Lakers vs. Nuggets: Western Finals Breakdown

I started writing this feature the moment the Lakers/Rockets Game Seven tipped off, and had plans of writing this elaborate, detailed 1,200 word entry on why the Lakers were doomed to repeat last year’s disappointment. Then I stepped slowly away from the computer, gathered my thoughts, and took a look at things from a different perspective.

If you had told Phil Jackson in November that the Lakers would once again be among the final four teams in the league, and standing in the way of another trip to the NBA Finals is the Denver Nuggets, he would probably ask, “Where Do I Sign Up?”

Fact is, though, this Denver Nuggets team is not the same team that beat down last year. Chauncey Billups did more than change the style of play on the court; he made them believe they could do things they never accomplished as a unit.

Now, playing with house money, coach George Karl has this Denver team, led by a polished Carmelo Anthony, and a motivated Kenyon Martin, four wins away from the most improbable NBA Finals appearances in recent memory.

Throw out the stats and the numbers. This series is fairly simple to break down, and you don’t have to listen to an overpaid ex-sixth man on ESPN to tell you what will decide the winner. For the Lakers, the play of Andrew Bynum will be huge. If he is the invisible man, similar to the start of the Rockets series, Denver has a legit shot. If he is a force in the paint, the Nuggets will have to completely alter their game plan.

For Denver to win, for this series, and this series only, Kobe > Carmelo.

Before you spit the water you're drinking on your keyboard, let me explain. I don’t believe Melo has to outscore Kobe, or even guard him on the floor. What he has to do, though, is be the best player on the floor, much like Paul Pierce was in the NBA Finals last season.

The talent that number 15 has is underrated by the mainstream, the kid is one of the top five in the game when healthy and focused. I have no doubt he will do well playing at home, but can he bring that same intensity and level of play in the Staples Center?

After the dust settles, the champion from the West will be the one many picked back in the fall, the Lakers. However, their road getting there is one no one could have predicted.

Pick: Lakers in seven