his fourth.

1:03 Jared McCain, this was a big story in this game.

1:06 He shot the lights out.

1:09 Buries the three, and it's a seven-point lead.

1:12 Then Reaves hits the deck, Chet says,

1:14 "I'll take that." The kick ahead and Jaylen

1:19 Williams all three of these and make it four.

1:24 OKC was plus 18 with the MVP on the bench.

1:28 [music] That's just an amazing luxury to have.

1:32 They lead by 13 heading into the fourth.

1:34 James buries the three, it's a six-point game.

1:38 Next Thunder possession, Shai with the blow-by and the lead's back to eight.

1:46 Thunder up 10.

1:48 Cason Wallace is out there all alone.

1:50 Catch in rhythm.

1:51 All three of [music] these and it's a timeout for the Lakers.

1:57 This one's slipping away.

1:59 Shai buries that three.

2:01 [music] At 22 Reeves and the Lakers voicing their frustration with the referees.

2:07 [music] Shai after the 2-0 lead with an 18-point win.

2:12 That's supposed to be a game of runs, ups and downs.

2:15 It's not always going to go your way and I know that.

2:16 I don't expect this to go my way all the time.

2:18 All I can do is play through it, play with effort,

2:20 try to do the right things out there on the court.

2:22 Um and hopefully it leads to W's.

2:24 Uh Thankfully basketball is a team sport

2:26 and the team was able able to hold on tonight.

2:28 Uh built us a pretty good lead while I was out,

2:29 but yeah, I had to talk to the guys.

2:32 Feel like they were playing with more force.

2:34 Like they were attacking harder,

2:36 harder in closeouts, like making quicker decisions,

2:38 playing with a better sense of urgency in the first half especially.

2:41 Um as long as we take take care of that, we

2:42 should we should uh have our foot in the right direction.

2:47 OKC remains unbeaten in the playoffs, 6-0.

2:50 It's the fifth time in the last 30 years a defending

2:52 champ started the next postseason by winning its first six games.

2:56 Only the 2001 Lakers were able to go back-to-back.

3:00 The Thunder are [music] odds-on favorite to win it again this year.

3:05 You saw the frustration of the Lakers [music] not getting whistles throughout.

3:10 You saw Reddish get a technical.

3:11 Here's JJ's thoughts on the whistle LeBron got.

3:15 LeBron has the worst whistle of any star player I've ever seen.

3:17 I mean I been with him 2 years now.

3:20 Um you know, there's again, the smaller guys because they can be theatric,

3:25 they typically draw more fouls and and the bigger players that are um you know,

3:30 built like LeBron, they it's hard for them.

3:33 You know, SGA gets like a I don't even know, a touch foul I guess on the drive.

3:37 There was a stretch where four straight possessions

3:39 our guys got absolutely clobbered trying to make

3:42 an entry pass to Jackson and Jalen

3:43 Williams is grabbing his jersey with both arms.

3:46 Um that's a turn like we just you they're they're hard enough to play.

3:51 They're hard enough to play.

3:52 You've got to be able to just call it if they foul, and they do foul.

3:56 And opportunities I think offensively we had some really good looks.

4:02 Some of them haven't went down.

4:03 Down to the paint.

4:04 Yeah, we've had some turnovers in our own paint.

4:07 Today it wasn't that many where it was like careless turnovers.

4:10 Some of them was being aggressive.

4:12 We'll be okay with that.

4:13 by Kendrick Perkins.

4:15 And Perk, OKC's played six playoff games, they've won them all.

4:18 This one feels like one of those Sam Presti blueprints, right?

4:22 The the genius of their roster construction.

4:24 Shai hasn't exploded for big numbers in either game,

4:28 didn't have to, and they won them both comfortably.

4:30 Who jumped off the screen for you on Thursday night?

4:34 Well, Scott, look, if you combine the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean,

4:38 you get the Oklahoma City Thunder.

4:39 That's how deep they are.

4:41 That's how much depth they got on their bench and guys

4:44 in their rotation that could get it done on both ends of the floor.

4:48 And in the night when SGA is not having an MVP-caliber night,

4:52 all of a sudden you look at a guy like AJ Mitch- Mitchell,

4:56 and you looking at uh Jaylin Williams,

4:58 who came in Jaylin Williams came in off the bench and had 18 points.

5:02 And it's deflating if you're the Lakers because you're

5:05 doing an outstanding job of containing and somewhat frustrating SGA,

5:10 but then all of a sudden you have these other

5:12 offensive weapons that come in and cut you everywhere but loose.

5:16 And not to mention that Chet Holmgren has still been look has been

5:21 looking like the best player on the floor in the last two games,

5:24 the way he's been playing both sides of the basketball.

5:27 So, if you're the Lakers and you're getting on the plane heading back to LA,

5:30 you're asking yourself,

5:31 "What else can we do?" Austin Reaves finally had 25 20 over 25 points,

5:38 something that he's never done in the postseason,

5:41 and you still lose by double digits.

5:45 [snorts] Unless something changes drastically,

5:46 it would appear that the Thunder are heading towards

5:49 a series where they might be able to win

5:51 and create a bit of rest while it appears

5:54 that the Wolves and the Spurs might go for a while.

5:57 I know we're only six games in, you and I both vowed not to overreact,

6:00 so I'm not doing that.

6:01 I'm just asking, at this point,

6:03 what concerns do the Thunder even have big picture?

6:07 They have none, Scott, to be honest with you, and you know why?

6:10 Because they stay true to who they are and their identity.

6:14 Their identity is one of the best defensive

6:17 teams that we've seen in in NBA history,

6:20 and they hang their hats on forcing forcing turnovers,

6:25 getting out in transition, and they have high IQ guys that get it done.

6:30 When you have perimeter defenders like they have,

6:33 Lu Dort, uh Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso, AJ Mitchell, you know,

6:38 the list goes on with bigs that know how to anchor the defense,

6:42 that know how to that are versatile, being able to switch out on pick and rolls,

6:46 and guard smaller guards while protecting the basket,

6:50 it's held in hot water for their opponents.

6:52 And so, even when they're not scoring well,

6:55 they're still going to defend at the highest level.

6:57 Wait, taking on a Cleveland team who's not

7:00 won yet on the road in this postseason.

7:02 They had home court in round one against Orlando,

7:05 not the case here against the one seed.

7:09 Early on, Tobias Harris with the miss, but the steal for Duncan Robinson,

7:16 and that's the wrong guy to leave all alone.

7:18 He cashes that triple.

7:19 He had a big 17-point night.

7:21 That mustache is something.

7:24 Off the miss here, it's a scramble that leads

7:28 to an Ausar Thompson loose ball gather and layup.

7:34 Early on, the lead is five.

7:36 Donovan Mitchell with the scoop.

7:38 Tobias Harris hits the deck as the handles.

7:44 Uh he gets tripped up or not.

7:48 No, he just fell down.

7:49 Yeah, he laid down.

7:51 Hold on.

7:52 That's I It's fine.

7:55 Corner three.

7:56 Midway through the third.

7:58 And Mitchell hits that.

7:59 Four-point game.

8:01 The lead's back to seven.

8:02 The handoff to Mitchell.

8:03 Deep three.

8:05 Off glass.

8:06 Take it how you can get it.

8:07 11 in the third for Mitchell.

8:09 It's a four-point game heading into the fourth.

8:11 Familiar script, right?

8:12 First game a lot like this one.

8:14 Got close in the fourth,

8:15 and that's when Detroit's offensive efficiency kicked in.

8:18 There's Cade with a three.

8:19 The lead's to five.

8:21 Then it's Harris working on Max Strus.

8:23 Harris has seven consecutive games with 20 or more,

8:26 which ties for the longest streak of his professional career.

8:30 It's a seven-point game.

8:32 Cunningham Mhm.

8:33 step back on Strus.

8:35 That's filthy work.

8:38 25 and 10 for the former number one overall pick.

8:40 The lead's now nine.

8:42 Now, six-point game late.

8:44 Harden just loses it.

8:45 It's the 30th career playoff game where

8:47 he's got more turnovers than made field goals.

8:50 Four turnovers, three made field goals.

8:52 Detroit second game in a row wins a close game in the end by 10.

8:58 And they have taken the first two against the Cavaliers.

9:03 Cade has put up at least [music] 25

9:05 and 10 for the third time in this postseason,

9:07 which ties Isiah Thomas in '85 for the most in Detroit [music]

9:12 postseason history.

9:13 Cunningham played the entire fourth quarter, better known as winning time,

9:17 scoring a dozen of his 25 in that final frame.

9:21 He offered these thoughts after the win.

9:24 I just want to win games.

9:26 You know, this has been a lot of games down the stretch where it's

9:30 tight and ball's in my hands and I got to make plays with it.

9:34 So, it's high stakes at the end of the game, is what I'm trying to say man.

9:38 You got to make plays, so I think all of that stuff fuels me,

9:42 but you know, I'm just trying to do best by my team.

9:45 I mean, Cade is just fabulous.

9:46 Um, you know, he's a, you know, the killer closer.

9:50 You know, all the adjectives you want to talk about, like he's it.

9:53 And in the fourth quarter, you know, he does his best work.

9:56 Do you should have been more aggressive kind of looking back on it?

9:59 I mean, it's it's me, you know, it's it's a team game, you know what I mean?

10:02 So, if we're the ball's moving, you know,

10:04 we should just kind of coming on the ball moving and we're getting shots,

10:07 you know, then that's for the betterment of the team, you know what I mean?

10:10 So, it's just I think the the best thing about

10:12 it is just to get getting really really good shots.

10:15 And um, you know, and then kind of kind of finding a combination of you know,

10:19 when to be aggressive and when to, you know, get the team shots.

10:23 As promised, Kendrick Perkins back to discuss the Eastern Conference semis.

10:27 Detroit has a two-nothing lead over Cleveland.

10:30 And Perk, both these games very similar,

10:32 double-digit wins for the Pistons in each, close in the fourth,

10:36 they were offensively very efficient in the fourth of both of these games.

10:40 In the first round, felt like we said they didn't look like a one seed.

10:43 They look like a one to me now.

10:44 What are you seeing from the Pistons?

10:47 Well, Scott, I mean, you're right.

10:48 We all was questioning them in the first round,

10:50 but I think it was a blessing in disguise for them

10:53 that they had to go through that first round battle with the Orlando

10:56 Magic to find themselves because the biggest thing that we all

10:59 was worried about was who was going to be that next guy,

11:03 that offensive weapon outside of Cade.

11:06 The Cavs came out with a game plan to trap Cade early,

11:09 and Cade trusted his teammates,

11:11 and his teammates started to make plays and make open shots.

11:15 That's why we saw Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris and Jenkins,

11:18 you know, they were they were in double digits tonight.

11:21 And then when you get late into the fourth,

11:23 all of a sudden they got a level of confidence,

11:25 the role players, and we saw them knock down timely shots and make big plays.

11:30 And that's what happens when a young team is at home and they got confidence,

11:35 and that's the advantage of having home court advantage.

11:38 Perk, I think numbers we can use to tell whatever story we want,

11:43 especially with the NBA.

11:44 If you hate a guy, you're going to say this.

11:46 If you like a guy, you're going to say the other.

11:48 James Harden in two games has more turnovers than made buckets,

11:52 and I'm not a hater, I'm just reading numbers, Perk.

11:55 Go ahead, I see you leaning back in your chair.

11:57 Well, because Scott, it's not hating, it's facts over feelings.

12:01 And it's facts over feelings, and we're not not feelings,

12:04 and he shouldn't be in this feelings because we're going to state the obvious.

12:08 The obvious is is that he should not

12:10 be playing the minutes that he's playing right now.

12:13 James Harden has been a liability on both ends of the floor.

12:16 He's not there, he's costing his team's possessions,

12:19 and on top of that, he's not defending anyone.

12:22 They tried to put him on Cade Cunningham, and Cade just went to work on him.

12:26 And again, we're not taking anything from James Harden of the past,

12:30 but we're talking about the James Harden of now.

12:32 And Kenny Atkinson had some interesting comments

12:36 after the game in his postgame interview, Scott.

12:39 He said, "It's on me.

12:40 I'll take the blame for only getting James Harden two shots

12:44 in the fourth quarter." And I'm sitting up here listening, and I said, "What?

12:48 What?

12:48 That's That's what you come to the podium talking about?

12:51 No, how about a lineup adjustment and taking him out the game?" And Scott,

12:56 let me tell you this.

12:57 Last but not least, Evan Mobley is the most

13:00 important player on the Cavs team, in my opinion.

13:03 We know Donovan Mitchell is arguably the best player.

13:06 There's no way in hell he leaves out of that game with one rebound.

13:11 Knowing that you got to bring a certain level of physicality

13:15 and tenacity in in order to beat the Detroit Pistons.

13:18 Unacceptable, no excuses whatsoever from a former Defensive Player of the Year.

13:24 Cleveland knows what it's up against when they go back to the land.

13:27 They're going to need to defend the home floor and then

13:29 some if they want to get back into this series.

13:31 I want to add a quick one on the way

13:32 out about another series that that shifts venues.

13:36 As Shams Charania reported earlier on Thursday, OG Anunoby has a hamstring issue

13:42 and Joel Embiid also questionable for game three.

13:47 OG means a ton to that Knicks squad.

13:49 We know what Joel means to Philadelphia.

13:51 What's your sense of what their availability might mean moving forward?

13:55 In the short term.

13:56 Well, well look, the Knicks have to protect OG Anunoby at all costs.

14:01 To me, Scott, he's the most important player

14:04 in the NBA for as to their team and their success.

14:08 I would not play OG Anunoby in game three or four.

14:12 I would wait to for game five to see how he's feeling.

14:15 If they need him, then put him back in the lineup.

14:17 For as when you're looking at Embiid

14:19 on the other side of things, they need Embiid.

14:23 They need Embiid desperately.

14:24 And you saw that in game two when they couldn't knock down open shots, you know,

14:28 on the perimeter late in the fourth

14:30 quarter because Tyrese [music] Maxey was gassed out.

14:32 Paul George was gassed.

14:34 And so Embiid brings that balance.

14:36 If Embiid is not playing and it could be only limited minutes,

14:40 the Philadelphia 76ers don't stand a chance in the series.

14:51 [music]