Ty Lawson Proved That Denver Nuggets Are His Team
It was a back-and-forth swing for the majority of last night's epic Game 7 between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers.
When Kobe Bryant was struggling from the field, the other Lakers finally woke up and delivered the knock-out blow to the young, up-and-coming Nuggets who battled their way back from a 3-1 deficit to force the final game.
But in the midst of L.A.'s victory, at least one thing was certain involving the Nuggets: Ty Lawson proved to the world that he is an All-Star in the making, and that Denver is his franchise.
When the Nuggets were trailing by 16 points halfway through the third quarter, Lawson single-handedly brought Denver back from the grave by putting up a 13-point quarter, silencing the Lakers crowd with his blazing speed and scoring ability. But without having a chance to rest for the fourth quarter with their season on the line, Lawson went cold in the final period and missed every shot he took.
But that cold fourth quarter shouldn't take away from the impact that Lawson had on both sides of the ball in this series.
When people look back on this series and think of the impact that the former University of North Carolina star had, they'll think back on Game 6, when he erupted for 32 points on 13-for-18 shooting and 5-for-6 from the three-point line. And they'll also look back at Game 3, when he had 25 points and dished out seven assists.
And it's not like this was the first time in his career that Lawson has shown flashes of brilliance. Just refer back to the 2009 NCAA National Championship game against Michigan State, when Lawson set a record of eight steals. He knows how to get the job done.
Say what you will on the age of the Lakers and how slow they are. But on the big stage that is the NBA playoffs, Lawson proved that he's more than just a fast point guard who can drive to the basket and score easy points.
On a team without a true No. 1 scoring option, Lawson showed that he has the ability to carry a team on his back and bring them wins. With Danilo Gallinari expected to be that scoring option—and only scoring 13 points a game on 36 percent shooting for the series—Lawson upped his scoring average by almost three points and averaged 19 points during the seven-game series.
Lawson may not have the big-time playoff experience he can rub off on his teammates, but with the point guards he's played behind since his career began in Denver—Chauncey Billups and Andre Miller—he's learned a lot in his short time and can only continue to get better.
The Nuggets organization has a lot of young talent around them, but it's time for Lawson to step up and become the guy. He's proven he can do it, now he has to take the keys and drive the car for this team that's only been out of the first round one time in the last nine years.
With guys like Kenneth Faried, Arron Afflalo and JaVale McGee being the key components for this young team—if McGee comes back to Denver next season—the foundation is set for years to come for the Nuggets.
At only 24 years old, Lawson is about to hit the prime of his career, and there's no better time to let him take over the team than right now. After this series, he's earned the right to be the leader of Denver for the future.
It looks like George Karl has himself another great point guard in the making.
