2-9-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals, you can actually taste them.

The trick? Simply start with bite-sized steps, like Goalie's Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies with added B vitamins for daily health. Or Goalie Ashwagandha Gummies to help you relax, restore, and unwind.

Mmm, tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie, taste your goals. Learn more at Goalie.com today.

Rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. I get paid the big bucks for that type of analysis. Also, here's another piece of reaction.

More things. Can someone please tell me again how my time slot isn't prime time and how nothing ever happens at night? Producer Jay, what did I say to you when I walked out of the studio and into the newsroom after we saw the news of the trade break on social?

What did I say to you? I love this job. I love my damn job! Yes, and I tried to give Jay a high five because I love my job and he was not having it. Why is that Jay? Why were you not having it? I feel like you should be over the moon excited that you root for a franchise that is now taking a cleansing breath, or if you will, just a cleanse.

You know that's the rage all these days. I think Aaron Rodgers will be cleansing while he's in darkness for four days. The Nets just went through a healthy reset in the form of a cleanse. Yes, they did. I think it was more I just needed a moment to just react and gather and collect and this is pretty big.

But yes, I agree. I'm breathing a little lighter now. Well, thank heavens.

What would we do if that wasn't happening? I don't know, but it is. It's a cleansing. It feels refreshing. It feels new. It feels like the Nets have just retaken control of the franchise. Well, I could ask that same question that I asked you all on Sunday. Was it worth it?

I guess if you get four. Four first round draft picks in return for Kevin Durant. Now, KD is a tremendous player.

Do not get me wrong. And I feel like this is more of a reaction to what we saw with the Rudy Go Bear trade to the Timberwolves. Though maybe somebody should kind of have checked on the Timberwolves in the wake of the Rudy Go Bear trade.

But anyway, I think it's a reaction. However, KD, the players that you get in exchange for KD to me, even though it sounds like the Nets are going to move Jay Crowder. That's a pretty sweet haul because KD is a tremendous player, yes, but he goes through regular injuries and misses regular time now every single year. His physical body is not the same as it was before he suffered through that Achilles. And he's getting older. And so his build, which I mean, it's incredible. He's long. He's lean. He's lanky.

He's seven feet. He can defend. But the physical toll of over a decade in the NBA is taking its toll on him.

And he is now dealing with injuries on a regular basis. But aside from all that, four first round picks and three players, one of whom they're probably going to be able to package for more first round picks or maybe not more. I don't know about Jay Crowder being first round pick, but they're going to be able to package him for more picks.

They're going to be able to package him for something else in return. So, yeah, I maybe should ask you the same question. We found out about the Kyrie Irving trade on Sunday night. Uh huh. You know, right before we came on the air. Nothing, nothing ever happens at night.

You just talk to truckers. And now we find out about the KD trade on the eve of the NBA's trade deadline. What did I also tell you about the NBA hijacking Super Bowl week? No one ever listens to Amy. Well, that's not true.

People do listen. LeBron with his NBA scoring record, Kyrie, KD, the Suns, the Nets, Russell Westbrook, D'Angelo Russell, the trade deadline. Oh, and Clay's birthday, of course.

So happy birthday to Clay, the other splash brother. It is all happening in the NBA and the West already wild is now wacky and wild, wild. I'd love to hear your reaction. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio.

You can find me on Twitter, A-LOL Radio. I do. I love my job. I just I love the job. These are the moments that the adrenaline is just coursing through my body. Maybe the fact that I had four munchkins before I came in the studio could have something to do with it. But no, I'm going to go with adrenaline. Jay, why did you bring me those munchkins?

Don't answer the question. Also on our Facebook page, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. If you missed it, we now have three of our Super 6 Super Bowl video series that are posted on various places on the interwebs. Our YouTube channel named after the show, of course, our Facebook page. And yes, on Twitter. My mom, just as a side note, I told my mom how to search for my Twitter account without being a person who has a Twitter account. She doesn't. And I didn't want to give her mine because I do not want her to look at Twitter on a regular basis. So I said, Mom, all you do is just search Amy Lawrence Twitter. She couldn't figure it out. Mom, you are a math teacher.

You do calculus for fun. You are the smartest person I know. And you can't Google Amy Lawrence Twitter. I can't find it. I can't find the video on Twitter. Okay, Mom.

Well, I'm just going to have to send it to you. Anyway, Mom wanted to see Boomer because she loves Boomer. Who doesn't love Boomer? And Boomer Esiason made a cameo in our last video. We have recorded the latest Super 6 video. It's not up yet because, I guess, the NBA tried to hijack our plans for this week, too.

Not so bad not to be in Phoenix right now. So our phone number, 855-212-4227. That's our toll-free line.

855-212-4CBS. Again, you can find us on Twitter. After our CBS, me, A Law Radio, let's react.

And also on our Facebook page. The Phoenix Suns are trading for Kevin Durant. They are trading Mikhail Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jay Crowder, who likely won't remain with the Nets. Or won't be there, really.

He's not even going to probably end up in Brooklyn on his way to his next stop. And four first round draft picks. I'm not telling you that the Suns got fleeced because I don't believe that. Only that they have now sold their souls to Kevin Durant. They've sold their souls for a championship. What's even funnier is that their owner, their brand new owner, remember, they just got sold. So he's making a splash. Their brand new owner just got in front of the world on Wednesday. No, today's Wednesday.

Tuesday. And said he really likes the team they have right now. Now, just as a side note, the Suns tried to trade for Kyrie Irving and didn't get him, remember? They tried to trade Chris Paul and I can't remember who the other person was they tried. Oh, Jay Crowder. They tried to trade both those guys with a couple of picks in exchange for Kyrie and didn't get them.

So I would say patience is a virtue here. But also, in the wake of that trade not working out, Matt Ashbya was talking about how they love their roster. I love our team. Give credit, by the way, James Jones is here and his leadership team.

Like all these guys, they've done a heck of a job, right? They've done a heck of a job building an amazing team. I'm not walking into a team like so. I feel like we can compete right now with exactly what we have.

Well, yes, you could compete, but apparently that euphoria about loving the team wore off really quickly. Phoenix is sending McHale Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jay Crowder out of town for first round picks. And then coming up down the road, a pick swap with Brooklyn. And get this, even more so, 2023, 2025, 2027, and then again in 29, those four first round picks are unprotected, meaning it doesn't matter where they fall. You would expect that the Suns would be good, although I don't know how much longer we see Chris Paul play.

I can't imagine he's still playing in 27 or 29, though I could be wrong. But to have two first round draft picks in 23 and 25, that's a lot more immediate courtesy of the Phoenix Suns. Maybe it's not a real high pick in 23.

But these days, picks are such great capital. You can move around, you can move up and down, you can send them elsewhere if you're trying to bring in a free agent. It just blows me away that 2019, we're not even four years removed from the free agent deal that brought Kyrie Irving to Brooklyn, and then the sign-in trade, but it was essentially a free agent deal for Kevin Durant, who left Golden State. He had to sit out a year. They paid him anyway. And within months, you could tell this was not going to go well.

Why? Because Kyrie and KD were never on the floor together. Even after KD got healthy, then it was bring in James Harden. What did they play, 13 games together or something ridiculous?

16, Jay corrected me, 16 games together. James Harden, Kyrie, and KD. But Kyrie always has his own agenda, and KD tried to get the coach and the GM fired.

That didn't work. So they came to, I would say, a meeting of the minds and a tenuous agreement. I'm not sure anybody really believed that when KD backed down, when the ownership and the management group of the Nets said, we're on the same page that people bought that line. But Kyrie was never going to get the deal he wanted from the Nets, ever. They had lost patience with him and lost faith in him. And once that trade happened a couple of days ago, we weren't hearing from KD.

He apparently was pushing for a trade again. Blows my mind. The whole thing blows my mind. I'm going to give it a resounding no, as in a hell to the no.

It was not worth it. Unless the Nets use these picks and win a championship in two years against the Suns or the Mavericks in the finals. Could you imagine? Because now KD's under contract for three and a half more years, so the Suns have got him. Oh, wouldn't you like to know what Kyrie Irving had to say about Kevin Durant getting traded to Phoenix just two days, three days after he's out of town and on the same night that he makes his debut for Dallas? Praying for his happiness and praying for his well-being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like. There was still a level of uncertainty, but we just cared about seeing each other be places that we can thrive and whether that be together or whether that be a part.

There's never been one moment where I felt like he's been angry at me for decisions I've made or I've been angry at him. We've just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers. You know, this business changes so quickly. He's getting a little bit older. I'm getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now that we can be in the same conference and I welcome all that, get to see him a little bit more and probably playing against Phoenix a lot more.

And that's what I'm looking forward to everything else in between. I just am glad that he got out of there. He's in his zen place right now. Is he feeling less disrespected? I guess. I'm just glad he got out of there.

The man's never satisfied. But you know what? This is not about Kyrie. This is about KD.

Kyrie did make his debut in Dallas. I'll tell you that even without Luka Doncic, the Mavericks won. They took advantage of the Clippers really slow start. They have a 19 point lead in the first quarter or something like that. So Kyrie was four of eight from beyond the arc. He had 24 points. The Mavericks win. Everybody's raving about Kyrie. We can hear from Jason Kidd a little bit later on.

But this is about Kevin Durant being the last piece of what was a three and a half year saga for the Nets. I'm just happy they got Spencer Dinwiddie back. At least they got one of their pieces back. It was like some really bad trades. Or you know what?

Going to a pawn shop and trading away a bunch of your pieces, pooling your money together and then realizing you made a terrible mistake and going back and trying to find anything that you sold to the pawn dealer and just feeling so relieved, oh my gosh, at least we got one of our guys back. The thing is, and Jade and I have talked about this, for a while there it felt like they were relevant. But honestly, and I know hindsight is 20-20, were they? They were only relevant for the drama.

The guys never played together long enough to find any significant rhythm. One playoff series win, a three and a half year sojourn for the Nets that made them a championship in name only. Made them a championship contender, excuse me, in name only.

That's it. They never really got any closer. They got a lot more TV games. Maybe they sold some more tickets.

So that could be important to Josiah. But they really never got any closer. And now they're both in the West. And the East is different.

This whole thing is just crazy. All right, speaking of the East, we'll take you inside that matchup between the Sixers and the Celtics that took place on Wednesday night. But once again, oh and Damian Lillard with another huge game.

In fact, a triple-double for Dame in a game against the Golden State Warriors. But the big news is Kevin Durant on the move to Phoenix. They finally land that superstar that they were looking for.

They've been trying for over a year now. They finally land a superstar. They give up a very handsome haul to the Brooklyn Nets. Also Russell Westbrook gone from Los Angeles, replaced by a guy who's familiar with the Lakers, D'Angelo Russell. Man, he's been on the move a bunch in the last couple years as well.

When a door closes somewhere, a window opens. The trade deadline's not even here yet. All right, find me on Twitter, ALawRadio.

Also on our Facebook page. No more munchkins for me, I swear. Yes, the NBA is hijacking Super Bowl week. And this is prime time, baby.

It's after hours. I'm sorry, what, KD? I was busy crowing about the fact that we've got big breaking news on the show. What was that again? You know, no complaints from me.

Ever, really ever. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. Learn more at goalie.com today.

Watch now on Prime Video. Selvidge with a three-point lead, 2-12 to go. Derek White, quick three, Harden hands down. And Derek White knocks it down.

Set somebody. A stand for the Selvidge to win this game and pull it off. They were going to have to knock down 23s tonight.

That was their 19th. Boston by six, 39 seconds to go. Tatum dribbling low, starts his drive. Inside the free throw line, floats it up and in.

The time, son, is your time. Time out, Doc Rivers. But with the money on the table, Jason Tatum comes through.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Actually, Jason Tatum wasn't the focal point tonight. Not at all. He did not shoot well. One of five from beyond the arc.

But that was a doozy. 12 points for Jason Tatum to go along with eight rebounds and nine assists. So almost a triple-double, just not a massive scoring night like he is so capable of. Instead, it was a strong performance from the bench, including Malcolm Brogdon who had 19. And then it was the three-point shooting. 19 of 35 from beyond the arc.

Sean Grandy, Cedric Maxwell on the Celtics radio network. Yeah, Doc Rivers not thrilled with how many times the Celtics were wide freaking open for triples. I don't care about anybody, even what anyone did offensively tonight, honestly. We scored because we were individually good. But we didn't score as a team tonight. We didn't play as a team offensively tonight. And then defensively we were worse. I could have made some of those threes.

Well, maybe not me. I was a poor shooter. But someone in this room could have made those threes. I mean, they were pretty much wide open. We gave a lot of dare shots tonight all the way through the game.

A lot of shots where we just dared guys to shoot them. And they shot them. And they made them. Give them credit.

You still got to make them. And they did. When you think about the Celtics and what they can bring off the bench. Now, sometimes the threes don't drop.

But they definitely do have shooters who can heat up a la microwave off the bench, which helps. And they may end up needing that because Jalen Brown could be out for how long? They're still trying to figure that out and figure out exactly what happened to him when he took an elbow from Tatum, actually.

So inadvertent, of course. But he left late in the first half of this game because he suffered a facial injury. So if it's broken bones, if it's something else, maybe he has to wear a mask.

Maybe it's something to do with his eye. So they're going to have to check and see how he reacts and if they're swelling for that to go down. But the right elbow of Tatum caught him on the left side of his face. And right away he was down and he was in a lot of pain. And so he was gone before they hit halftime.

And according to Malcolm Brogdon, he was quiet. Just in a lot of pain. And so they're hoping that they'll get good news, that he'll feel better. But maybe he misses some time. So they're going to need the shooters from off the bench to be able to make up for Tatum.

I'm sorry, Brown, if he's not out there. He only played 18 minutes and four points. But instead, as I say, they get 19 points from Malcolm Brogdon who comes off the bench. They also end up getting five triples from Blake Griffin. So Griffin in that starting lineup, he only takes threes in this game.

Five of eight from beyond the arc, but he has 15 points. And yeah, they gave him plenty of space. I was shooting open shots all night.

So it was nice to see some go through. James Harden was just talking about how they just kind of left you open. And they were just lazy on the defensive end. Do you feel like maybe a little disrespect to just kind of leave you open like that?

You know, as a guy I can shoot three-pointers like that? I don't really take it as disrespect. It hurt them. That was their game plan. Obviously, you know, Doc makes that game plan.

They didn't adjust, which has been sort of a thing. No disrespect, though. I like that. Blake Griffin refusing to label this disrespect. Where have we heard that in the last 24 hours? So yes, he goes five of eight from deep. He has 15 points. And for Joel Missoula, he's kind of looking around knowing that they've got the luxury of a deep bench, different guys he can go to, especially when you have different guys who will get hot and will be able to hit the threes at different times. We go into situations like this with the utmost trust and comfortability because of our depth and the character of our guys. And so, Peyton, Blake, you know, the whole crew, you can always count on them.

It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Eve of the NBA trade deadline. And so we know now that neither the KD or Kyrie will remain in Brooklyn through the rest of the year. And we also know that Russell Westbrook will no longer remain with the Lakers. So this is a rumor. Well, it's a rumor going back to the offseason. And then Darvin Ham kind of squashed that and decided that they could work together. And so instead, he remains on the roster as Ham takes over. And he used him in different ways.

Definitely run and gun up and down the floor to kind of push the tempo. But there were reports that Westbrook and Ham got into a shouting match recently. Clearly Westbrook's not happy.

And it's been, again, a relationship that was a bit precarious and on shaky ground anyway. So in this trade, the Lakers are bringing back DeAngelo Russell. They also get Malik Beasley and Jared Vanderbilt. And this trade involves the Jazz too. So the Timberwolves get Mike Conley. He had just talked about the trade deadline potentially. They get Mike Conley, another player in picks. The Jazz then get Russell Westbrook and a Lakers first round pick. So a bunch of different players going all different directions. But mostly it's DeAngelo Russell, Malik Beasley going to LA, while Russell Westbrook is no more. This is LeBron James who really wants to be competing for a title. There's so many teams in the NBA that are right around that.500 mark. And specifically in the West. It's just thick around the middle where you've got a bunch of teams that are within two or three games of.500.

Really not a lot of separation. Though the Phoenix Suns are hoping for that as they pick up Kevin Durant. Just looking at the standings, it's been tough. A tough go for Phoenix. Right now the Suns are 30 and 26.

Though they have won eight of their last ten. So coming up bottom of the hour, we're going to welcome a friend of mine who works inside the NBA. Actually was on the national call of LeBron's big night.

Which now seems like forever ago. Taking over as the NBA's all time scoring leader. But also reaction to the Nets scrapping it. They finally just cut bait and said that's it. We're going back to the drawing board. Meanwhile the Lakers make a move.

And obviously the Suns, they're betting the farm on KD with the rest of their roster. You can find us on Twitter, After Hours CBS. Also on our Facebook page. Good to have you with us. It's After Hours on CBS Sports Radio.

You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. Westbrook to James at the elbow. James turns, the crowd wants it. James free throw line.

James Fade. We are so touched. You all made the trek out here. Robert, Renata. We hope our marriage is nothing like yours.

Cheers everybody. From the director of Pitch Perfect and the producers of The Proposal. Something doesn't feel right. We're pirates and they took everybody hostage.

Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board. Shotgun Wedding, Rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. We are so touched, you all made the trek out here. Robert, Renata.

We hope our marriage is nothing like yours. We're pirates and they took everybody hostage. We're pirates and they took everybody hostage.

Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board. Shotgun Wedding, Rated R. Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board.

Shotgun Wedding, rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. Goalie gummies get you so close to your goals you can actually taste them. The trick?

Simply start with bite-sized steps. Like Goalie's apple cider vinegar gummies with added B vitamins for daily health. Or Goalie Ashwagandha gummies to help you relax, restore, and unwind.

Mmm, tastes like wellness just got a whole lot better. And when goals taste this good, it's easy to achieve them. Goalie, taste your goals.

Learn more at Goalie.com today. Jumper, good! NBA history in Los Angeles. LeBron James, a record that had stood for almost four decades. Now belongs to the king.

38,389 points and climbing. And with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar here in attendance to pass the baton, LeBron James is the NBA's new all-time scoring king. This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. I love that voice. Yes, the moment was iconic, but the voice belongs to my great friend, Mark Kestisher, who had the national call of LeBron's big night, his historic milestone night in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

But heavens, that is old news now. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Mark Kestisher still in LA because the Lakers have got a game on Thursday that will also be on ESPN Radio. So joining us now, and this is the perfect time. In fact, I know we weren't able to get to you on Tuesday night and I felt bad about that, but now I don't anymore, Mark, because that kind of feels like it happened years ago compared to what we've now found out about Kevin Durant on his way to Phoenix.

You work in the NBA. What is your reaction? Well, first of all, Amy, I have four things for you. Number one, thank you for playing that because I hadn't heard it since last night. Number two, hello, it's good to hear from you. Number three, yes, that happened like a month ago, not last night. And number four, Ja Morant shouldn't talk anymore because didn't he say, I don't fear, I don't care about the West? Oops, the West is getting stronger as we speak.

It definitely is. So I am stunned by the four first round draft picks because it feels like Kevin Durant is bound to miss time. I know people talk about the NBA regular season being too long, but it feels like ever since the Achilles and that 2019 NBA Finals that he's missed significant time, if not the whole season, since then. I don't know, what's your reaction to three players, Mikel Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jake Crowder, who's not likely to remain with Brooklyn, and four first round draft picks?

Yeah, that's the stunner. I mean, the Suns received new ownership this week, just a couple of days ago, and the new owner is pushing all those chips in right away. He's making the big splash here with Kevin Durant. You know, Mikel Bridges has been maybe playing his best basketball of late, certainly, and the Nets are in rebuild mode now. You know, maybe they have something with the youngster from LSU who's been putting up 40 point games the last few nights, and now you bring in Mikel Bridges. I know I've heard some talk just in the last hour that maybe the Nets would flip him to a contender and get even more, but you're right. The four first round picks, remember the Nets had nothing a decade ago. Remember, they had to re-shift after they did the Garnett and Paul Pierce trade, and they were able to get themselves in position for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to come in a few years ago in free agency, and now after that, clearly, that experiment didn't work. They're blowing it up big time.

I'm a little shocked. I think, you know, first of all, we were shocked that A, Kyrie wanted out, Kyrie got out within two days. Kyrie went to Dallas, which surprised us all, and then the next domino was, what does Kevin Durant want? Because it's really hard to get into his mind, and if he was gonna go, it felt like Phoenix was the spot, but to answer your question in a very long way, and I apologize, yes, four first round picks is a stunner for me, but that's what it takes these days. These last couple of years, you don't give three, four first round picks, you don't have a deal.

First of all, take as long as you want, because we talk here on the radio. We take the scenic route, so it doesn't matter if you're direct and right to the point, but also, the whole thought of this situation with Brooklyn and the fact that three, three superstars went in and out of Brooklyn in three and a half years, and three of them, all three of them, including James Harden, asked for trades in the last year. I'm not sure what that says about the Nets, only that I feel like they were a little bit too wishy-washy, so it got to the point where anything that these stars asked for, they were getting, and that set a tone for the Nets and for their locker room. We were asking our listeners, this goes back to Sunday, Mark, whether or not it was worth it for the Nets at the time, in 2019, to make the moves they did, to bring in Kyrie, to bring in KD. I know hindsight is 20-20, but KD and Kyrie didn't even play 74 games together in three plus seasons, not even 74 games, and now they're gone. Do you think it's worth it, or was worth it?

It's so empty, because I'll just lay this out here now. The Lakers have LeBron James, they brought in Anthony Davis. I know some people don't put stock in the bubble championship of 2020, but it is a championship on their record. Then you look at what Brooklyn did, and you think of that second round series against Milwaukee. James Harden got hurt, Kyrie got hurt, and if Kevin Durant's foot is not on the three-point line at the end of regulation, they win that series, and I bet you they win the championship.

Really? I really believe it. I believe if Brooklyn wins that game seven, I think they, we can argue, because who knows if Harden and Kyrie, if they have enough gas to get through the Eastern Conference Finals, and then the Phoenix Suns, if it all played out in that direction, and then this looks a little different.

You could say, well, they got their championship, but they didn't, so you're right. Was it worth it? I don't know. This is what I'm thinking right now tonight. This is just an odd thought that just crossed my mind. All the star power that went through Brooklyn that you just named, is that more incredible, that it happened that fast, it came and went, or the fact that Russell Westbrook had a $200 million contract and got traded four times on that contract.

That almost seems impossible, too. This is wild. What a league, right? This league, as our friend Mark Stein likes to say. Hijacking Super Bowl week. I said it going back to Sunday, and I'm sticking by that.

The Super Bowl is right now paling in comparison, though of course the game will take over. Mark Kastescher joining us from Los Angeles. He had the call of LeBron's iconic moment on Tuesday night. He'll have another game on ESPN Radio with the Lakers coming up on Thursday night. So I will ask you about that momentarily, but right now we're kind of in the middle of all this trade stuff.

That's the technical word for it. It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Russell Westbrook on the move again, as you point out. Headed to Utah, though I would not be surprised if he doesn't stay there.

No chance. Yeah, it doesn't feel like he fits the Danny Ainge model. Anyway.

Before the fans. Does he have all the fans in Salt Lake as well? True.

I hate him, but it's I still think it's fascinating though that he stuck with the Lakers going back to the off season when they there was all this talk about him not fitting what they wanted to do. Darvin Ham comes in, he says something different. There were times this season where it looked like it was working, but clearly that wasn't the case or it was tenuous at best.

Yeah, I agree. I thought I was on board with his sixth man and we talked to Darvin Ham last night even. That came up in our discussions pregame.

I don't know if it was on tape or off tape, but it's certainly not speaking out of school. And that was that this was a perfect situation for him when he had four bench guys or maybe one starter with him and he could be the leader of that team. Go fast, get downhill, collapse the defense and either score at the rim or pass it out to a shooter.

And it seemed like it was working, but then there were times and even last night you could see the frustration. I mean, he threw a couple of passes early in the game that weren't even close on turnovers and didn't finish at the rim one time. And I have the great Vince Carter who had his first radio broadcast last night with me and I think he muttered dunk the ball on, he switched hands and tried to lay up and missed it.

And then of course in the break I said, well, Vince, if we all had your legs, we would just dunk the ball at the rim. But still there was some frustration there. I didn't realize till after there was a confrontation, I guess, verbally between the coach, Darvin Ham and Russell Westbrook. I believe they sorted out and Russell and, you know, that late comeback by the Lakers had a good run.

Apparently they were good on the way out, but that was it. 130 games and out for Russell Westbrook headed to Utah or wherever. And I actually liked that trade for the Lakers. I know they're 13th in the West and I know four through 13 is only separated by a handful of games, but maybe a few more shooters, some younger bodies, you know, perhaps that can get the Lakers out of their doldrums. Hard to imagine the way things have gone this year, and they've given up all their draft assets. I think they have one more first in the decade, but that's about it.

Mark, what do you make of the West to this point? Because, and I don't have the exact number here, but it's about seven, eight teams that are within three or four games of 500 either way. Even the Lakers, well, they've dropped now to five games below 500, but they're still within striking distance. The defending champion Golden State Warriors are just a game above 500. Even teams like Dallas are only four games above 500. It is such a knot in the middle of the West.

It's strange. I mean, Dallas, that was a big win tonight and Kyrie Irving looked good. You know, that's still to be decided to see when Kyrie and Luca get together, but Dallas has 26 losses in fourth place. The Lakers have 30 losses in 13th place. So that's, what is that, four games back in the loss column? Four games back in the loss column from fourth to 13th. Now, the Lakers haven't put together really an extended run all season.

So, you know, I hesitate when I keep saying, hey, one good week and the Lakers are in, you know, they're out of the playing game. But now Phoenix all of a sudden rockets in most people's minds to maybe the top in the West. I mean, Denver has the best player and the best record. Memphis has been a solid number two, but they haven't been winning of late.

They don't win the close games. Sacramento has been a great story this year in the three seed. I'm fascinated to see if these two trades by Dallas and Phoenix in the last couple of days will spur Denver and Memphis to get out of their comfort zone and maybe go after, you know, a bigger player. Maybe the two biggest fish have already gone.

I think OG Ananobi in Toronto, I feel is like the next big guy out there. Do they overextend? Do they, you know, stick to their principles and not, you know, give up the farm, you know, to get one of those guys? I just think it's fascinating now that Kevin Durant is headed to Phoenix, that it changes the whole dynamic in the West, which looked top heavy with two teams, maybe three. And then who knows the rest of the conference.

Mark Kestisher is with us from LA. He called LeBron's record breaking shot in his game in which he had 38 points on Tuesday night. So we did have a couple of minutes before the top of the hour. How would you describe the atmosphere? How did you describe the atmosphere inside the arena? You know how I described it at the time? I said it felt like some cross between an all-star game and a finals game. It had the buzz of a finals and it had the A-list of an all-star and a finals. I mean, you know me, I don't know the culture of A-list celebrities like I used to.

And even when I did know 20 years ago, I really didn't. So I had Vince Carter to tell me who everybody was from one set of the basket to the other. And, you know, I just don't know how you could spend $70,000 on a front row ticket. But if you have that kind of money, I mean, it was billionaires next to billionaires next to athletes. And then there were the family and friends.

It was a really cool scene. And, you know, LeBron delivered. You know, in so many other historical chases, you know, you're waiting on Aaron Judge to hit a home run.

You're waiting for Trevor Hoffman to have a save opportunity. You know, those are things you really can't control. And it's, you know, ironic that LeBron, who never saw himself as a scorer or an all-time scorer, he's right. I mean, you play at a high level for a long time. The points are just gonna come. They just come a lot faster for him.

And for him to get 38 at age 38 to pass the captain was pretty cool. That was a really cool night last night. So that last night, that was a year ago. I mean, I have no, yeah, I can't keep track now.

It's happening too fast, Fast and Furious. I know that you were wandering around on Sunday afternoon as the Grammys was rolling out the red carpet and people were showing up. And then I need you to compare that. So what was Greater Buzz? The Grammys in LA on Sunday or inside the arena for LeBron's big moment? Oh, it's a good one.

I thought Beyonce probably, you know, had already set the tone with her record, but then LeBron, I think, surpassed that. I think for me, I didn't realize, and I told you this off the air, I didn't realize like people show up, like regular people, maybe like us, that, you know, will wear the guys wearing the tux and the ladies wearing the fine dresses. And I don't even know if they have tickets. I just think they're walking in downtown Los Angeles. And I saw a whole bunch of people in the local establishment right next door where, you know, I went to grab dinner and I'm like, I think that's a thing here. But there were all kinds, there was tons of security. There were fencing up, the president's wife was there.

So I'm sure that even added, you know, to all the security. So it was, that was a different beast outside the stadium than last night. But inside, I think it would be hard to top what happened and the NBA always does a great job with those moments where all of a sudden, you know, you have a hundred media there surrounding the guy and all of a sudden, Kareem just kind of shows up out of nowhere and hands the actual ball to LeBron. I mean, it was all premeditated, but they executed so well. So it was a really cool scene. But you know, the way things have gone for the Lakers this year, cool scene, but ends up in another loss.

Oh man, so much to think about though, as we head toward the actual trade deadline, then all-star break and you will be there in Salt Lake for all of that excitement. So find Mark on Twitter, at Mark Kestisher, M-A-R-C-K-E-S-T-E-C-H-E-R, long time. Lot of letters, lot of letters, my friend.

I mean, I feel like people should be able to read and spell. ESPN radio's sportscaster, play-by-play, you'll hear him another game with the Lakers on Thursday. There is our music. I don't want to cut you off, but thank you so much for a couple of minutes.

I'm getting played off just like the Grammys. I'd like to thank my parents. I'd like to thank Amy. Have a good night.

That's fantastic and perfect here on CBS Sports Radio. We're still touched. You all made the trek out here. Robert, Renata, we hope our marriage is nothing like yours.

Cheers, everybody. From the director of Pitch Perfect and the producers of The Proposal. Something doesn't feel right. We're pirates, and they took everybody hostage.

Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board. Shotgun Wedding, rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. We're still touched. You all made the trek out here. Robert, Renata, we hope our marriage is nothing like yours.

Cheers, everybody. From the director of Pitch Perfect and the producers of The Proposal. Something doesn't feel right. We're pirates, and they took everybody hostage.

Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board. Shotgun Wedding, rated R. Watch now on Prime Video. We're still touched. You all made the trek out here. Robert, Renata, we hope our marriage is nothing like yours.

Cheers, everybody. From the director of Pitch Perfect and the producers of The Proposal. Something doesn't feel right. We're pirates, and they took everybody hostage.

Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel. This is not happening. Pirates chasing you wasn't on your vision board. You're the only thing on my vision board. Shotgun Wedding, rated R. Watch now on Prime Video.