Lakers News: Expert Believes LA Defense Making The Difference In Warriors Series

Defense wins championships.

Since making a series of crucial in-season trades, your Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. Their defense has been the difference in their turnaround to the season and why they've been so successful these playoffs. 

Their defense has been even better this postseason, as Sam Amick, an NBA senior writer for the Athletic, provides the numbers to back that up. 

In the here and now, Ham deserves immense credit for the way he has stayed true to himself while turning this once-woeful Lakers outfit around. His Lakers are currently tops in defensive ratings among playoff teams, with a 105.3 mark (points scored per 100 possessions) that would have been first in the regular season by a country mile (the Cavs led the league with a mark of 109.9). And this latest outing, one in which the Warriors were so hesitant at the rim because of Davis’ presence while shooting just 29.3 percent from deep (12 of 31), was proof positive that this is the kind of winning formula that might make them the unlikeliest of title contenders.

Defensive-minded head coach Darvin Ham is a big reason for the Lakers' defensive performance, but the main reason is due to their two-way superstar Anthony Davis. Davis has been why the Lakers have been this great and leads these playoffs in stocks (combination of blocks and steals). 

The 30-year olds tremendous defense on Warriors superstar Stephen Curry helped LA seal the deal in Game Four. Ham spoke on Davis's defense, and how he compares it to other great defenses he's been a part of. 

“I just think the relentlessness, man, brings a smile to my face, makes me feel fuzzy and warm,” said Ham, whose defensive pedigree and ability to connect with players was a driving force in the Lakers’ decision to hire him last June after firing Frank Vogel two months prior. “Just the relentlessness, man. I happened to be a part, as a player, of one of the all-time greatest defenses that the NBA has ever seen in the ’03-04 Pistons, holding people to under 70 points for an entire game."

Defense wins championships, and LA will need all that and then some to get the job done. 

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