he Serbian star is averaging 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in the playoffs
LeBron James looks for his umpteenth NBA Finals with a resilient team
The impressive and unexpected resurgence of the Los Angeles Lakers faces its final obstacle in its quest for a ring in the Western Conference Finals: the denver nuggets of talent Nikola Jokic,
The Ball Arena in Denver will host the first game of this Western Finals at dawn on Wednesday, a re-edition of the game played in the 2020 ‘bubble’ with Angelenos winning the ring. Also, this year’s Eastern Final is a repeat of 2020 With the duel between the Celtics and the Heat.
loss nuggetsMeet the West’s Best Regular Season Team Lakers and history, as he has never won a ring and has not even reached the finals of his career NBA, Denver went 0–4 in the Conference Finals and lost to the Angels on three of those occasions.
The main reason Coloradans believe this time could be different jokicDouble NBA MVP (2021 & 2022) and performing at an exceptional level on the verge of a triple-double in these playoffs (Averaging 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game), The center has not only been the beacon that has guided the entire Nuggets offense but has also shone for its effectiveness. (54.9% on field goals, 47.5% on three-pointers) And he has also given up performances to remember, scoring 53 points in the fourth game. Phoenix Suns,
A joke well veiled
By his side, Jamal Murray with his bruises already in the rear-view mirror and giving great feeling leads a compact and powerful list of squires that also includes Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Kentavius ​​Caldwell-Pope, and appears at the top mike maloneWho has already spent eight seasons as the Nuggets coach with a very stable and solid project.
Another reason for optimism in Denver? The Nuggets Have The Home Court Factor In Their Favor Against The LakersThey are still undefeated at home in these playoffs and they shined at home with a 34-18 record in the regular season.
The lakers escalation
Facing some Nuggets with little experience at this stage of the post-season, the Lakers are expert climbers at climbing the most difficult peaks in the NBA. The purple and gold have held 17 titles, a league record shared with their arch-rivals the Boston Celtics.,
In any case, practically no one trusted them. Lebron James why is Anthony Davis struggling to make the finals in mid-May, especially after the hair-raising 2-10 From which he started the course?
Controversial departure in this roller coaster Russell WestbrookSignature D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura or Jared Vanderbilt And this Austin Reads Growth He has been essential in reviving the Lakers who, after going through all kinds of misfortune, are now a competitive team, very physical on defense and completely confident in their ability.
It hasn’t been easy for him to reach here. They went 18–8 in the final stages of the season .They fell back to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the ‘play-in’, cut the smoke short to the speedy Memphis Grizzlies (2nd in the West), and dethroned the defending champion, Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors.
Although Darwin Hamm’s block dazzled in the playoffs, The Lakers would not have survived if not for the stellar performances of their two stars.: A giant Davis under the hoops (21.2 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks on average with a 53% success rate) and a LeBron who, at 38 and two decades into the elite, continues to defy the pace of time (23.4) points on average plus 10 rebounds and 5.3 assists).
well, huge internal conflict between Jokic and Davis This appears for example in this matching Key to the West final: lakers why nuggets They shared four of their games this season (2-2) but haven’t seen each other since January.
