Lakers look to rebound from loss at Denver

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are playing like they are on cruise control. They started the season on-fire as they won their first 8 games and 13 of their first 15. Head coach Phil Jackson knew that playing at that pace would eventually burn this veteran team out, so he “down shifted” gears, and took the intensity down a notch. Not to say that the Lakers aren’t playing their best every night, but they are simply pacing themselves.

At 31-13, the Lakers are currently in 2nd position in the Western conference behind the rejuvenated San Antonio Spurs. I get the sense that they are sitting back waiting for the Spurs to stumble before they shift back to full speed. Either way, the Lakers are in a great position to get back to the NBA Championship. As 2-time defending Champs, Los Angeles was predicted by most basketball experts to duplicate the feat once again in 2010-11. Most of the attention this season has been on the Eastern conference where Miami, Boston and Orlando are fighting it out for the top spot. This is exactly what coach Jackson and the rest of the Lakers team was hoping for.

The Denver Nuggets are in an entirely different position than the Lakers. They lost some steam over the last week with all the talk about Carmelo Anthony being traded to either New York or New Jersey, and now find themselves fighting to stay alive in the playoff picture. Despite being 24-17 heading into their match-up with the Lakers on Friday, Denver finds themselves in the 7th spot for the playoffs. They have plenty of talent offensively, but will need to turn up the heat on “D” if they expect to make any noise this year.

Anthony leads the Nuggets in scoring with a 23.5 points per game average, but the strength of this team is in numbers. They have 7 players that score 10 or more points per game, and can beat their opponents both inside and out. Nene Hilario has turned into a tremendous asset on both ends of the floor. His 15 points and 7 plus rebounds per contest are one of the main reasons the Nuggets manage to stay in games. Allowing an average of over 104 points to their opponents will not take a team deep into the playoffs, especially when the Lakers, Jazz and Spurs are in your conference.

The Lakers may not be the most talented team in the league, but their depth is unparalleled. Bryant is obviously the start of the show, but Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Shannon Brown all play their roles to perfection for the Champs. Their chemistry is phenomenal, and their unselfishness is what allows them to always be in games regardless of the situation.

This Western conference showdown should be competitive as Carmelo is starting to realize that he’s not going anywhere which will make him focus all of his efforts on basketball.

Related posts:

1. Nuggets are a test for Red Hot Lakers
2. Nuggets hope to retake momentum in Denver
3. Denver and Phoenix Battle for the 3 Seed in the West
4. Lakers/ Suns Western Conference Championship Preview
5. Lakers go to Phoenix to Closeout Western Conference Finals

Comments