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Starting hour number three, we're joined right now by a Yahoo Sports NBA senior analyst.

He's covered the association since 2013.

He's also the host of the Kevin O'Connor Show podcast.

Believe it or not, he's Kevin O'Connor.

Kevin, appreciate you making time, especially this time of year.

How you doing, dude?

I'm doing awesome down the final stretch, publishing my draft guide this weekend, NBA playoffs. It's the best time of the year, Jim. I'm excited about everything. You know what, Kevin, it is the best time of the year. I'm going to ask you about that draft guide. You know what's funny? It is the best time of the year, and I was not going to start you off with this, but since you said that, if it's the best time of the year, then why is everybody hating on the NBA so much right now?

I mean, I think that's always going to be a thing. But ultimately, we just finished one of the most exciting first rounds ever, if not the most exciting first round, at least that I can remember.

I mean, we had 3-1 comebacks. We had upsets, we had great games. We had a game winner, bounced 40 feet in the air by RJ Barrett. It was an amazing first round. So I think for the NBA, it made, at least for me personally, it made people forget about some of the problems around the league and some of the controversies that we experienced.

It's kind of what I mean, right? Then why are we complaining? Like, you're right. All those

things did happen. It was a great first round, and yet there's all this negativity, but point

well taken. So let me ask about the Lakers. They hung in. They kept things close with the thunder

through three quarters before the defending champs choked them

out and they win that game going away by 18 is there any reason to think that LA can make this

series interesting at all or are the champs going to make short work of them oh it's over it's

in all likelihood going to be a sneak I just there's very little reason I can find to believe that the Lakers are going to be able to win a game in this series.

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