The Land O'Lakers Podcast by the Kamenetzky Brothers

The Lakers are in the Western Conference Finals. No real surprise, there. Their opponent, though, is. Not the Clippers, as expected, but the Denver Nuggets, who polished off an epic set of comebacks within comebacks nested in other comebacks to beat the LAC 4-3 in a bonkers Western Conference Semifinals.

So what does this matchup bring? We're joined by Adam Mares of DNVR Sports (theDNVR.com) to break it down.

What got the Nuggets to this point? How will those things play against the Lakers?

How will the Nuggets defend LeBron and Anthony Davis?

Where will Denver look to attack? Can Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray keep up their incredible 3-point shooting?

Why Michael Porter Jr. is an x-factor, and Denver coach Mike Malone might be the other.

Plus, it wouldn't be a preview without predictions. We make 'em. Who wins?

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It's been 10 years, but the Lakers are finally returning to the Western Conference Finals, having dispatched the Houston Rockets four games to one in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs.

Andy and Brian break it down. How much of L.A.'s dominance of that series the Lakers? How much different would Denver or the Clippers be?

Other big topics of conversation include:

The lineup. After making a switch in the Rockets series, does Frank Vogel go back to starting JaVale McGee over Markieff Morris?

Depth, as in the Lakers showed some, with reserves from Morris to Alex Caruo to JaVale McGee playing well.

Is something truly off about the Clippers?

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The Lakers didn't have to win Game 2... but probably best to not to find out what it would mean to go down 0-2. They came out hot in the first quarter, playing great defense and pushing pace to build a big lead.

Houston erased all of it with a third quarter blitz, but in the fourth L.A. tightened up the defense and gave the Lakers a decent bit of breathing room over the final few minutes of the fourth.

It was fascinating game, and we break it down, including:

The most impactful game Rajon Rondo has played with the Lakers... by a lot.

Going small, but not totally by design.

The Lakers flipping the points-off-turnover battle, and why they need to be moving with pace and urgency all the time, even if it's not in the fast break.

Why L.A.'s defense should be the thing that ultimately separates them in the series.

REMINDER! Tuesday 9.8.20 marks the return of the Late Night Happy Hour! 10 pm PT on our Periscope/Twitter feeds, as well as Facebook and YouTube.

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The Lakers got off to a bad start in their matchup with the Houston Rockets in the second round of the NBA Playoffs, losing 112-97 Friday in Orlando. It was a sloppy game for L.A., with the Lakers turning the ball over 15 times leading to 27 points for the Rockets. The Lakers didn't shoot well from the perimeter, and didn't get to the free throw line much, either.

Offensively, it was a truly poor showing.

Houston, meanwhile, used 36 from James Harden to drive the upset. Joining the show to break it all down is Anthony Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA), host of the "Locked on Lakers" podcast. Among the discussion points:

The return of Rajon Rondo. Did Frank Vogel play him too much?

LA's defense vs. Houston's guards. LeBron said they were fine... is he right?

Game 2 adjustments. Where do the Lakers go from here?

Was Mike D'Antoni really responsible for Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles tendon?

Thanks to Anthony for joining the show...

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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a long time, facing the star power of James Harden, Russell Westbrook and the Houston Rockets. It's a matchup a lot of people wanted to see... so how will it play out?

Kelly Iko, who covers the Rockets for The Athletic and co-hosts the Rockets pod Brodie and the Beard joins the show to break it all down. He explains why the small-ball Rockets are actually built to play against big teams like L.A., how they might attack Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and how Houston transformed itself into a good defensive team (not exactly in line with the reputation of head coach Mike D'Antoni).

Who are the wild cards? How many games will the series go?

Great insight, great prep for what should be a fun series.

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The Lakers have advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs and are still waiting to see if they'll play the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Houston Rockets. It might take a day or two, which gives us time to catch up with Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group.

For 50 days, Goon has been inside the NBA bubble, and in a candid conversation describes what life is like, not just for players but for the media covering them. Spoiler alert, it's not easy for any of them. We talk about everything from where they eat and when to how work gets done and what can be done for recreation. How did the realities of the bubble influence the week's events, when players walked out on playoff games in protest of racial injustice and police misconduct?

What happens when friends and family arrive?

Be sure to follow Kyle's work on Twitter and Instagram, at @kylegoon. The insights are great, whether breaking down the Lakers, or the experience.

From there, we talk about the death of actor Chadwick Boseman, an event that hit everyone hard, including inside the NBA community.

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Wednesday was supposed to be the day the Lakers finished off the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5 of their first round series. Instead, it might be the day NBA players decided they were finished with the postseason altogether.

NBA players, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks, chose not to play Wednesday, in protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Where the league and its players go from here is unknown, but two teams -- including the Lakers led by LeBron James -- voted Wednesday not to resume play

We talk about the boycott and the conditions that created it with Aaron Larsuel, host of The Official Lakers Podcast. Great, honest insight for an important conversation.

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Would Monday's Game 4 be the game the Lakers get superstar performances throughout from LeBron James and Anthony Davis? Would this be the game the Lakers came out and stole all hope away from a tired and lesser team?

Yes* and yes.

Anthony Davis was dominant from the jump, especially defensively. LeBron James was again in Playoff LeBron form, and the Lakers finished the first quarter with an 18 point lead. At halftime, they were up 29. Great shooting, great star performances, great defense, and (small sample size noted) they appear to be building on the great second half in Game 3.

As the hoops universe celebrated Kobe Bryant, it was a fitting tribute.

Other topics:

-JR vs. Dion. Again.

-Playing with what Rob Pelinka calls "thrust."

-George Hill and LeBron on social justice and police violence after the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.

JR vs. Dion... again.

*The stars were dominant, but technically didn't go a full 48. Davis left with back spasms (he's fine) and LeBron rested in the fourth. But yeah, the Lakers got what they needed, and then some.

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The Lakers were sluggish early, but LeBron James carried them to halftime, and then combined with Anthony Davis to pull away from the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 3 of their first round NBA Playoffs series in the Orlando Bubble.

James and Davis both put up big stat lines, but the Lakers also received significant contributions from Alex Caruso, who played arguably his best game as a Laker, and (in the second half, at least) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

Andy and Brian break it all down, asking if the Lakers finally looked like a championship caliber team. What does it mean that Caruso played like a traditional point guard? That LeBron started scoring? And this week, how will remembrances of Kobe Bryant impact them?

A Land O'Lakers Live episode recorded after Game 3 Saturday night.

Thanks to Delicious Pizza for the sponsorship, and Delicious Vinyl for the music.

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After dropping Game 1 to Portland in the bubble Tuesday night, in one of the worst offensive performances of the season, the Lakers got off to a quick start Thursday in Game 2, eventually cruising to a 111-88 win over the Trail Blazers. Series tied, 1-1. Anthony Davis led the way, answering (for one night at least) a ton of questions about his readiness to be a playoff hero.

Andy and Brian break down what was different about A.D. specifically, and the Lakers more generally.

From there... Does it matter that LeBron is struggling to finish at the rim? Where can Frank Vogel turn for lineup changes if they're needed? And might the continuing offensive struggles of Danny Green - 5 of 18 from the floor after two games, extending some bad bubble mojo - be one of the things to force his hand?

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