After blowing two golden opportunities to steal a win in Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers still remain on course again to win the series in six games by winning their three home games and stealing one game on the road.
As impressive as Jokic, Murray, and the Nuggets were in their two wins over the Lakers, the reality is they needed a superstar performance that’s probably irreplicable in each game to barely hold home court advantage. Michael Malone can be proud of what his Nuggets accomplished in Denver but this series is far from over and what advantage Denver has right now could be gone by Monday night if the Lakers win their two home games.
The Lakers are a perfect 7–0 in this postseason, winning one home play-in game and six home playoff games in rounds 1 and 2. They dominated all six home playoff games, winning by 18.3 points per game with a 98.3 DefRtg. The Nuggets are going to need another transcendent performance from Jokic or Murray to beat the Lakers at home. Far as Lakers are concerned, they’re right on course to win this series in six games just as planned.
Championships in the NBA are won by superstars and it’s hard to imagine the championship-tested LeBron James and Anthony Davis being outplayed by the Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. They’re have to prove they belong. LeBron James may be old and hurt and Anthony Davis frustratingly inconsistent but there’s no way they’re not going to come out tonight and angrily dominate the Nuggets with the crowd screaming for a massacre.
The Lakers now know they must slow down both Jokic and Murray, which could mean starting both Hachimura and Vanderbilt, who have shown to be the best answers Darvin Ham has to defend the Nuggets’ superstars. They also know they need to dominate the boards and points in the paint, which to me means letting Reaves, Hachimura, and Walker be the outside shooters and having James and Davis dominate the paint and the rim.
The Lakers need to double down on going big and relentlessly punish both Jokic and Murray by targeting them with James and Davis. Put them on the bench with fouls. Wear them out on Defense. Get to the free throw line.
The Lakers know the best way to setup their defense is to get to the line on offense. That means no more ‘hero threes’ from LeBron and Anthony, no more settling for jumpers. Attack the paint and rim relentlessly.
The Lakers are still of the course to win the series is six games. Win Game 3 and 4 at home, steal Game 5 on the road, and close it in Game 6 at home. Lakers pull off improbable back-door sweep and roll into the NBA Finals.
I’m astonished at how many Lakers fans are ready to throw in the towel and count the Lakers out after seeing Jokic and Murray both have the kind of transcendent performances that neither is likely to see again in this series.
Meanwhile, I refuse to think the Lakers will have another first half like Game 1 or that James and Davis will have another double-dud game like they did in Game 2. And despite all of the above, the Lakers almost won both games. Stop worrying, Lakerholics. Lakers going to pull off back-door sweep.
You must not have watched much of the Nuggets. What they’re doing isn’t “transcendent” or (for them) out of the ordinary. Jokic was an “I don’t care about stats” game or two away from averaging a triple-double. He’s been dropping them at home and away. Murray is one of the leading scorers in the playoffs. We have done little to slow either, Murray being only mildly bothered by foul trouble in game 1.
Pressureis on the Lakers to change the narrative, and I think they can. But its going to have to be a full team effort. Its not just that Jokic and Murray outplaying LBJ and AD its that the Nuggets as a whole are outplaying the Lakers as a whole.
I do agree with that. And I believe they will. Do you?
I believe they can. Problem is they haven’t. Needs to start tonight.
THANK YOU! YOU’RE GOING TO BE RIGHT!
Wait a minute. Can? That’s not the same as ‘Will.’
It’s so strange that that’s a step you just cannot take.
Hard to be a man with any faith with that approach.
So tell me when during this year or this playoffs did you see Jokic have a game anywhere near his ‘historic’ Game 1 performance?
And can you show me where Murray ever scored 23 fourth quarter points in his entire playoff career?
Wow, a Lakers fan who still thinks the Lakers are going to lose and Joker and Murray will outplay Bron and AD to win this series.
You’re going to be wrong like you were since the trade deadline. Glass still half empty.
Lol, game 1 and game 2. They have risen to the challenge, our team has not.
They had miraculous finishes to barely hold home court. We’re going to crush them twice on our home court.
Age and wear and tear on older bodies is REAL. Where are our future Stars, cept “Funky Music” and perhaps Rui? Coach of not the year needs to TELL LBJ, stop those 3’s you are not hitting. You are the Coach!
Soooo…basically, they have to play worse and we have to play better. Brilliant. Got it
LOL. That’s how it usually works. Series is not over until the visiting team wins or fails to win a game.
We’re still on track to finish the series in six and the only thing that will change that is a loss at home or two more in Denver.
We’re on track for letting someone else kicking our ass in the 4th, that better change or you’re the one who will change his tune quick as the wind blows lol. Just being real here, dude, Denver has executed their game better than we have. Team needs to be and do better. Across the board.
One problem is that LeBron isn’t at his best. Used to be all his team had to do was stay close and he’d get them home. That’s not who we have right now. I look at Jimmy Butler last night and realize how far Bron has dropped. The most telling stat is that he’s shooting 34% in the 4th for this entire post-season. His struggles in crunch time are a huge factor in us being down 0-2. Nuggs haven’t had “miraculous” endings; they’ve actually been pedestrian. We just haven’t executed in the clutch.
And THAT is the real issue. The free throw disparity has kept us in games as much as anything else. I’m hopeful for a win tonight but the whole team has to step up in both ends. Denver as a team has been better. For all of Tom’s “have you seen” hysteria the same could be said for Reaves, Hachimura, and even AD in game 1. Mr. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow was MIA in game 2 but even an elite game from him didn’t get us over the hump. Everyone has to be a factor from here on out and that’s not the Laker M.O. in the playoffs so far.
I don’t think LeBron to be great. He has only been great once in the playoffs. He just needs to be good. AD is the one that needs to step up. They have no one to guard him. They did nothing special last game, AD got to his spots. He just missed. 4 for 15. He normally shoots over 50%. If he did that last game we win. DLO has to be better as well. He doesn’t need to explode. Give us 15 to 17 like he has done a lot in the playoffs. Both games have been close. We just need to play up to our capabilities.
LeBron has to be clutch and firing up three straight hero threes is not being clutch. I don’t mind him taking threes when it’s part of the play and off of a drive and dish and wide open but that’s not what those late threes were. James has to be much better and so does AD. They were outplayed in Denver. Can’t happen here.