With the Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Golden State Warriors in the Conference Semifinals, there is blood in the water, the Lakers could smell it. The Lakers continue to build on their confidence after each game. It’s not just the confidence of Lebron James or Anthony Davis. The Lakers' role players have been improving and have increased their contribution with each game and round of the playoffs. Austin Reeves, Lonnie Walker, Jarden Vanderbilt, Dennis Schoeder, and Rui Hachimura have all played a role in helping the Lakers advance in the first two rounds. It has been the strength of numbers for the Lakers. Each game has called for one or a combination of role players to raise their level of play. The Laker role guys have delivered and complemented their main guys.
The Lakers' success would have been hard to imagine at the beginning of the season. The Lakers did not get off to the best of starts. While Westbrook was on the team, he took up a large percentage of the possessions. His ball domination may have limited the ability of other guys to develop and display their offensive games. Unloading Westbrook and retooling their roster has allowed other guys to have the ball in their hands more.
The confidence has built amongst their role players to the point that Lebron allows the others on the team to initiate the offense. It’s uncommon to see Lebron not dominating the ball each possession and making the decision for just about every play. The newfound confidence in his teammates has allowed Lebron to be effective in more ways than one. It gives his teammates added confidence because of the confidence he has shown in them.
It also allows Lebron to get more rest during the course of the game. He gets to play off the ball allowing teams to see other looks. It has worked and been efficient in the first two rounds. It would be unimaginable to see the Lakers go away from this approach in the Conference Finals. At age 38, it’s been impressive to see Lebron pace himself and display a different version of himself. The constant evolution of his game has been a treat for those who have tuned in for the last 20 years of his career.
Game two of the NBA Western Conference will be on Thursday. The Lakers lost game one after trailing the majority of the game. As expected, the Lakers are going up against their best opponent yet. Denver presents matchup issues at several positions. They have the two-time NBA MVP in Jokic, along with sharpshooter Jamal Murray. The Nuggets are playing high-level basketball. They have locked in defensively since the postseason started.
The Lakers will need Lebron to raise his level of play. He has been pacing himself, but he may have to kick it up a gear or two against the Nuggets. The Lakers will also need more consistency from AD, who has had some lackluster games. They will need their role players to keep doing what they're doing by supporting their main guys. It’s a lot to ask for, but it's a fair ask considering they have delivered thus far. There is no telling how this series may end, but the Lakers have had an impressive playoff run thus far. It is not far-fetched to assume that they can finish the job and get to the finals this season.