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It’s the year of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers
As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare to face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, he can’t help but feel like the stars are starting to line up for the Lakers and LeBron James as he stands eight wins away from his fourth NBA title. .
Without taking anything away from the talented Nuggets, led by Nikola Jokic and pinch-hitter Jamal Murray, if you had told the Lakers before the season that they would face the Nuggets in the conference finals, rather than the LA Clippers, it would. would have done. They took a risk without asking questions.
However, before Game 1, that’s where they are currently.
More of Sir Charles in charge
After a slow start in the NBA reset bubble, the Lakers are 8-2 in the playoffs. Ironically, they have lost both Game 1s in each of the first two playoff series and then have gone on to win four straight wins both times.
While there’s been a lot of talk about Los Angeles’ poor supporting cast beyond LeBron and Anthony Davis, the Lakers have the best net rating in the playoffs, the second-best offense, and the third-best defense among playoff teams. They are playing at an extremely high level, but that will undoubtedly be put to the test at the hands of the Nuggets.
When their backs have been against the wall, that is when Denver has taken the greatest step. They have come back twice from deficits in the series 3-1 in these playoffs and no advantage is certain against the Jamal Murray-Nikola Jokic duo.
With that said, the Lakers are heading into Game 1 as a heavy favorite. There is no single defender in the Nuggets who can protect, or even stop, LeBron. Perhaps the same could be said of Anthony Davis. On the other side of the ball, I’m sure we’ll see some LeBron over Murray and maybe even Jokic in certain situations where the Lakers downsize with AD on the bench.
Ultimately, this series will come down to whether the Lakers will be able to outperform in the way the Clippers couldn’t. If history tells us anything, it is that LeBron will not lose this series. In fact, you can probably count on one hand the series he lost when he was considered the favorite; the last I can remember is the 2010 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
It is a rarity. For the most part, LeBron doesn’t lose the series as a favorite.
If LeBron James and the Lakers manage to pass the Nuggets, the Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics will be waiting for them in the NBA Finals. The Heat are up 2-0, but the series is far from over. No matter who emerges in the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron and the Lakers would once again be favorites in the NBA Finals.
In the Eastern Conference, because of their excellent game to start the playoffs, many are speaking of the Miami Heat as a team of destiny. In fact, it could make the same case for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference.
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