Denver steamrolled through New Orleans and Dallas in the first two rounds of the playoffs, as they won both series in five games. The Lakers in my opinion have had an easier road to get to the Conference Finals, having faced the Utah Jazz and the depleted Houston Rockets. The problem is the Lakers inconsistent play has many critics wondering if they can get by the Nuggets, who have played extremely well on both sides of the ball so far this postseason. The Lakers have shown that when necessary, they can dominate a game as they did in Games 2, 5, and 7 of their series with Houston.
Believe it or not, I think Denver is a better matchup for the Lakers than Houston was, even though they played four games without Yao Ming. First of all, Denver is going to put Dahntay Jones on Kobe Bryant. Yeah I haven't heard of Dahntay Jones either, and he is nothing in comparison to Shane Battier. I expect Kobe to attack Jones right away since Jones is prone to foul trouble. Kobe torched Denver in the regular season, averaging 31 points on 47 percent shooting. The Nuggets big men may be bigger in size, but they are not as physical as guys like Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, and Carl Landry were. Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin is tough, but Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum both have the height advantage over Martin and will likely exploit it. The one advantage I see Denver having is at the small forward position with Carmelo Anthony. The Lakers will likely put Trevor Ariza on Anthony to try and slow him down, however if it comes down to critical fourth quarter possessions, look for the Lakers to put Kobe on Carmelo. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum need to dominate. When both play very well, the Lakers are almost unbeatable.
The key to the series for me is the bench play. Denver's bench has been a huge reason why they have been so successful this year, while the Lakers bench is arguably the deepest in the league. Denver will send J.R. Smith, Chris "The Birdman" Andersen, and Linus Kleiza on the floor, all of whom are capable of being difference makers in the game. The Birdman has become Denver's source of energy and defense off the bench, while Smith is averaging over 16 points in the playoffs. The Lakers have guys like Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Shannon Brown, and Luke Walton that can come in and give quality minutes so Kobe and Pau can rest. The Laker bench will need to play well and keep the pressure on Denver.
While Denver could playing the best basketball right now, I still don't think they are the better team. Denver is finally playing a team that is evenly matched to them, plus they do not have home-court advantage. The Nuggets have not won a playoff game at Staples Center under George Karl, and that is something they will have to do if they want to advance to the NBA Finals. With all the criticism and doubts being thrown at the Lakers, they will be fired up and ready to play. I think Houston prepared the Lakers very well for this series, and let's not forget the Lakers have not worked hard to get to this point just so they can lose. Kobe Bryant is the best closer in the game, and when the Lakers play to their full potential, I really don't think there is any team in the NBA that can stop them. Denver is great, but the Lakers are still the class of the West and still the team to beat.
Pick- Lakers in six
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