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The Rockets’ Reboot, the Lakers’ Turmoil, and Repositioning Basketball As International Soccer

And everything else you need to know leading up to the NBA Finals

By Chris Ryan and Justin Verrier
Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets - Game Three Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

We sit down ahead of the NBA Finals to go through some of the news that has broken between the end of the Eastern Conference finals and now. First, do the Rockets need to hit the reset button on their core if they want to win the title (2:45)? Then, the deluge of Lakers turmoil seems to be never ending, but will it ultimately trickle off if they go star-hunting this offseason (22:00)? Finally, we share our observations on NBA free agency and rumblings about a midseason tournament that have us thinking about the ways that basketball is starting to mirror soccer (37:40).

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