22 10.

Utah is 25 6.

The Lakers have lost three in a row.

J How big is tonight for the Lakers?

Tonight is a statement game for the Lakers and LeBron James.

And it is this because there's this old saying, Zubin, that my AU coach used to say back to me when I was younger.

One man can't beat five.

Well, I've seen LeBron James beat five players.

I've seen him do it before.

And as we talk about a team who is on a three game losing streak, a chance to stop the skid on the road at Utah, the hottest team in the league at full strength.

LeBron James is out there with a whole bunch of meeting use.

And look.

Mantra is Harold.

Talented player comes off the bench teller.

Horton Tucker.

Like the way he plays KCP.

Okay, understand?

But not having Dennis Shooter who's out again due to contact tracing.

Not having Anthony Davis, a top five player in the league.

If LeBron James can put the Lakers on his back tonight and get a staple win, I think it will set the tone that.

Yes, I am LeBron James.

I'm the M v P.

Even at 36 years old, I can still do what I used to do 5, 10 years ago.

I am still at that level.

We'll see if he can do that tonight.

Look, they don't need to get the win for me.

They just need to play.

Well, I'm not expecting LeBron James to put the team on his back the way that he did in the Eastern Conference when the Eastern Conference wasn't as strong as the West is right now.

Um, yes, he knows that he needs his running mate in Anthony Davis.

Long term to be really successful in this situation.

And Dennis Schroder is there for him in terms of being a defensive player, high volume shooter, all of those sort of things.

But let's be riel.

What they want to do is not get run out of the building.

They want to keep it as close as possible.

And if they can, if they could keep it as close as possible in still a victory.

Great.

But don't get run out of the building.

If you lose by a you know, a handful of points because free throws was shot in the in and the score looks a little lopsided because of that, Okay, just don't get run out of the building from the first quarter to the fourth quarter.

Then we would start to say, Oh, God, oh my God, they certainly have got to have this much like that, McMenamin said.

Right there is.

This is an opportunity for people to go at LeBron what they've been waiting to do.

If he doesn't win without his running mates, it's an excuse for people to say, See, he's not this.

He's not that we all know that he needs a D.

That's not okay.

Well, he needs a D big deal.

They lost three games in a row.

Once they get him back healthy, let's have that conversation.

Well, that's been Yeah, look, LeBron ultimately will be judged when this team is at full health, but they have lost their last four or five games, right?

So it is a storyline that we'll be talking about three out of four out of five, three out of four.

Why do you keep saying three out of four?

Because I don't count.

They lost that Denver.

Then they beat Minnesota.

Then they lost the Brooklyn Miami in Washington.

All I'm saying is that look, and then vice versa on the opposite side.

Utah casual fans.

Disrespect for you.

They don't think.

I mean, we talk about it.

Nobody cares about Utah.

Oh, yeah, they won 21 out of 23.

Like is Donovan Mitchell superstar?

Casual fans don't know the name Donovan Mitchell.

Okay, LeBron James is there by himself tonight, pretty much without a D and Dennis Schroder.

Prove that you're the best team and I'm not talking about Beat the Lakers by a couple of free throws.

Your at home.

Beat their head in.

Set a tone to let them know that, Yes, we are the best team in the West.

And even when you are full health, if we beat you by 20 tonight, maybe it will be a game when a D and dinner shooter come back.

But without those guys, you don't belong on the same court with us.

That's what the Utah Jazz need to prove this evening.

Jay, Why have the Jazz been so good this season?

And it's got to be more than Mitchell like what has allowed them to play like this Rudy Gobert guy who's won multiple defensive player of the years.

He's an All star this year named You've Got guys like Bogan Bogdanovich.

He came in that trade from Indiana, knocking down threes.

They hit threes at an incredible rate because of their floor spacing.

And Quin Snyder, who was associate coach at Duke when I was being recruited there, then went to the G League, now the head coach of the Utah Jazz, one of the all time best coaches in the game.

Right now he is.

Here's what Erik Spoelstra was a couple of years ago that people are starting to recognize his brilliance and also Donovan Mitchell.

He's playing like a like an All star.

He's playing like a top 10 player in the league.

He needs to play that way.

Ever since Shock has challenged him, he's continued to step up and rise to the challenge.

Well, we'll see what Utah use, but here's the thing.

He we've been watching who they are.

I mean, they won 21 of 23 games.

It's impressive.

It's not like they're just arriving.

They've been there.

It's just We're finally going to see them on the national stage against an iconic star to see where they stand.

We, we we know Donovan Mitchell has been on fire.

We know that Rudy go bears there and clogging the whole way.

We get all that, but we'll see what they are against the hobble Laker team tonight.

It's just, and we'll be able to judge tonight what they are and have a conversation about it tomorrow.

Two things I would mention.

Utah Jazz fan and I know their fans over the years have been accused of going over the line.

There have been some incidents there in Utah, but they have an incredibly passionate fan base.

It's the only major professional team in the entire state.

You have to think about it from this perspective.

Are they as good as Jay says?

Obviously, J says, the numbers don't lie there 21 of 23.

Incredible, especially after a four and four start.

It's not like they got out of the gate really fast.

They may be the best MBA franchise and I'd be interested toe, get Jay's thoughts on it when we have more time to discuss this and Let's see, we'll have more jazz discussions down the line.

If they continue to play like this, they might be the best franchise to have never won the NBA championship.

They've been to the Finals a couple times, thwarted by Michael, two of the top 50 players of all time in Malone and Stockton and guys.

How much does time fly?

That was when the n b A.

And build its 50th anniversary team.

Boom.

Blink of an eye.

It's the 75th anniversary off the league this year, so there's a lot they're going for The Jazz.

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