3 reasons why the Lakers should want to play the Nuggets in the first round https://t.co/NiggM0EroY
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) April 15, 2024
1. Health
Despite Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt’s probable absences or limitations in a first round playoff series, the Lakers are otherwise at nearly full strength right now. Most importantly, LeBron is in a better place than he was last season when he truncated his recovery from a foot tendon injury to join in the Lakers’ 2022-23 resurgence.
2. Timing
In addition to their overall health, the Lakers are playing some of their best basketball of the season. Since the All-Star Break, when they were sitting at merely .500, the Lakers have gone 17-9, good enough for the sixth-best record in the NBA. Over the last two weeks, the Lakers have the fifth-best offense and the 14th-best defense in the NBA. Each of those marks is better than their season-long rating.
3. Leverage
If the Lakers can beat the Nuggets, they’ll likely head into every subsequent Western Conference series as a considerable favorite. Conversely, if the Lakers were to have to wait to finally face Denver in the Conference Finals, each preceding series win would be evaluated with the caveat that the Nuggets remain at large.
Teams often take a series or two to get rolling in the playoffs and hit their peak by the conference finals. Ergo the Nuggets last season. I think it’s to the Lakers advantage that they play the Nuggets in the first round. As Bron said, don’t care about seeding. We’ll beat whomever we have to win #18.
Well tonite is the nite to start!