Stephen A. Smith played with fire ahead of the Play-in tournament. The veteran analyst, who is known for his harsh takes on LeBron James, put forward a controversial opinion ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans clash. In the latest episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the 56-year-old dissected the West standings and predicted the grave threat awaiting the Los Angeles Lakers. Important, he didn’t stop at that. The star analyst went on to trash King James along with Anthony Davis with vexed questions.

Firstly, A. Smith began his monologue by praising the superstar duo’s fitness this season. They have put together 17,000+ minutes this season, which is more than their time together in the last two seasons. While one would expect the conversation to head in a positive direction, the veteran analyst opined that the would intentionally sit out for the upcoming Play-in clash against the Pels to avoid the Denver Nuggets in the First round.

Smith put forward two daunting questions, asking, “Does Anthony Davis’ back spasms continue through Tuesday? Is LeBron going to get some food poisoning?” He pointed out the Lakers’ embarrassing run against the defending champions. They have lost 7 games in a row against the Nuggets and also a four-game whitewash in the 2023 West Conference Finals. Since the winner of the Pels and Lakers clash would face the Nuggets in the first round, he argued that the superstars might as well take the 8th seed, intentionally.

However, on the other end, if the Lakers lose to the Pelicans, they will either face Stephen Curry & Co. or the Sacramento Kings. Speaking of which, A. Smith again hit back at the LA side. He argued that the Sac Town’s Domantas Sabonis had a clean 10-0 record against AD and James’ three Finals losses against Steph. Moreover, after pointing out the threats that the Lakers have in all directions, Smith declared, “The Los Angeles Lakers are in danger of going home in the first round.”

Predictions: LeBron James & Co. vs Pels

The Lakers already have an advantage over the Pelicans with a 3-1 record in the regular season. The New Orleans side possesses both size and shooting prowess in their lineup. Zion Williamson brought in speed and domination near the rim and shooters like CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram took care of the shooting department. While the team looks complete with these players, the Lakers would contain it with their size advantage.

LeBron James & Anthony Davis, along with other big men like Rui Hachimura, Jaxon Hayes, and Taurean Prince, repeatedly restricted their opponents near the rim. Apart from them, they have sharpshooters in D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.

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However, along with these positives, the LA side has one big loophole. The team lacks shot-makers. The veteran NBA analyst Colin Cowherd recently pointed out that the team doesn’t have recognized shot-makers apart from LBJ and Reaves. He also stressed that the team looked all over the place during James and Reaves-less minutes in his recent podcast.

While A. Smith argued that the superstar duo would intentionally miss the game, Cowherd claimed that the team would lose with both superstars in the line-up. Will the Lakers shut down both critics? Let us know in the comments.