LeBron was nearly flawless in the first two rounds, and the closer he gets to the championship trophy, the stronger his resolve will be. He has actually conquered three opponents so far: Memphis, Golden State and Father Time. The 38-year-old force of nature is once again on a deep postseason run and so far, so good. Davis didn’t see anyone significant in the first round against Memphis with Steven Adams out or the Warriors, and Jokic was tested only a bit more against Rudy Gobert and Deandre Ayton. Overall, this isn’t a classic big-man matchup in the normal sense, but it’s an outstanding one nonetheless. But on defense, Jokic must be at his best against Davis, who can stretch the floor and clearly has an edge in athleticism. Even though Davis is a terrific shot blocker, Jokic will make it tough on him in the post because of his ability to follow his own miss, and also his soft touch and footwork around the rim. That puts a lot of pressure on Jokic to be the heavy in this matchup. In terms of worth to his team, let’s just say Jokic doesn’t have LeBron James riding with him. They are different players with different body types and skill sets, but bring the same impact. For the first time in these playoffs, these two elite big men will get a supreme test. With the Lakers advancing to the West finals, an epic Nikola Jokic-Anthony Davis matchup is on deck. Give the Lakers and Nuggets that much respect.
One thing’s for sure: This shouldn’t be a quick series.
Lal vs den series#
Each series and almost each game brings its own personality and problems and heroes and storylines. is the tastier story, given where it’s been, with LeBron four games closer to his 11th Finals appearance.
2 seed Grizzlies and defending champion Warriors, are more impressive than Denver’s run to this point. The Lakers can be classified as the team trending harder right now. They’re right at the doorstep again, but with LeBron standing in the way, does this really mean they’re any closer?
They’ve never been to the Finals, let alone won an NBA title. The Nuggets now are much wiser from the experience and, as the top seed, have much to prove. The Lakers then were the more poised and experienced and, quite frankly, the better team LeBron was thirsty for another ring and AD for his first.
This rematch of the 2020 Western Conference finals played in the Orlando bubble brings those three stars together again. What about hungrier? Of the three players, he’s the one without a ring. Nikola Jokic nearly grabbed a third straight Kia NBA MVP and over the last few years has proven better - and definitely sturdier - than LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Nuggets didn’t deal with many injuries, kept their key pieces intact, had no reason to desperately seek help at the trade deadline and easily assumed home-court advantage throughout the playoffs by earning the best record in the West (and second-best home record in the league). Give the Nuggets this: Denver avoided all the drama that dogged the Lakers for much of the season. But as we all know, the real state of the Western Conference finals is much deeper than that. If we go strictly on that and nothing more, the Nuggets would be all but ticketed to the NBA Finals. What a contrast, at least according to the standings: The top seed in the West versus a Play-In Tournament survivor. The Nikola Jokic-Anthony Davis showdown will likely be the most important during this conference finals.
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