Western Conference Finals Preview: 5 Keys To Victory

The Lakers and Nuggets tip off a somewhat surprising Western Conference Finals. The Lakers needed a 4th quarter rally against an injury-riddled Minnesota squad in the play-in game just to secure the 7th seed, and while It is true that the Nuggets are the 1 seed very few people felt that this organization with little history could possibly make a run to the title. Now the two teams square off 4 wins away from playing for the ultimate prize. The Lakers come in red hot, sporting a 17-9 records since the Trade deadline. The Nuggets have been steady all season, having held the 1 seed for most of the year.

1) Strength on Strength: The Lakers 2nd ranked three-point defense against the Nuggets 4th ranked 3 point offense. – The Lakers have been one of the better defensive teams all season, and it starts with their ability to shut opponents down from behind the arc. Players like Jared Vanderbilt and James, are excellent wing defenders, and Anthony Davis has the unique ability to close out on the perimeter. They will take on a Nugget team that had 5 players that shot better than 38% from behind the arc during the playoffs including 2 time MVP Nikola Jokic who shot better than 47% from three.

2) Battle of The Boards: AD and Lebron vs Jokic and Company – Both teams are heavily dependent on only a few players to grab the boards. Davis and James led the Lakers in the regular season, and carry even more of a load in the playoffs. When it comes to the Nuggets if Jokic doesn’t get it, no one does. While that’s not exactly accurate, they definitely rely on a rebound by committee approach. The key to the series just may be how well, Gordon and MPJ help Jokic clean the glass.

3) The Lottery Others: Does DLO or MPJ show up? – You can through Aaron Gordon in the mix as well, as former Lottery picks with a chance to have an impact. Both Porter and Gordon are averaging nearly 28 points per game, while Russell is scoring a 15-point per-game clip during the playoffs. It will be imperative that the team that wins gets similar contributions from these players.

4) Home Sweet Home: Who breaks serve? Both teams come into the series undefeated at home. It’s pretty simple, with Denver being the home team, the Lakers will have to get one in the Mile High City to have a chance at advancing. Both teams have losing records on the road, so there’s no clear advantage, although the Nuggets do have the closeout game against Phoenix to draw from.

5) MVP Edge – Will it be the 4 Time or 2 Time MVP that shows up? – Both Lebron and Jokic have a stellar supporting cast, so neither will be counted on to do it by themselves, however, it’s difficult to imagine a situation where either team wins without star play from their MVPs. Lebron has been here before but there’s also something to be said about the new kid on the block in his prime. Look for the play of these two to be a series determining factor.