The Land O'Lakers Podcast by the Kamenetzky Brothers

The Lakers may have to start playing NBA games around Christmas this year, and LeBron James isn't thrilled about it.

The NBA plans a 72-game schedule starting around Christmas... is that a good thing or a bad thing for the Lakers and LeBron James?

The Dodgers split the first two games of the World Series, after dropping a "bullpen game" on Wednesday. Did Dave Roberts handle that game well? Did the Dodgers have any alternatives?

Pedro Moura from The Athletic breaks down the work Roberts has done this postseason. What to make of the LAD pitching staff? Is the bullpen in scary shape? Which arms to rely on?

Plus, Tony Gonsolin's thing for cats, great hair, and a ... well, a game that may not completely work.

It's been about a week since the Lakers won it all, bringing home a 17th title in franchise history from the Orlando bubble. And now, because the past is the past, it's time to start thinking about the future!

And to that end, there's been some news. Anthony Davis (as expected) reportedly plans to opt out of the final year of his contract, then (as expected) re-sign with the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Rajon Rondo are also reportedly to opt out of their final years, but does that mean both are gone?

The answers to these questions, and more, fall under the umbrella of more meta, overarching questions the Lakers have to answer:

How much energy should be devoted to running it back in as close to the same form as last season?

How much of a priority should 2021 space have (i.e. for the Summer of Giannis)?

How big is the gap between the Lakers and the rest of the conference right now?

The answers to those questions could largely dictate team strategy. So we give them a go.

From there, it's a look at the Clippers and new head coach Ty Lue. Are they better off now than with Doc Rivers? What happens now to Houston in the post-Daryl Morey era?

Finally... old Telly Savalas commercials!

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With the Dodgers trying to come back to beat the Braves and reach the World Series, Andy and Brian welcome Jon Weisman, author of two books about the Dodgers and the author of the fantastic "Dodger Thoughts" blog.

We chart the anxiety Dodgers fans feel now every October, and why they often can get hostile (years of disappointment will do that, but there's more too it, Jon says).

What about the role of Dave Roberts? Or Clayton Kershaw? Is this the year Kershaw breaks through, and puts the disappointment of previous postseasons behind him? What if that validation never comes?

Plus, a pop culture game from A-Z.

After a disappointing Game 5, the Lakers returned to form Sunday and rolled Miami 106-93 - the score not at all indicative of L.A.'s total dominance - in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to win the series 4-2 and secure the franchise's first title in 10 years, and 17th overall.

It was a dominating defensive show where the Lakers put the clamps on the Heat early and never let up.

Andy and Brian look back on a season and playoff run that might feel inevitable now, given how much better the Lakers were than the competition in Orlando, but was hardly so.

What changes now about the relationship between LeBron and Lakers fans? How much credit goes to Frank Vogel? How much room to grow does Anthony Davis have, and what does it mean for this team's title window?

On why this team was more likable outside Los Angeles than arguably any Lakers team in history, and more...

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The Lakers had a chance Sunday to put a true hammer lock on the NBA Finals in Game 3, and whiffed. As it was in Game 2, L.A. was sloppy early, turning the ball over 10 times in the first quarter. But unlike Game 2, the Lakers couldn't find any consistent rhythm.

They still had opportunities to win, even leading during the fourth quarter, but when it came time to execute, the Lakers were outclassed. Particularly by Butler, who had a genuinely historic game, matched in history only by LeBron and Jerry West.

So how worried should the Lakers be? (They're not, fwiw.) How worried should Lakers fans be? (Not very, fwiw.) Andy and Brian break it all down, before wrapping with a peek at the "No Ring for Kuz" petition.

Game 4 is Tuesday!

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On the one hand, it was a great night for the Lakers, who overcame a bad first five minutes and what became a 13-point deficit before totally steamrolling the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Anthony Davis was fantastic in his first Finals game, and LeBron James was huge as well, finishing one dime shy of a triple-double.

On the other, it was a bad night for basketball, because Miami saw all three of its stars get hurt. Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo took the worst of it, but Jimmy Butler rolled an ankle in pretty extreme fashion, too. If any of the three is limited/out - and Dragic has a plantar fascia tear - Miami's chances at the upset may just disappear.

Additionally, Andy and Brian break down Game 1, look at LeBron's legacy, ask who the team's best player is, talk about lineups, and more.

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The Lakers have been impressive in the bubble, eliminating Portland, Houston, and Denver, each in five games.

Miami swept Indiana, rolled through top-seeded Milwaukee in five and eliminated a strong Celtics squad in six.

In short, the Lakers and Heat have been the two best teams in the Orlando bubble, by a pretty fair margin. Andy and Brian take a look at what's coming, but first start with how the Lakers got here. "Team of Destiny" is an overworked cliche, but could it truly apply to this Lakers team, given all it has been through?

Has the supporting cast shown it is stable enough to win one more series? How about the D?

What does this year and the success of the Davis/James partnership mean for the Lakers, not just regarding a title opportunity now, but over the next few seasons?

Looking at the series, when it comes to the lineup, once again focus will be on the centers. Who should Frank Vogel start? Who might take the results more personally, Pat Riley or LeBron? And finally, who wins and in how many games?

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The Lakers needed literally every second of Sunday's Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference FInals to pull out the win, but they did thanks to buzzer-beating heroics from Anthony Davis. But his triple over the outstretched arm of Nikola Jokic didn't just represent a win, it was indicative of his ascendance is a postseason star.

It's something more impressive given how he sought the pressure that would come with these moments wearing a Lakers jersey.

After the shot, Davis looked at the bench and yelled, "Kobe," showing just how important the late Lakers icon has been for this team. What could have been a burden — playing to honor his memory — has instead been an inspiration. No easy feat.

We talk about all that and more, including some Dwight Howard energy that is impossible not to watch while he's on the floor, the shorter-than-you-might-think history of buzzer beaters in the playoffs for the Lakers, and share some quick Andrew Bynum memories.

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