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Lakers Swarming ‘Small Ball’ Defense Creates Chaos & Dominates Nuggets

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Rallying behind the swarming ‘small ball’ defense that won their 17th championship, the Los Angeles Lakers held the Denver Nuggets to 35 points in the second half and under 100 points for the first time this season.

With a lock down second half, the Lakers’ top ranked defense dismantled the Nuggets’ offense, shut down Denver superstars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, and turned a 12-point halftime deficit into a 114–93 blowout. Aggressively hedging, trapping, and doubling Jokic and Murray in the second half, the Lakers’ scrambling ‘small ball’ defense held Nikola to just 13 points on 6–16 shooting and Jamal to 20 points on 7–17 shooting.

After struggling over the last four games of a long road trip, the Lakers and LeBron James were ready to make a statement game against the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, whom they beat 4–1 in last season’s conference semifinals. Fresh from breaking the red hot Utah Jazz’s 11-game win streak and buoyed by Nikola Jokic’s career best 47 points, the Nuggets were seeking a major revenge and redemption game against the world champion Lakers.

Unfortunately, the Lakers were the team to make a statement. After the high powered Nuggets’ offense scored 58 points in the first half, Frank Vogel turned to the Lakers’ ‘small ball’ defense that won the championship. Essentially benching starting center Marc Gasol 5 minutes into the second half, Vogel then unleashed the swarming, trapping, and doubling small ball defense the Lakers had surprised teams with to dominate the playoffs.

With the more mobile Anthony Davis and Montrezl Harrell playing center, the Lakers’ defense suffocated the Nuggets’ offense and created a chaos of turnovers and missed shots that triggered waves of Lakers fast break points. The killer was a 15–0 Lakers’ run to finish the 3rd quarter that transformed a 12-point Lakers halftime deficit into an 8-point Lakers lead that grew as big as 25 points as both teams emptied their benches to close the game.

The Lakers’ top ranked defense had a defensive rating of 96.9 for the game and 72.9 for the second half. The turnover fueled Lakers’ offense posted an offensive rating of 117.5 for the game and then 138.8 for the second half. LeBron James recorded his 94th career triple double and single handedly put an end to the budding Nikola Jokic for MVP campaign with a dominant 27-point, 10-rebound, and 10-assist totally MVP worthy performance.

Game balls to LeBron for his triple double, Dennis for his 21 points and inspiring loose ball double dive, THT for his 17-point, 3-rebound, 2-assist, and 3-steal masterpiece, and AD, Trezz, and Kuzma for energy at both ends. While the Lakers are regaining their championship mojo, there are still questions: Has Marc Gasol become this season’s JaVale McGee? When will Anthony Davis start to play like the second best player on the planet?

For now, the Lakers proved they can still ‘flip the switch’ into championship mode. The challenge will be to stay focused with big games looming this month against the Nuggets in Denver, the Nets in LA, and the Jazz in Utah.

Will Lakers’ Domination of the Heat Lead To An Asterisk Championship?

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With the juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers thrashing the undermanned Miami Heat, the disrespectful chatter by the critics and doubters about the 2020 Bubble Championship being the Asterisk championship has already begun.

There’s no question the 2020 NBA Finals is a gross mismatch as the favored Lakers dominated the underdog Heat in Game 1. To add insult to injury or, more precisely, injury to insult, the Heat also lost their best two players. Losing starting center Bam Adebayo and starting point guard Goran Dragic was enough to bust any balloon of hope Miami fans had their team would be able to bounce back, which Game 2 unfortunately quickly confirmed.

While Adebayo may play in Game 3, Dragic is likely out for the entire series and the Heat face what is for all intents and proposes a Finals elimination game for them since no NBA team has ever come back from an 0–2 deficit. That makes Game 3 a close-out game for LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers, who are not going to take their foot off the throttle or the Heat’s throats knowing they are two games away from winning the championship.

Can the Heat come back and somehow win Game 3 and keep their dim hopes of stopping the Lakers from being extinguished? It’s the NBA where anything is possible but the odds are certainly daunting to say the least. Before Game 1, the Lakers were 5 to 1 favorites to beat the Heat and win the Finals. After winning the first two games and Heat losing players, the Lakers have now become prohibitive 200 to 1 favorites to win the Finals.

To put this in perspective, before tip off for Game 1, Miami at 5 to 1 was already facing the longest odds ever in an NBA Finals series, longer than the Mavs who were 2.8 to 1 underdogs when they upset the Heat back in 2011. Short of LeBron James and Anthony Davis getting injured, there’s frankly no way the Miami Heat are going to beat the Los Angeles Lakers and win the 2020 NBA Finals. It would take a miracle to win even one game.

That’s why Lakers critics and doubters are already declaring the Bubble Finals as the Asterisk Finals, claiming the championship if the Lakers win is not the same as other championships and should have an asterisk next to it. Their argument is the unprecedented conditions of playing in the bubble without fans and home court advantages skewed the results in favor of the lower seeds to give the Lakers an easier path to the championship.

While there’s no question the coronavirus bubble dramatically changed the competitive landscape of the playoffs and took away advantages from the higher seeds, that just makes the Lakers winning even more impressive. Rather than taint the Lakers’ accomplishment with an asterisk, the NBA record books should reward it with a gold or maybe purple and gold star because the Lakers were able to overcome what other top seeds couldn’t.

As the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Toronto Raptors soon discovered, winning in the bubble is no cakewalk and the Lakers should be congratulated and praised, not dissed and doubted, for what they’ve done. The Lakers beat the supposedly best 8th seed ever in the play-in champ Blazers, toughest matchup ever in the small ball Rockets, and greatest comeback team ever in the spunky Nuggets just to make it to the Finals.

So excuse me if I’m a little testy at the critics who want to put an asterisk instead of a star next to the 2020 NBA championship the Lakers are going to take home next week. Call it bubble fatigue or Lakers bias or sour grapes. The reality is the Lakers are going to win their 17th NBA championship, more than any other franchise but the Boston Celtics and now own one fourth of all of the NBA championship trophies that have been awarded.

And we have the best two players on the planet are just getting started!

Five Reasons Lakers Win Game 4 and Put Nuggets On Brink of Elimination!

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The overconfident Lakers’ furious fourth quarter rally ran out of gas and Jamal Murray’s clutch dagger three’s in the final 2:17 sealed a Game 3 win and saved the Denver Nuggets from going down 0–3 in the West Finals.

Nuggets’ players and fans may disagree with that assessment of where the Western Conference Finals stand but that’s what an objective comparison of the teams’ strengths and weaknesses and review of the game stats show. While the Nuggets deserve praise for hanging tough the last two games, the Lakers are still the better team with better superstars and a 2–1 lead in the series, despite how well Denver and their two superstars may have played.

All the Nuggets’ desperate win last night did was give them a brief reprieve to keep from going down 0–3. Tomorrow night, their backs are once again against the wall in another ‘must win’ game to keep from going down 1–3. Denver needs to win tomorrow night to keep this series alive because they know the odds of pulling off a third straight 1–3 comeback in these playoffs against a championship caliber Lakers team are close to impossible.

The cocky Lakers came into last night’s game with a 2–0 lead in the West Finals and the knowledge LeBron James is 17–0 when his team takes a 2–0 lead in a playoff series. Unfortunately, they forgot to bring their A-Game. The desperate Nuggets were the hungrier and more aggressive team, dominating the boards 53–34, winning the 3-point shootout by 15 points, making 9 more free throws, and building a 20-point fourth quarter lead.

With 10:24 left in the game, the Lakers came roaring back behind Rondo’s defense and LeBron’s offense and, in a stunning 4 minute 17 second burst, slashed the Nuggets’ 20-point lead to 3 points with 6:07 left on the clock. The game seesawed back and forth until, with just 2:17 left on the clock, Jamal Murray hit a dagger three to put the Nuggets up by 7 and then, with 53.3 seconds left, a second dagger three from 29 feet to seal the win.

Murray’s heroics, like Davis’ the game before, were the difference between winning and losing and the series now stands 2–1 in favor of the Lakers. The Nuggets can wish it were 2–1 in their favor but it could easily be 0–3. They dodged a bullet just like the Lakers did when Davis hit that game winning three. Bottom line, their backs are against the wall again tomorrow night when they must win or once again fall into that familiar 1–3 hole.

The problem the Nuggets face is the Lakers are unlikely to come out flat tomorrow night. The Lakers now know the Nuggets are capable of beating them and are going to come out treating the matchup like a close-out game. The Lakers know they let last night’s game get out of control and rallied too late. LeBron’s on a crusade to win his fourth NBA championship and AD’s going to be hungry to redeem his lackluster performance in Game 3.

The Lakers are going to come out looking to dominate the Nuggets early and coast to a wire-to-wire win. Here are the five reasons why the Lakers will win Game 4 and put the Denver Nuggets on the brink of elimination:

1. Playoff LeBron Will Emerge.

To be honest, the Lakers haven’t needed Playoff LeBron this postseason. However, last night’s loss and insinuations age and mileage are finally catching up with him are exactly what Lebron thrives on for motivation. James has only played 34.4 minutes per game in these playoffs, averaging just 25.9 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. In the 2018 playoffs, he played 41.9 minutes and averaged 34.0 points, 9.1 boards, and 9.0 assists.

The Lakers are now in the stretch run. With two wins to the Finals and six wins to the championship, it’s time for Playoff LeBron to take over. Look for LeBron to play 40 minutes with a monster triple double in a Game 4 win.

2. Anthony Davis Will Redeem Himself.

While he had 27 points on 9–17 from the field and 9–10 from the line, AD had a disappointing Game 3, especially after his clutch game-winning buzzer-beating heroics to win Game 2. He has openly admitted as much. Davis was passive the entire game, only grabbed two rebounds, and was never a factor with the game on the line. He simply did not deliver a performance worthy of a top-five superstar and team’s second best player.

But Anthony will get an opportunity to redeem himself tomorrow night when the Lakers look to win Game 4, take a 3–1 series lead, and put Denver on the brink of elimination. AD needs to play 40 minutes and dominate.

3. Lakers Defense Will Dominate.

The Lakers had the third best defense during the regular season and have the fourth best defense in the playoffs. Their team identity is defense and they pride themselves on their ability to stop opposing teams’ superstars. They shut down Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in the first round of the playoffs and James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the second round. They’re confident they can do the same to Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

L.A. may have found the defensive key in the fourth quarter last night as their zone held Denver to just 21 points with a 77.8 defensive rating. Look for Frank Vogel to use that zone to crank up the pressure in Game 4.

4. Lakers Will Control the Boards.

The Lakers are the bigger and better rebounding team, 9th in the regular season with 45.7 rebounds per game versus the Nuggets 20th with 44.1. In the playoffs, LA is 7th with 44.0 boards and Denver 13th with 41.4 boards. In the two games they won, the Lakers outrebounded the Nuggets 39 to 34. In the one game they lost, however, the Nuggets dominated the boards 53–34, which is why they were able to build a 20-point lead in the fourth.

One of the Lakers’ strengths as a team is their edge in size and athleticism, which usually translates into winning the rebounding battle. The Lakers will come out and impose their domination on the glass tomorrow night.

5. The Lakers Will Make their Threes.

When opposing teams pack the paint and dare the Lakers to shoot from deep, they need to make their threes to win. In the two games the Lakers won, they shot 38.7% from deep. In last night’s loss, they only shot 23.1%. In the ten playoff games the Lakers won, they shot 39.2% from deep. In the three games they lost, they only shot 22.9%. For the series, the Lakers have shot 34.1% from deep, just a notch below their 35.5% playoff average.

One of the Lakers’ vulnerabilities is their average 3-point shooting, which is why opponents try to clog the lane and force the Lakers to shoot from deep. Fortunately, the numbers strongly suggest the Lakers will make their threes.

Clutch Game Winner Officially Signals Start of Anthony Davis Era for Lakers!

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No disrespect to LeBron James, who valiantly took the mantle from Kobe Bryant and carried this team through the most difficult and unprecedented season in the history of the NBA, but Anthony Davis is the Lakers’ future.

When AD’s game-winning buzzer-beating dagger-three splashed through the net, it was like the world stopped, the team’s legacy clock reset, and the era where Anthony Davis takes over as Lakers top superstar officially began. Out of respect, the Lakers will still be known as LeBron’s team like they had been known as Shaq’s team but the cognoscenti will know the moment had come when the team’s future depended on AD like it once did with Kobe.

Great as LeBron James is, the Lakers will only go as far as Anthony Davis can carry them. We saw hints of this throughout this long disjointed season and its harsh reality during the second half of last night’s Nuggets’ game. There will be games LeBron can still dominate just like there were with Shaq but the time has finally arrived when LeBron and the Lakers need to look to AD to close games like Shaq and the Lakers needed to look to Kobe.

While LeBron James is still the King and MVP of the regular season, it will likely be the ascent of Anthony Davis to Finals MVP and best player in the league that wins the Los Angeles Lakers their 17th NBA championship. That’s what this season, the Klutch Sports driven trade for AD, LeBron’s taking the baton from Kobe, and James’ respect and deference to empower Davis has all been about: winning championships and building a legacy.

This has been an unbelievably tough season for the Lakers with obstacles like the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, the five-month coronavirus layoff, and losing home court advantage to the bubble repeatedly blocking their way. But the basketball gods may finally be smiling on the Lakers as the bubble playoffs have eliminated the Bucks and Clippers, their main competitors, and cleared the road for Los Angeles to win its 17th NBA championship.

No disrespect to the Nuggets, Heat,or Celtics but this season is the Lakers’ best opportunity to win a championship with the Bucks and Clippers gone and the healthy Warriors and the new look Nets back in the mix next year. Who knows how long LeBron James can continue to cheat Father Time, what blockbuster moves franchises may make to create new superteams, or how long the coronavirus pandemic will devalue home court advantage.

When LeBron James joined the Lakers in free agency two summers ago, critics said he did it for family reasons. In retrospect, the decision was a calculated move to enhance his legacy and chances to become the GOAT. LeBron could play four more seasons after this, retire at 40-years old after his sixth season and maybe fourth championship as a Laker, and trump Michael Jordan as the GOAT with seven NBA championship rings.

No NBA superstar has ever had the career savvy and vision of LeBron to understand how combining his star power, the Lakers’ legacy, and AD’s talents could give him his best chance to surpass MJ to become the GOAT. That’s why he has deferred to AD and is willing to give him the opportunity to become Finals MVP and best player on the planet and even take a pay cut on his last contract with the Lakers. It’s all part of his master plan to win.

That clutch step-back dagger three at the buzzer by Anthony Davis not only positioned the team six games away from their 17th championship but also gave the rest of the NBA formal notice the Anthony Davis era had begun.

Who’s Going to Play Center & Defend the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic for Lakers?

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The Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers that starts tomorrow is rightly billed as an epic battle between the best offensive center in the league in Nikola Jokic and best defensive center in Anthony Davis.

However, Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has made comments hinting he may opt to go big and have traditional centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard guard Jokic rather than All-NBA first team center Anthony Davis. While we won’t know until play starts whether Vogel just wants to keep his centers engaged and bolster team chemistry or whether he really intends to revert to big lineups, playing McGee or Howard on Jokic could be a mistake.

Let’s start by looking at the stats to see how McGee, Howard, and Davis fared playing center against Nikola Jokic in the four regular season games between the two teams this season, three of which were won by the Lakers. In the 150 minutes Davis was on the floor, the Lakers outscored the Nuggets by 34 points in his 56 minutes at center, broke even in Howard’s 42 minutes at center, and were outscored by 18 points in McGee’s 52 minutes at center.

Digging deeper, the individual defensive ratings of the Lakers’ three centers against the Nuggets in those four regular season games tell the same story. Davis posted a defensive rating of 110.5, Mcgee 121.1, and Howard 126.5. The stats confirm the obvious conclusion of most NBA pundits. First team All-NBA and All-Defensive center Anthony Davis is without question the Los Angeles Lakers’ best option to defend Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic.

So what’s behind Vogel’s comments about playing McGee and Howard? Neither is a good matchup against Nikola Jokic, especially behind the 3-point line, and backup Mason Plumlee only plays 10 minutes per game. While Davis will guard Jokic most of the time, the Lakers may be going big so they can throw multiple defenders at Jokic to bully and wear him down physically since he’s already played over 500 minutes in the playoffs.

The Lakers’ formula of starting games big and finishing them small has been integral to their success and was able to hold Nikola Jokic to just 16 points per game in the four regular season games with Denver this season. The fact their only loss to the Nuggets came in the one game LeBron James didn’t play also gives them confidence they can win playing their normal rotations or go small with Anthony Davis at the five if that doesn’t work.

That they can win playing big or small has been a major source of pride for the Lakers all season long so Vogel’s not taking a huge risk by gambling they can beat the Nuggets by going big since he has small ball in his back pocket. The Lakers are so talented with two first team All-NBA superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis that at worst Vogel’s likely only risking losing Game 1, which they’ve already shown they’re capable of easily overcoming.

Nevertheless, there are good reasons why the Lakers’ most potent lineup both defensively and offensively is their version of small ball with AD at the five, Morris the four, LeBron the three, Green the two, and KCP the one. That lineup has defensive speed, quickness, and athleticism to double the ball and rotate to contest shots from deep and at the rim while offensively spreading the floor and unpacking the paint to unleash LeBron and AD.

The Lakers were able to roll through the first two rounds of the playoffs by doubling and shutting down Blazers’ Damian Lillard and Rockets’ James Harden, who were the primary offensive engines of their respective teams. The Lakers’ challenge playing the Nuggets is Denver has two offensive engines in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray whose high pick-and-rolls makes it nearly impossible for teams to double Murray because of Jokic’s passing.

The Nuggets destroyed the Clippers with those pick-and-rolls with Murray getting the ball to Jokic on a short roll and Jokic using the 4 on 3 advantage to hit cutters for easy layups and dunks or shooters for wide open threes. Deciding not to double or trap Murray could be part of the reason Frank Vogel wants to go big with both Davis and McGee or Howard protecting the rim and Lakers’ defenders staying at home with Nuggets 3-point shooters.

It will be interesting to see what other adjustments coach Vogel makes to shut down Murray and Jokic and the Nuggets’ offense. While the Bucks and the Clippers have stumbled, the Lakers are peaking at just the right time. The Lakers know Denver doesn’t have anybody who’s going to be able to stop LeBron James and Anthony Davis offensively so they’re confident slowing down Murray and Jokic defensively is the smart way to win.

The Nuggets deserve credit for what’s been a sensational playoffs but the well rested Lakers are not the overachieving Thunder or the choke prone Clippers so the Cinderella story is going to end. The Lakers in five games!