Lakers finish off Warriors, focus on Nuggets 

LOS ANGELES (News4usonline) – The Los Angeles Lakers were able to beat the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the NBA playoffs largely because of their size. That won’t be the case against the Denver Nuggets as the two teams lock horns in the Western Conference Finals.

“First of all, nothing but respect for their organization,” LeBron James said about Golden State after scoring 30 points and drumming up nine points and nine assists as the Lakers clinched Game 6 and the series with a 122-101 win. “As far as the players, Steph [Curry], Draymond [Green], and Klay [Thompson], those are the guys I’ve had the most battles with, those are the guys I’ve been in the foxhole with…war with or against. Nothing but respect for them, [and] for the franchise as well.”

“For us, as a franchise, tonight in general, it was great to play one of the most efficient, one of our best games of the series, and it started because of the defensive mesh that we had. We defended at a high level, and when we do that we can be extremely good,” James added.   

Like the first two rounds of the postseason, the Lakers will hit the road for Game 1 and Game 2 before returning to Crypto.com Arena to play Game 3 and Game 4. The Lakers ambushed both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Warriors by stealing Game 1 in both series.

The Lakers beat both the Grizzlies and Warriors in six games. The challenge for the Lakers against Denver is a full-size difference. The Lakers won’t have the experience edge against the Nuggets as they did against a very immature Memphis team.

Their size won’t bother Denver’s frontline as they did against the very undersized Golden State team. For one, the Nuggets have center Nikola Jokic, probably the NBA’s most unstoppable force offensively. Jokic is a two-time league regular season MVP and is a nightmare to face.

Just ask the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns. Both the Timberwolves and the Suns encountered the best of the best in Jokic. So don’t expect Lakers forward Anthony Davis to run around chasing guards out on the perimeter. If he does that, Jokic may go for 60 points every game. Davis and the Lakers got away with that scheme against the smaller Golden State team. Now comes the real test for the Lakers.

“I just think this is what this league is about. The fewer the teams, the tougher the matchups, the more skilled the players,” said Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. “Talk about [a] two-time MVP with a well-balanced squad, hungry, great synergy, great chemistry, great ability, athleticism, shooting, all the above. We’re going to have our work cut out for us, but, you know, they have to guard us, too.”

That strategy won’t work against the Nuggets. With Golden State not really having a real scoring threat in the paint, Jokic will pose all kinds of problems for Davis and the Lakers.

The Lakers guards got bailed out with Davis and LeBron James playing cheating defense. Davis, James and the Lakers are going to have to play a lot of man-to-man defense, which could expose their backside help.

That means that Austin Reaves, Dennis Schroder, and Lonnie Walker IV are going to have to figure out how to guard and slow down Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, and Michael Porter Jr. on their own most of the time. Good luck. Davis is going to have his hands full trying to stop Jokic.

And unlike the Warriors, a team that was limited in what it could do down low, Gordon, Murray, and Porter gave the Nuggets sure offensive firepower. These two teams met up in the 2020 Western Conference Finals with the Lakers prevailing with an easy 4-1 advantage.

The Lakers handled their business against Denver then before moving to beat the Miami Heat to win the championship while the nation was under siege from the Covis-19 pandemic.

What’s the difference for the Lakers against the Nuggets now? Health. Jokic and Denver were short-handed against Los Angeles in 2020. The explosive Porter was injured and could not play against the Lakers. The Nuggets came into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

The Lakers are the No. 7 seed, yet Ham’s team found a way to knock off both Memphis and Golden State. The Lakers are not going to intimidate and manhandle the Nuggets the way they did against the Grizzlies and the Warriors. Look, Porter and Murray are coming, and they’re coming strong. 

The Nuggets are looking to avenge that 2020 defeat to the Lakers in the conference championship. The Lakers will have the advantage if they walk into Denver’s arena and win one or two games played up there. If the Nuggets go up 2-0, the Lakers are cooked. The series will be determined by the first two games.

The undoing of the Warriors was a tool essential to Golden State winning four NBA titles: the 3-point shot. The Warriors made just 13 of 48 attempts from three-point land in Game 6, an underwhelming 27 percent. The loss was hard to swallow for Curry, who poured in 32 points in a losing effort in Game 6.

“You’re disappointed, shellshocked that it’s over,” Curry said. “You pour so much into every season, but coming off of last year, trying to defend and give ourselves a chance to keep advancing. It’s a tough way for the season to end. It’s unfamiliar territory, but I’m proud of the fight that we had. The Lakers played amazing all series, played to their strengths.”

Feature Image: Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) looks to pass the ball against the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the team’s second-round playoff series. Photo by Dennis J. Freeman for News4usonline on May 8, 2023.