Los Angeles Lakers: A Glance at Possible Western Conference Playoff Opponents
Finding themselves in the third seed in the Western Conference, it is very hard for a fan not to look ahead to how the Lakers stack up against possible playoff opponents.
Let's take a look at some of the teams the Lakers will square off against in the playoffs, starting from the quarterfinals and going all the way to the NBA Finals.
Quarterfinals: Denver, New Orleans, Portland, and Other Weak Teams with No Shot
1 of 3
If the season were to end today, the Lakers would match up against the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round. This is not an ideal matchup for the Lakers. Although they would win the series, the Lakers have historically struggled at the Rose Garden. With teams like Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Dallas lurking in the later rounds, the Lakers need to dispose of their first round opponent quickly and get their players rested.
The Blazers have played well and have a solid starting five that can be a problem for the Lakers, especially if they are apathetic in the first round. Don't be surprised if the Lakers decide to take a game or two off in the first round. After all, we've seen it in big games this year like the Christmas showdown vs Miami. Why can't we see it in the first round?
The Lakers will probably dispose of the Blazers, but it will take 6 or 7 games to do so, especially if apathy sets in for the Lakers. They'll take care of them at The Staples Center, but the Lakers need to play with a high level of energy in the Rose Garden.
The best possible matchup for the Lakers in the Western Conference quarterfinals are the New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul has not been healthy, and the team has been a .500 club ever since starting 11-0.
The Lakers have played well against them this year, going 3-0. The Lakers are too big for the Hornets. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum can easily overpower David West and Aaron Gray. The Lakers will probably sweep the Hornets or take it in five games.
Finally, another possible opponent in the Western quarterfinals are the streaking Denver Nuggets. Ever since the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Nuggets have no distractions anymore and are actually playing better. The Pepsi Center can be a tough arena to play in, especially if the Lakers are apathetic.
Once again, this is a team the Lakers will take care of easily if they focus and play hard. But it is easy to fall into an apathy trap against an invigorated team who wants to show that they are still legitimate without their former hero.
The Lakers will most likely advance to the semifinals. But it is important they take care of their opponent easily in four or five games to rest up for the later rounds. New Orleans will be the easiest opponent for the Lakers. Even if the Lakers move to the second seed and somehow matchup against Memphis, they might hit some trouble.
Memphis is playing good basketball recently and have shown they can beat the Lakers at home. The Hornets are the coldest team and the Lakers have owned them. Hope for a Lakers/Hornets first round showdown.
Western Conference Semifinals: The Dallas Mavericks
2 of 3
Barring a huge first round upset (which the Dallas Mavericks are notorious for doing), the Lakers will most likely play the Dallas Mavericks. With the way the Lakers are playing right now, it is very likely they will secure the second seed and host the Dallas Mavericks. Home advantage will be very important for the Lakers in this series.
The Lakers have lost their only meeting with the Mavs this season, losing 109-100 in mid-January. The Lakers still have two games against the Mavericks, including this coming Saturday night in Dallas. There is not much precedent for a Lakers-Mavericks playoff matchup in recent history, but we will most likely see it this year.
Despite both teams having similar records, the Lakers heavily overpower the Mavericks down low. Dirk Nowitzki is not exactly a power player and Brendan Haywood will have his hands full with Andrew Bynum.
The Lakers also heavily outmatch the Mavs at the guard positions. Jason Kidd is sure to be a fantastic distributor and feed Dirk throughout the series, but other than that, the Mavericks are very one-dimensional.
The Lakers bench is also deeper than the Mavericks. Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, and Shannon Brown are sure to be a huge factor for the Lakers, especially when guys like Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki are taking a break.
If the Lakers play focused basketball and pound the ball inside, they can take care of the Mavericks in five games. They have some room for apathetic basketball. They should be able to take care of Dallas and move on to the Western Finals.
It'll be nice to see old rival Peja Stojakovic losing yet another series to the Lakers.
The Western Conference Finals: San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder
3 of 3
The other Western Conference semifinal series will most likely be the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs have new life with great young players like Matt Bonner, DeJuan Blair, and George Hill, but it is not certain if their star players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Duncan will hold up.
If the Spurs beat the Thunder and end up hosting the Lakers, the only advantage they will have is home court. The Lakers once again can easily overpower them like they recently did at the AT&T Center. The Lakers would be 2-1 against the Spurs this season if it wasn't for a faulty box out by Lamar Odom. They have been competitive against them and they showed last Sunday that the Spurs will really need a lot of strength down low to beat the Lakers. Bynum and Gasol will be too much for the inexperienced Blair and future hall-of-famer Tim Duncan.
Bench-wise, the Spurs have a plethora of solid players which will help them win a few games in the series. If the Lakers take any moment off in one of these games, guys like Gary Neal and George Hill will burn them and help bring swing the momentum swing to the Spurs side. The Lakers will take this series in five or six games.
Don't let the Spurs dominant record full you—the Lakers strength is just too much for a team like San Antonio.
The team the Lakers should be most concerned about are the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even though the Lakers will have home-court advantage, the Thunder will give the Lakers a lot of troubles. The addition of Kendrick Perkins gives the Thunder a huge presence down low. Perkins has given the Lakers troubles in the past when he played for the hated Celtics. Serge Ibaka also gives the Thunder plenty of size.
On the wings, the Thunder's Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will give a lot of energy to the team. If they're at home in front of that raucous crowd, it will be extremely difficult to control the tempo of the game. The Thunder can make the Lakers look ridiculously bad, especially if the Lakers aren't focused.
They need to be focused at all times against the Thunder. Taking any moment off is an invitation for the Thunder to build momentum and give the inexperienced team the belief and hope that they can win the series.
They key for the Lakers will be to always stay focused and control the tempo. It won't be surprising to see if the Thunder win this series, but the Lakers experience will give them an edge and they'll take it in seven games.
So looking at everything, the ideal road to the Finals is through New Orleans, Dallas, and San Antonio. Short series will keep the Lakers fresh for the finals, where they can expect another seven-game series against Boston.
