Los Angeles Lakers Advance to Western Conference Finals, Yet to Play Best Ball

The Lakers have advanced to the Western Conference Finals, and have yet to play the best basketball they can these playoffs.

After finishing at the top of the Western Conference at the end of the regular season, they Los Angeles Lakers haven't really stepped up like other teams in the playoffs, yet they are still there.

The first thing is the Trevor Ariza injury.

He will have a huge impact on the Western Conference Finals if he can get healthy in time and get in a few solid practices. His defensive presence is something the Lakers could really use towards the end of a game.

If they Lakers are going to lose this series to the Spurs, it won't be because they only score 70-80 points, it will because they give up 100-110 points. The Lakers haven't had a problem scoring all season, and I don't think it's about to start now against the Spurs.

Second is the absence of the Lakers bench.

The best bench of the regular season has failed to turn up for much of the playoffs, but if they play how they were during the regular season, the San Antonio Spurs will be in trouble.

The main man that can turn the bench into what it once was is Jordan Farmar. So far, Farmar is having a terrible time in the playoffs, averaging just 3.5 points and 1.4 assists. He is shooting a dreadful 26% compared to his regular season of 46% which saw him scoring 9.1 points per game.

The Lakers dominated the Denver Nuggets in the first round, which is proven by the 4-0 sweep.

They were the better team in the series against the Jazz, but were taken to six games.

This is all without the Lakers rising to the occasion and playing that little bit better like most teams do in the playoffs.

The Spurs, for example, weren't a dominant team in the regular season, but come playoff time you know that they are going to give it that little bit extra, and all of a sudden be a championship contender.

The Spurs were predicted to go deep into the playoffs, but only a select few predicted a championship, now it is something everyone has in the back of their minds.

Can the Spurs repeat?

In order for them to have the chance at the repeat in the NBA finals, they have to get past a young, confident, and fast paced Lakers team capable of winning the championship themselves.