What do you think about the Laker team now?

You follow the box scores of the games every day?

Just the Lakers.

You're kidding.

That is really a compliment.

I was pleased to see you smile at the top part show because once the game starts, you have a game face.

You don't smile much out there.

I don't think you have to do things for money anymore. Correct. What's up, Laker fans? Welcome to the Laker Filmroom podcast. I'm Pete, joined by Darius and Mike for one more before we take a little break for the All-Star break. And we're going to reflect on this crazy whirlwind of a season, guys. There's so many places we can go with this,

but I'd like to start at the beginning. This offseason, Laker fans were riding high.

It was coming off of an unexpected Western Conference Finals appearance. And then an offseason

where they acquired some talent, right? Tori and Prince at $4.5 million, get some guys on vet

men's that have some talent, Gabe Vincent

with the MLE. But the crown jewel is that, hey, we have the same team, or at least the core of the

same guys for the first time from one season to the next in a few years. And guys that were

excited about, excited to build with. And so emotions were very much riding high.

And Lakers are 500 for the better part of 50 games. And we've tried to tell the story of that

on a day-by-day basis. But going back to the beginning, Mike, to this off-season, kind of knowing

what you know now, how do you think of that period of time going into this season?

The, like, what I struggle with with where the Lakers are at right now is that it's a,

it's been an excellent stretch in February to get to 30 and 26, like four games over 500.

But looking at the standings all year long, you know, I kind of feel like they should be up in that

next tier, you know, with right where Phoenix and New Orleans and Dallas are in Sacramento. So it's a

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