Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Credit: Getty Images
Without question, seeing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals seems improbable yet a reality. This team lost 10 of their first 12 games under new head coach Darvin Ham. During the season, the team went stretches without two of their superstars this season, Anthony Davis and James. Fans seemed concerned that the playoffs would be out of the question.
However, once the team got healthy, they found themselves as one of the hottest teams in the NBA. They would win 10 of the last 12 games, including a 108 –102 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Play-In. In the victory, both James and Davis had themselves a double-double. LeBron had 30 points and 10 rebounds while Davis had 24 points and 15 boards.
Los Angeles starts off strong in the first round
Los Angeles entered the playoffs as the seventh seed, facing Ja Morant and the second-seed Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Each game in this series was decided by double-digits as the Lakers got past the Grizzlies four games to two. While James and Davis took care of business, guards D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves had a great series.
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Russell averaged 16.7 points per game and 5.7 assists/per game and Reaves scored 16.5 points per game and 5.3 assists per game in the series.
LeBron and the Lakers past the Warriors
Next, the Lakers would face Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals. Here, this series had one close game, a three-point win by Los Angeles in Game Four.
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All things considered, this was a team effort as six players averaged at least 10 points per game in the series. One such player was guard Lonnie Walker IV, who scored 15 points off the bench in that Game Four victory over the Warriors.
The Lakers face a daunting task against the Nuggets
Los Angeles is four games away from their second appearance in the NBA Finals in four seasons. They face Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of the Western Conference finals in the 2019 season. These Nuggets are far from the team that they were back then.
Jokic is one of the best players in the NBA and a two-time league MVP.
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Also, Denver is the No. 1 seed and looking to end the Lakers’ dream of another title. The Lakers have to play up against this team, especially on the offensive end, to make it back to the NBA Finals.
