All Lakers Expert Roundtable On LA-Denver Conference Finals Series
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers will kick off their Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets in Ball Arena. It's a rematch of their 2020 Western Conference Finals meeting, which the then-higher seeded Lakers won in five fairly close games. This time, Los Angeles is the underdog, as it has been across all three of its playoff series this year. Can LA pull off yet another upset behind stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James, or will Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic finally break through to his first NBA Finals appearance?
Our All Lakers experts supply predictions to that question, and many more, in the roundtable below:
1. What's the most important matchup of this series?
Alex Kirschenbaum: I realize now that I should have worded this question differently. Obviously the Nikola Jokic-Anthony Davis matchup is the most important one in the series. But the one I'm most curious about is Jamal Murray and presumably Dennis Schröder. I'm guessing Schröder was elevated to a starting role primarily to defend Denver's lead guard. Schröder won't be expected to match Murray blow-for-blow on offense, but just to make him work for his points as much as possible.
Noah Camras: It has to be Anthony Davis vs. Nikola Jokic. Those are the two best players in this series, and it’ll be interesting to see how each match up on the defensive side. AD isn’t going to stop Jokic, but it would be great if he could just slow him down. Also, the Lakers will hope Jokic doesn’t completely drain AD and take away his energy on offense.
Ricardo Sandoval: Everyone will look forward to the matchup of Anthony Davis vs. Nikola Jokic. The battle of the two best big men in the game today. Davis, a defensive nightmare, who can lock you up while giving you the business on offense as well, and Jokic, the two-time MVP, the most versatile offensive big of all time and a problem for anyone guarding him. This will be the matchup for the ages, and whoever comes out on top of it will likely help propel their respective teams in this series. This is the matchup of the playoffs by far.
Noel Sanchez: I have my eyes solely on AD versus Jokic just like anybody else but I am pretty excited to see how Jarred Vanderbilt and D'Angelo Russell fare against an elite Jamal Murray. It's very clear that he has much of his speed and confidence back after his ACL tear and LA needs to take the same approach with him as they did with Stephen Curry.
2. How should Los Angeles look to stop Nikola Jokic?
Noah: Like I said before, you aren’t going to stop Jokic. He’s arguably the most unstoppable player in the NBA right now. However, AD has the best chance to slow him down as the NBA’s best defender, and if they can match up a bigger body on him at all times, they can hopefully keep him out of the paint as much as possible and force him to be a passer. That’ll at least be something.
Ricardo: No one is stopping the Joker. He’s the two-time MVP for a reason and is a much complete player than he was in 2020, and that says a lot. The best LA could do is have Anthony Davis guard him and throw as many bodies at Nikola. They must also make it as challenging for Jokic as possible, whether in the post, on pick and rolls, at the top of the key, or anywhere he’s on the floor. Jokic is the best player the Lakers have and will face if they advance. LA will have its hand full, but the best they can do is cause him to turnover the ball and get him into foul trouble on the other side of the court.
Noel: Stopping Jokic will ultimately be coming down to tiring him out. Whether it be forcing him to step up on shooters coming off of a pick and roll or sending Anthony Davis down low to make him work, you have to make sure that he is putting forth a lot of effort on defense so he can't be as dangerous running their offense.
Alex: The Lakers should look to cut off passing lanes for the All-NBA big man, making him shoot but freezing his teammates out of the action a bit. Jokic is not only the Nuggets' leading scorer and best shooter, he's also the fulcrum of the rest of their offense and their best passer (he's also probably one of the best passers in the league). Compelling him to look to score instead of make a determination, between shooting and passing, about the best fit for his team's offense on any given possession, will disrupt what Jokic and Denver will want to do.
3. Which Lakers role player will thrive most in this series?
Ricardo: A Lakers role player that should thrive is D’Angelo Russell, but the one that will thrive is the former undrafted rookie, Austin Reaves. Reaves looks like he caught his stride in the closeout of the Western Conference Semifinals, and he could be the one to take LA over the top. Reaves will be one of the primary ball handlers and could cause a lot of trouble for Nikola Jokic in terms of the amount of fouls he draws. Austin plays well enough defense and could be a handful in the offensive end for a Jamal Murray or whoever else will defend him. Reaves is HIM!
Noel: I think D'Angelo Russell will be able to continue finding his spots in the mid-range and also grab some long rebounds after some missed Denver three's and get right into a fast break. It's his first WCF so I'm excited to see how he responds.
Alex: Because Denver's frontcourt is so huge, it will hinge on a Lakers forward to make an outsized impact, be that Jarred Vanderbilt on defense (and, heck, hopefully on offense, too) or Rui Hachimura on offense (and, heck, hopefully defense, too). That said, Hachimura has had the stronger postseason to this point, as Vanderbilt was nearly played off the floor against the smaller Golden State Warriors last round. I think LA could really use his scoring and shot creation.
Noah: Austin Reaves is the best answer, but I’m not even sure if he can be considered a role player anymore. So I’m going to go with Rui Hachimura having a good series, similar to the one he had in the first few games of the Memphis series. I think he’ll get back up to scoring double figures and allow AD and LeBron James to get some rest on the offensive side of the ball.
4. Who wins this series? In how many games?
Noel: I have LA and Denver going back and forth all series long with the Lakers pulling off the upset in game 7!
Alex: If the Lakers are going to win, it'll need to be in six games. The Nuggets are formidable at home (they have to lose a game there in this postseason), and certainly won't drop a closeout home Game 7. That said, I think Denver is the bigger team with the best player on the hardwood in Jokic, and will take this in six games. Anthony Davis has been so terrific in this postseason that, should he and James really get cooking in the post (and some role players nail shots), I do think LA can get this done. Plus, I've picked against Los Angeles in both of its other two series thus far, and it's worked to the Lakers' advantage, so why upset the apple cart?
Noah: Lakers in six. LeBron is going to play his best series yet, knowing his team is just eight wins away from glory. AD is going to remain dominant, and the Lakers’ role players will come through for LA to close it out in Los Angeles and head to the NBA Finals for the second time in four seasons.
Ricardo: The Nuggets will be the Lakers' toughest matchup, as they are the most complete team they will play in these playoffs. The Nuggets are the number one seed in the West for a reason; they're well coached, they have the best offensive rating in the league, and they possibly have the best player in the playoffs left; HOWEVER, they don't have the best duo in the league, and the best defensive rating in the league. Those two categories belong to your Los Angeles Lakers, along with players that complement them well to take them over the top. Defense wins championships, and that will hold true in this series and beyond. It won't be easy for the purple and gold, but they will get the job done. Lakers in 7!
Bonus Question: How much does Thomas Bryant regret asking for a trade out of LA right now?
Alex: A lot. Bryant went from demanding to be dealt out of town, for fear of getting his minutes slashed with Anthony Davis' then-impending return from a right foot stress injury in February, to... getting his minutes slashed in Denver. Power forward Aaron Gordon essentially functions as the Nuggets' backup center in the playoffs.
Noah: Be careful what you wish for, Thomas! He went from a role player getting starter minutes when AD was out to a bench warmer. If the Nuggets win, he won’t regret it too much. But if the Lakers win.. oof.
Noel: I loved the energy that Thomas Bryant brought to us earlier this season so it does make me a bit sad seeing him warm the bench every game. His goal was to get more minutes with a trade and that hasn't happened so I can only imagine how much he feels left out right now.
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