LA Lakers: How They Match Up with Playoff Teams in the West

If the playoffs were to start today, the Los Angeles Lakers would play the Denver Nuggets.

The Nuggets would have to lose tomorrow, and the Dallas Mavericks would have to win in order for the Lakers to face the Mavericks in the first round—the team who swept them in the playoffs last year.

Whether the Lakers play the Nuggets or the Mavericks, they have a good chance at winning, even without Metta World Peace.

Here's how they match up against the teams in the Western Conference, because as last season showed, anything can happen.

Denver Nuggets

It looks like the Lakers will face the Nuggets in the first round. This is an ideal matchup for the Lakers. The Lakers are 3-1 against the Nuggets this season.

This means it's not a shoo-in, but the odds are definitely in the Lakers' favor. Their team is solid, as evidenced by their 37- 28 record, but they have the same problem the Lakers do: a shallow bench.

Their starters are young and fast (for the most part), but once they're out of the starting five, their averages taper off dramatically. The highest point scorer off the bench for the Lakers is Matt Barnes with just over seven points a game.

The highest off the Nuggets is Andre Miller with over nine points. Their bench is more productive than the Lakers, but the clincher is that the Lakers' starters score more than the Nuggets'.

It's also important to keep in mind that Metta World Peace will be out for six playoff games which means he will be gone for potentially this whole series unless it goes to seven games. The Lakers should win this series, but it won't be a quick sweep.

Dallas Mavericks

If the cards fall into place for the Mavericks, the Lakers could see them in the first round, if not, then it's doubtful the Lakers will see them at all.

The Mavericks would have to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and face the Lakers in the second round. The ideal situation for the Lakers is for the Mavericks to face Thunder in the first round, defeat them and meet the Lakers in the second.

While the Mavs swept the Lake Show last year, the Lakers have a 4-0 record on the Champs this season. They traded away the player that posed the biggest problem for the Lakers last year in terms of ability and speed—JJ Barea.

While the Mavericks still have Dirk Nowitzki, who can never be counted out, and Jason Terry, they lack the young talent, and surprisingly, the bench to match the Lakers.

This will not be a quick sweep for the Lakers, but it would be one of their easiest matchups, and there's little question they would come out on top.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Lakers will most likely see the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs. The Thunder will probably see the Mavericks in the first round. Regardless, if it's the Mavs or Nuggets, there's little doubt that they will win—and win quickly.

This will be one of the Lakers' toughest matchups in the playoffs. They are 1-3 against the Thunder this season, with the one win coming last week after James Harden was knocked out of the game. This is important because Harden is the Thunder's third-highest scorer, and his absence can be pointed to as a reason for the Lakers' win.

Something to keep in mind with this too is that the Lakers will getting Metta World Peace back for this series—or at least the latter half of it. This will no doubt cause some tension and make for an even more exciting series since the recent James Harden incident.

This can work to either team's advantage, but the clear thing is that MWP and Bynum need to keep their cool and stay in the game. This series will not only be an extremely physical one for the Lakers, but it will by psychological as well.

A big plus in this series is that young guys on the Lakers' roster like Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill will have gotten some much-needed and deserved minutes. They can add fresh, fast legs to the game that haven't been utilized in previous matchups.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Lakers would see the Clippers in the third round. They would have beaten Memphis and Utah or San Antonio to meet the Lakers at this point. This is a highly contested matchup that has been fun to watch all season and gives the Lakers a bit of an advantage.

This season, they are 2-3, but the Clippers have shown their weaknesses in recent games while the Lakers have improved on theirs, which is why the last two meetings resulted in Lakers' wins.

The Clippers are spectacular on offense but have really struggled on defense. This is one of the biggest criticisms against Blake Griffin. The Lakers, however, have slowly worked on their defense and learned how to keep the Clippers down. They allowed the Lakers to score 113 points in their last meeting.

This isn't to say the series is a sure thing for the Lakers at all, but there's a good chance that they'll come out victorious. It will, however, be the ultimate Battle LA to meet Lob City in the Western Conference championship.

Memphis Grizzlies

A third-round matchup with the Lakers means that the Grizzlies will have defeated the Clippers and Utah or San Antonio. The Grizzlies are like a sleeping giant, being a team that others are nervous to face. Their record is nearly identical to the Clippers, so who wins that series is really a toss-up. The Lakers are 2-1 against the Grizzlies this season.

This is always a tough team for the Lakers to play. The Grizzlies have a young, fast team who loves their defense. Pau Gasol faces brother Marc Gasol, and it seems to mess with his psyche a bit.

They typically hold their opponents to just over 93 points and score just over 95. The Lakers typically score about 97 points and keep their opponents around 95 points. This means if the Lakers don't hold them to under the average, the Lakers are going to have a tough time winning.

The key is to feed the bigs, be strong in the paint and create easy, productive, high-percentage shots on the outside.

Utah Jazz

While unlikely, it's possible the Lakers will see the Jazz in the third round. They will have beaten the San Antonio Spurs and Grizzlies or Clippers.

The Jazz are a bit of a Cinderella story, having been ranked one of the lowest teams in the preseason. They've made a great run this year, and Coach Ty Corbin has been able to play people in the positions where they need to be.

The Jazz have been a problem for the Lakers all season. They've met four times and are 2-2 on the season. It doesn't seem to matter if they are home or away in the series because both teams were able to win one home and away.

However, looking at the teams' overall stats, it does appear that these two teams in particular play well at home. The Lakers have a 26-7 home record, and the Jazz have a 24-8 record.

So while it didn't play a huge part in the regular season, home-court advantage for the Lakers may be a factor during this series.  

San Antonio Spurs

We've seen a lot of this matchup lately, and it's a real possibility. The Lakers would face the Spurs in the third round, if the Spurs defeat the Jazz and Clippers or Grizzlies.

All the games between these two teams have taken place in the last few weeks so it would be a matchup that the Lakers are familiar with. It's also one that would be in the Spurs' favor.

In their three meetings, the Spurs have the Lakers at two games to one. The Spurs' starting lineup is veteran and experienced. The key to their success though is their bench. They are so deep on the bench with young talent that it's tough for the Lakers to keep up with their lackluster bench play.

However, the recent minutes that young Jordan Hill and Devin Ebanks have been and will get works in the Lakers' favor.

It's well-documented that Coach Mike Brown learned from Gregg Popovich, but he's not rotated the young guys into the game plan nearly as well as Pop. This is something that can be fixed by the time the Western Conference finals roll around, and it will be the key to the Lakers winning.