After the way the Thunder played in the playoffs,
it’s understandable why many people consider them to be the favorites in the
West, however the changes that the Lakers made puts them back into the
conversation. Looking at roster changes as well as making adjustments, the
Lakers have 6 reasons why they will beat the Thunder in the Western Conference
Finals.
6. Antawn Jamison Can Score
Will Antawn Jamison be the same caliber 6th
man that James Harden is? Absolutely not, but for the Lakers, his offense will
be a much needed kick for a bench that was terrible last year. He creates
interesting matchups with the Thunder because he could help pull Ibaka away
from the paint or penetrate if he had Perkins or Collison on him. Either way
Jamison is going to be a valuable weapon in the Lakers’ arsenal that they
didn’t have this year.
5. More Efficient Offense
The addition of one of the greatest playmakers of
all-time is going to make life much easier for Kobe, Bynum, and Gasol. It isn’t
unrealistic to assume that those 3 could get 60-70 points per game and make
life miserable for opposing defenses. Nash is also going to help spread the
floor and can play an excellent inside out game with Bynum or Gasol. Expect
more scoring from the Lakers against the Thunder in next year’s WCF.
4. Heat Pointed Out Some Flaws
The Thunder were the favorite to win the crown
going into the Finals and yet the Heat beat them with relative ease. In fact
for the most part, the Thunder only looked like the better team for one half of
Game 1. Two major weaknesses became clear with the Thunder. First, if you make
life tough for Westbrook or Harden, you will win. The Thunder bench isn’t as
deep as people think, they just have a starter who comes on and plays against
reserves. James Harden was the biggest reason the Heat won. At the same time
Russell Westbrook, a high volume shooter, needs to be kept out of the paint. If
you force him to be a jump shooter, his scoring can be controlled. Second,
Durant is a player that you have to attack. The Lakers don’t have that
penetration guy like the Heat, but that being said if Durant is on Bynum or
Gasol that should be a basket or a foul. He is not a good defender and often
finds himself in positions that are dangerous. Any excuse to get Durant off the
floor and get a useless player like Daequan Cook in the game should be a major
advantage for the Lakers.
3. Ebanks Can Slow Down Durant
When talking about defending elite players like
LeBron, Kobe, and Durant, it isn’t a matter of stopping them, just ways to slow
them down. Durant has been the league’s leading scorer the last 3 season and is
going to score….a lot. If anyone was clear from this year’s series with the
Thunder, Metta World Peace is not a good matchup for Durant. In the game where
MWP was ejected for the elbow to James Harden’s head, Devin Ebanks showed that
his league and quickness is pretty effective on Kevin Durant. Allowing Ebanks
to start move MWP and over Durant will help the Lakers immensely as Durant has
to work harder to get points.
2. Height Will Matter
Somehow the Lakers were outrebounded by the Thunder
despite having 2 7-footers who are All-stars. That is terribly embarrassing and
the Lakers need to make sure that when they play the Thunder again they crash
hard on the boards. The Lakers are big and need to make sure that they dominate
the paint on both ends of the floor. Nash will help make life much easier for
Gasol and Bynum, but they have to actively make an effort.
1. Lakers Will Be Hungry
Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest competitors in
sports and perhaps of all time. He hates losing and refuses to quit regardless
of the obstacles. That being said, the other Lakers were as hungry this year as
they should have been. A tough offseason for every team, the Lakers had players
unfit for the season’s beginning and with wholesale roster changes, a bunch of
guys who weren’t ready to win. As a result the Lakers struggled early and
finally turned into a pretty good team at the end of the season, but didn’t
show that energy that they had in the 2009 and 2010 championship runs. Andrew
Bynum has the tools to be a star in this league and needs to be more aggressive
and Pau Gasol needs to quit moping and be the force that he has been since he
entered the league.
The Lakers played the Thunder tough but ended up
losing the series 4-1 in what didn’t end up being all that close. Bottom line
is if the Lakers want to win the NBA Championship then they are going to have
to go through Oklahoma City and close doesn’t mean anything.
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