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(Photo by Michael Reaves / Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers face the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
To the surprise of basketball fans everywhere, the Los Angeles Lakers won’t face the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals after all.
The Lakers, of course, did their part. They defeated the Houston Rockets in five games, as predicted here, winning four in a row after losing the opening game.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way, but received tremendous support from teammates like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Danny Green, Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris and Rajon Rondo, who returned from injury to play surprisingly well. Rookie Talen Horton-Tucker also made an unexpected contribution.
Meanwhile, the Clippers somehow managed to drown a 3-game-to-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets fighters. That meant the franchise once again failed to advance beyond the second round … for the 50th year in a row!
But let’s not focus on the unfortunate history of Los Angeles’ second team or the coaching deficiencies of Doc Rivers. Instead, let’s examine what the Lakers must do to reach the NBA Finals for the 32nd time in franchise history.
1. Don’t underestimate the nuggets
Throughout the season, fans debated which Los Angeles team was the best in the Western Conference. Many NBA experts chose the Clips to win the battle of Los Angeles and win the title. So it was only natural that Lakers players and coaches expected to have a head-on battle with the Clippers.
A showdown between the Lakers and Clippers was envisioned as a highly competitive pick-em series with an uncertain outcome. But now the Lakers are strong favorites not only to beat the Nuggets but also to win the NBA crown.
As natural as a collective disappointment against Denver is, it is something the team cannot afford. Coach Frank Vogel must prepare them to face an unflappable opponent who plays tough and never gives up.
This is where James’ experience can prove invaluable. His teams have rarely been upset in the postseason. It happened in their first year with Miami nine years ago when they were defeated in the NBA Finals in 2011 by Dallas. They also lost three years later in the final round to San Antonio, but the Spurs’ victory was a mild surprise at best and certainly not unexpected.
In LeBron’s other two years with the Heat, his team won titles both times. Before that, he played for teams in Cleveland with little staff and improvement. And when he returned to the Cavs, they reached the Finals four times in a row when they were always the Warriors’ favorites.
The point is, James has shown the ability to rise to the occasion and inspire his teammates to do the same. He won’t let the Lakers take the Nuggets too lightly.
Fortunately for the team, there are other players who will also help keep the team on their toes. Davis has been an unstoppable force in the playoffs, and while he has no experience playing that deep in the postseason, there are many reasons to expect that he will continue to dominate.
Rondo has helped keep the Lakers’ engine running. Since joining the team, he has never played at a higher level than in his five playoff games.
And then there’s Caruso. Is there a player in the league who does so many little things better? AC exemplifies the word rush on defense while on offense he has been outstanding playing either as point guard or off the ball.
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