Andrew Bynum Injury: Why Bynum Injury Spells Doom for Lakers in NBA Playoffs

Harry How/Getty Images

Andrew Bynum went down with a knee injury in the Los Angeles Lakers game vs. the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday night, with an MRI scheduled for Wednesday.

However, the reaction of the oft-injured Bynum gave the impression the injury may be a serious one and speculation revolved around how the reeling Lakers would survive in the 2011 NBA Playoffs in their quest for a third straight NBA championship.

The lack of Bynum's seven-foot presence in the middle of the Lakers defense makes the team paper thin, especially when you consider two different NBA players—Kendrick Perkins and Amar'e Stoudemire—have labeled power forward Pau Gasol as soft.

Sixth man Lamar Odom will probably have to move to the starting lineup in Bynum's absence, but the bottom line is that the Lakers three-peat chances are in serious jeopardy. Okay, let's not fool ourselves, the Lakers probably weren't going to compete with Bynum healthy. Now, they're as good as done and the door's wide open for the San Antonio Spurs or red-hot Denver Nuggets to emerge from the Western Conference.

1:02 AM ET

2011 NBA Playoff Predictions: Why Denver Nuggets Could Come out of the West

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The one team no one in the NBA wants to face in the 2011 NBA Playoffs?

The white-hot Denver Nuggets, 18-6 since shipping malcontent Carmelo Anthony off to the New York Knicks. The Nuggets have locked up the fifth seed in the Western Conference and could be facing a showdown with the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers if the Mistake-Show continues its late-season free fall.

With the point guard tandem of Ty Lawson and Ray Felton revving up the Nuggets high-powered engine, the Nuggets have posted their two highest-scoring games of the season in their last two outings, posting 130+ point efforts vs. the Warriors and T-Wolves.

Bottom line is the Nuggets are feeling good about themselves and have been converted from a team that featured one player dominating the ball in the halfcourt set—that would be Melo—to a running attack featuring long-range shooters like J.R. Smith, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, the inside muscle of Nene and Kenyon Martin and the one-two PG punch of Lawson and Felton.

Good luck Western Conference foes, you're gonna need it.

Los Angeles Lakers: Like this team?