Image Credit: (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
By: Mikael Rizvi-Syed
After crushing the Warriors in Game 6, the Lakers are the favorites to win the West. They beat the Warriors 101-122 on Friday, May 12, 2023. Many said that this team was going to be their toughest matchup, and they beat them in six games. The Lakers are looking better than ever and could possibly beat the Denver Nuggets, whom they’ll face in the Western Conference Finals. Denver is the #1 seed in the West, and I think this marks the true test for the Lakers’ chances of winning their 18th title this year.
Denver’s offense has been amazing this playoffs, but so has the Lakers’ defense. They kept Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole under 10 points in two games and limited their efficiency throughout the series. However, that doesn’t matter when you have a big like Nikola Jokic, who can play any role he wants. He can pop or roll on a pick and roll, drive to the basket, go in the post, and even create his own plays when he has the ball. Anthony Davis and others will need to lock down Jokic and prevent him from scoring on offense. Once you stop him, the Nuggets easily fall. If the Lakers can get it done on offense as well with Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and LeBron James, you will see an easy Game 1 for the Lakers.
So we have to wait and see what will happen during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals tomorrow on May 16, 2023, at 5:30 pm PST.