Lakers Playoff Preview: WCF vs. Denver Nuggets

Welcome to the Western Conference Finals preview with the Lakers and Nuggets set to square off for the right to go to the NBA Finals. Yeah, this is a matchup that nobody expected. But a certain LA team did not live up to their end of the bargain. Alright, enough with the Clippers slander. I saved that in the previous post, so this preview solely focuses on the Lakers-Nuggets matchup.

This is quite an improbable run for the Nuggets. "Quit" is a demoralizing word. But it doesn't exist in the dictionary for these young Denver Nuggets, the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit twice in one postseason run!

The "never-say-die" attitude of these Nuggets is spearheaded by the duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. They have been nothing short of magnificent of putting the team on their backs in "win or go home" situations. Michael Porter Jr., the rookie has elevated his play to provide a spark for the 2nd unit. And Mike Malone has done a masterful job coaching this young, yet deep squad and making the necessary adjustments when the stakes get high. 

With the way the Nuggets have played in elimination games, the series is never over with them. The Jazz and the Clippers have learned that the hard way. You think this team is down and out? That's all the fuel that this team needs and Murray and Jokic turn it up a notch. Mike Malone becomes more active and vocal, coaching on the sidelines and placing the rest of the personnel in best positions to succeed. I'm not going to be one of those fans that thinks this series will be easy for the Lakers. The Nuggets deserve their dues and they're a team that shouldn't be underestimated.

The key for this series is to slow down the two-man game of Murray and Jokic. One is a flame thrower when hot and the other lives up to the "Joker" moniker as an all-around stud. Jokic has been unstoppable in the paint. But let's look at the bigger picture: Rudy Gobert, defensive stud, but very limited on offense. Ivica Zubac, limited on both ends. Montrezl Harrell, undersized. 

The Lakers have the perfect counter for Nikola Jokic: enter Anthony Davis. So far, the Nuggets have never faced a team with a skilled big man on both ends of the floor. All eyes will be on AD this series in his first conference finals appearance. You can expect LeBron to feed him early on. Pound-for-pound, he cancels out Jokic in this matchup. If there's one weakness Jokic has is that he folds when someone outworks him physically. We evidently saw that in the regular season matchups. AD can limit him with no help defense. He also has the complementary big men of Javale McGee and Dwight Howard to keep him fresh. They can hold their own as well. Dwight, especially at his age was able to give Jokic some fits. Jokic initiates the Nuggets offense as the de facto floor general. The Lakers limit him, they disrupt Denver's flow.

Problem number 2: Jamal Murray. He has emerged as the most unguardable scoring guard in elimination games. Again, the presence of Avery Bradley will be sorely missed. But so far, KCP, Danny Green, Alex Caruso, Rondo, and Kuz have held their own defensively. They had to go through a pernnial All-Star scoring and a two-MVPs backcourt. The beneficial part is that Murray doesn't have a partner-in-crime in the backcourt. Will Barton could've been that guy, but he's not in the bubble. MPJ is coming off the bench. Defensively, the Lakers need to take the ball off Murray's hands as quick as possible and make the rest of Denver's supporting cast beat them. They have done a good job on that in these playoffs. If necessary, put LeBron on him, but only for closeout situations.

Experience will likely be a key factor in this series. Outside of Paul Millsap, who has made the conference finals once with the Atlanta Hawks, every other player from the Nuggets are at this stage for the first time. Mike Malone has not coached a team to the conference finals previously. Frank Vogel has twice with the Indiana Pacers from 2013 & 2014. The Lakers have nine players that have played in at least one or more conference finals series:

LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat): 2007, 2009, 2011-2018

J.R. Smith (Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers): 2009, 2015-2018

Danny Green (San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors): 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019

Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics): 2008, 2010, 2012

Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets): 2009, 2010, 2015

Quinn Cook (Golden State Warriors): 2018, 2019

Javale McGee (Golden State Warriors): 2017, 2018

Dion Waiters (Oklahoma City Thunder): 2016 

Jared Dudley (Phoenix Suns): 2010

As evident, this Lakers team is filled with veterans that were battled tested at this stage of the playoffs. They will be assets that guys like AD, Kuz, Caruso, KCP, THT, and 'Kieff can rely on when the going gets tough. LeBron and Rondo's leadership will be huge for the Lakers to successfully close out against a team with a lot of heart, willpower, and determination.

This series is not the "Battle of LA," but it is still an intriguing matchup to watch. The Nuggets have played two consecutive 7-game series, but will they have enough left in the tank to magically pull off another one? The Lakers are not the Jazz or the Clippers. They have treated each of their playoff series with a "business as usual" mindset. LeBron has never blown a 3-1 lead. If the Lakers stay in character, by that I mean they don't ease up like in the 4th quarter of Game 4 vs. Houston, they will deny Denver's bid at another 3-1 comeback. Jazz and Clippers got too overconfident against them. Clippers, especially, my goodness. But, the Lakers, they may be having fun, but they're not playing games either, especially with a championship at stake. I say this series wraps up in six. I'll see you guys tomorrow after Game 1.