How Lakers Game 5 Loss to Nuggets Impacts Potential Matchup with Thunder

The Los Angeles Lakers' 102-99 loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 could have ramifications that extend far beyond forcing a Game 6.

Mike Brown's team will suffer a physical toll on account of the prolonged series, and potentially a psychological one as well. Both implications could derail title aspirations with an all-too slim margin for error.

Kobe Bryant is averaging 40 minutes in his five games against the Nuggets, and he's taken on an exorbitant share of the Lakers' burden while his teammates show intermittent effort. 

Bryant's biggest fans would like to believe he can handle anything, and he's given them more than a few reasons to do so. But even Bryant is vulnerable to wear and tear over the course of a drawn-out postseason.

Worse yet, the rest of the Lakers may be vulnerable a far more insidious kind of fatigue—namely, the mental variety.

Andrew Bynum may already be a casualty of a psychologically demanding postseason, playing as if the series were already over for extended stretches of Game 5.

Of course, Bynum doesn't have the same wealth of experience on which a legitimate superstar like Kobe can fall back. Nor has he proven to have mental fortitude when his team needs him.

It's impossible to know what effect this series will have on Bynum's confidence, but it would be surprising if he walks away entirely unscathed. With the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder sweeping their respective foes, Los Angeles surely feels less invincible than Bynum may wish to believe.

After all, while we all expected the Lakers to have their occasional struggles away from the Staples Center, the failure to close a team out at home should raise a few flags.

Still, the news in Los Angeles isn't all bad.

The Lakers looked dominant at times early in the series, and lesser Lakers like Steve Blake proved capable of impacting the playoffs with performances in Game 4. And while Bryant hasn't been at his absolute best, he's still plenty well-suited to taking games over at crucial junctures and topping 40 points in the process.

But for every hint of silver lining, there's a dire reminder that the longer this series goes on, the longer the Thunder can rest up for a second-round showdown.

If you thought this series was a track meet, just wait until Russell Westbrook starts pushing the tempo. The Lakers weren't built to run, and it's shown at times in the first round. It could show even more against the Thunder.

The Lakers obviously have the talent to compete with even a well-rested version of Scott Brooks' young team. Some of those Lakers even have the psyche to match.

They'll just have to hope they aren't entirely spent by the time these playoffs really get interesting.