Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals: 5 Things to Watch

news7g05/16/2023

2 5 minutes read

Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals: 5 Things to Watch

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

Western Conference Finals between Los Angeles Lakers And Denver nuggetsbegin Tuesday nightqualifies as a legitimate surprise.

Going into the post-season, both teams are underrated.

Although the Nuggets took #1 at the Western Conference with a 53-29 record, they flew under sight before destroying phoenix sun in the second round of the knockouts, with some believing their regular-season success was down to luck as other teams were struggling with injuries or needing more time to recover from the upcoming draw. rearrange their squad.

The Nuggets have denied that.

Look no further than Jokic’s 53-point performance against the Suns in Game 4 or his five triple triples later this season. And then Jamal Murraywho has gone from averaging 20 points this season to scoring at least 30 in these four knockouts.

As for the Lakers, no one thought they would get this position when just a few months ago they were ranked 13th in the West. But they improved their roster, adding six new players ahead of the trade deadline. They went on to claim the seventh seed. And now, with both James and Davis healthy, they are real championship contenders.

LeBron, Lakers straight to WCF, who deserves the most credit?

Here are five storylines you need to know about the series.

first. LeBron James on a quest to win my fifth championship

James has long made it clear how much he wants to return to the position to compete for another title.

After the Lakers missed the playoffs last season, he tweeted last April, “I may/will NOT miss next season again for my career! This sucks.”

Then, at this year’s All-Star weekend, with hopes after the Lakers’ season in jeopardy, James called the stretch “the 23 most important games of my career in a single season.” normally.”

The Lakers didn’t just make it to the knockouts – overcame the second seed Grizzly Memphis and the sixth seed golden empire warriors – but now James is just eight wins away from his fifth championship.

Only 13 NBA players have won 5 rings, a list that includes Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Magic Johnson.

If James can carry the Lakers all season, it means he’ll be just behind his idol, Michael Jordan, one of only four players to win six rings.

2. Nikola Jokić aim to win this season – not MVP

After Jokic’s stellar season, some were disappointed that he didn’t win his third consecutive MVP.

Jokic is not one of them.

In March, when asked what being the fourth man in league history to win three consecutive MVPs means to him, Jokic replied, “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. nothing special. I’m just trying to compete, win the Game.”

Then, before Joel Embiid Named MVP earlier this month, Jokic said he was “not concerned” with the announcement, adding: “Hopefully today will be a sunny day so I can be in the pool.”

Winning the championship is another story.

Jokic, who was picked by the Nuggets as the 41st overall pick in the 2014 draft, never made it to the NBA Finals and the Nuggets’ playoff shortcomings have led to some questions about him, despite being hailed as the MVP.

Throughout his consecutive MVP run, the Nuggets never made it past the second round of the knockouts. Now, he finally has a chance to win hardware he really cares about: the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Problem? A guy named LeBron who was 10 times in the Finals during his 20 seasons.

3. Anthony Davis compared to Nikola Jokic…this will be interesting

The most exciting match of this series is Davis vs. Jokic, two big guys with very different strengths.

Jokic made himself nearly unstoppable in attack. He has a light, powerful touch and incredible passing skills. After this season, he has averaged 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 9.7 assists. His weak point? Defense.

In the meantime, defense is Davis’ bread and butter, especially after this season. Davis has averaged fewer points in these playoffs than he did in the Lakers championship in 2020 (21.2 points versus 27.7), but he average more bounces (14.1 vs 9.7) and saves (3.3 vs 1.4).

Davis will go all out against Jokic, who Kevin Durant Said to be “going to be one of the all-time great centers to ever touch basketball” after the Nuggets knocked the Suns out in six games.

But, fortunately for Davis, he didn’t have to defend Jokic and carry the Lakers in the offensive phase for his team to succeed. In fact, after this season, four Lakers players are averaging at least 15 points a game: James (23.4), Davis, D’Angelo Russell (15.7 points) and Austin Reaves (15.4 points).

For Jokic, the challenge will be dealing with Davis’ athletic ability at both ends of the court. For Davis, the challenge will be to stop a seemingly unstoppable guy in the late stages of the attack.

Can Anthony Davis continue to play for the Lakers in WCF?

4. This is a rematch of the bubble Western Conference finals. Is that important?

The Lakers and Nuggets met in the 2020 Western Conference finals in Orlando, but couldn’t glean much from that meeting.

The Lakers are a completely different team, with only two players back on their 2020 championship roster: James and Davis.

Nuggets have a bit more continuity, return Jokic, Murray, Michael Porter Jr.. and head coach Michael Malone.

Nuggets are now more experienced and tougher.

And the Lakers are practically unrecognizable, even if their stars change their roles. (James was the team’s main point guard in 2020, he now primarily plays as a forward. And as mentioned, Davis has focused more on defense in these playoffs.)

In 2020, the Nuggets came back from two series of 3-1 defeats before Utah Jazz and Clippers Los Angeles to reach the grand finals, but lost to the Lakers in five games.

Meanwhile, the Lakers went on to win their first championship in a decade, beating Heat Miami in six games. Miami is back in this year’s Eastern Conference finals, also opening the door for an NBA Finals rematch.

LeBron, Lakers vs Top Seed Nuggets in Game 1 of WCF

5. The Rise of Jamal Murray

Murray had a legendary bubble run, averaging 26.5 points on 50.5% of his shots from the field and 45.3% from outside the arc with two 50-point performances against the Jazz.

Since then, he has been off for more than a season due to knee surgery.

But Murray excelled in these playoffs, averaging 25.9 points, 6.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds. Murray helped Jokic take the pressure off and made the Nuggets a much harder team to defend.

For the Nuggets to beat the Lakers, Murray had to play at his best.

Then again, the Lakers’ defense played so well that they could even be cornered Steph curry sometime in their second series against the defending champions.

During the knockout stages, the Lakers had the highest defensive stats in the league (106.5). The Nuggets had the highest attack rating (118.7) during that time period.

Let the fun begin.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the tournament for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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