Teams Standing in Lakers' Way

With the Lakers exiting the playoffs in the second round again last season, it was clear that changes needed to be made to the roster. Signing Nash and Jamison have made the Lakers one of the most improved teams in the league for the upcoming season; however that is only half the battle in their quest to win a title. Many teams improved this offseason, some perhaps even more so than the Lakers, making their run at a 3^rd title in 5 years all the more difficult. There are 5 teams that finished better than the Lakers last season and 3 of those 5 made it to their conference finals. The 4^th team that made it to the conference finals, the Celtics, looked great when it mattered and continued their tradition of success without making a serious effort in the regular season. Therefore it is fair to say that the Lakers had 6 teams finish better than them last season and I would like to examine the offseason each of these teams had and how they could stand in the Lakers way of a title in next year’s season.

6. Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls had the best record in the NBA last season even with the reigning MVP sidelined for several stretches of the season. Last year the Bulls showed their depth and toughness while Luol Deng emerged as a leader in Rose’s absence. Unfortunately for Chicago, their season came to a screeching halt when Rose injured himself again at the end of their opening game in the playoffs.  The Bulls failed to escape the first round and lost to a rejuvenated 76ers team. Word around the league is that Rose won’t be returning to the team until March and as a result, the Bulls will not have the best record in the league. Although they are probably good enough to make the playoffs in the East, without him it seems unlikely that they will even get home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Bulls will miss not only Rose, but Omer Asik, CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver all departed during the offseason. The NBA’s deepest team lost great roles players and even with Rose probably wouldn’t win the Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference teams usually aren’t much of a concern because only one of them could meet the Lakers in the Finals, but the Bulls were a very tough team last season. Assuming Rose can come back at full strength, this team could make some noise in the playoffs depending on matchups. However it seems incredibly unlikely that the Bulls will win the Eastern Conference and as a result are the least threatening team that finished ahead of the Lakers in last year’s campaign.

5. Indiana Pacers

Playing in the opposite conference and considered one of the less popular franchises in the league made the Pacers one of the best kept secrets in last year’s season. Despite a very solid record in the regular season, it never seemed as though they were going to compete for the NBA championship. All of that changed when they took a 2-1 lead over the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs. However the Heat responded by winning the next three games and eventually the NBA Finals. The Pacers are a tough team and showed that in last year’s playoffs, but they will look very different next season.

One of the few teams that got worse in the offseason, the Pacers made a bizarre trade for Ian Mahinmi with Dallas, giving the Mavs Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. They kept Roy Hibbert, a positive although they overpaid him, and let Leandro Barbosa walk. The acquisitions of DJ Augustin and Gerald Green will do little in terms of helping this team replace those losses.

Although the Pacers could be the 3^rd seed in the Eastern Conference it is very unlikely that they will be able to beat the Celtics and Heat, who will both stand in their way of making the NBA Finals. Don’t expect anything from the Pacers other than a solid regular season and a second round exit again.

4/3. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder were just 3 wins away from the NBA Finals and yet they find themselves as the 4^th/3rd biggest threat to the Lakers’ championship hopes. After beating the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs, it would seem bizarre to see the Thunder anything less than 2^nd, but there is a method to the madness. For the Lakers to reach the NBA Finals, or at least make the return significantly easier, they are going to need a little help.  Despite being the standout as the best team in the Western Conference last season, the Thunder faltered at the end of the year and didn’t earn the #1 seed. As a result the Lakers had to play the Thunder and if they had won, would have had to play the scorching Spurs. Even if the Lakers had gotten by OKC, winning against the Spurs in the following series was going to be difficult. Bottom line is the Lakers need to try and avoid playing San Antonio and OKC, if they would like to win the NBA Finals. Although the West is deep, there weren’t any major upsets in this year’s Western Conference playoffs, and it seems unlikely that there will be any next season. With little changes to their roster, the Thunder are just a tad less scary then the Spurs only because they have been a historically less successful team in the regular season.

3/4. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs looked as though they were never going to lose again after their game 2 blowout win against the Thunder. When reality set in, it set in hard as the Spurs crashed into Earth losing 4 consecutive games and watching their historic season come to an end. The Spurs retained everyone and have made it clear that they believe they can win with the group of players that they had last year. The Spurs have been better in the regular season than the Spurs and as a result should pose a bigger threat although there is a catch. If the Lakers aren’t the #1 seed in the west and have to go through the Spurs and the Thunder in order to make the Finals, the Spurs are a more favorable match-up. That’s why that Thunder and Spurs received two numbers as the first number represents their likely to effect the Lakers winning the regular season crown in the West and the second number represents their likelihood of preventing the Lakers from getting to the Finals if they were to meet in the playoffs. The Spurs are no slouch, but the Thunder have a couple miserable matchups and the Spurs are just a more favorable matchup. The Spurs along with the Thunder will easily be the two biggest threats to the Lakers winning the Western Conference Finals and it is safe to say that one of these 3 teams will advance to the Finals from the West.

2. Miami Heat

LeBron James finally showed how dominant he truly is and the Heat showed the NBA what all the hype was about. Returning everyone and adding Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, it is impossible to make a claim that Heat got worse in the offseason even if they didn’t get much better. Any improvement from t winning a championship is rare and the Heat showed that coupling outside shooters with James and Wade is deadly. That being said, the Heat weren’t all that impressive in the second and third rounds of the playoffs and although they won, they were very close to not making the finals. The Lakers match up pretty well with the Heat because of size and although Lebron is a matchup nightmare, Wade seems to have slowed a bit. I’m a big believer in letting Lebron get his, just play him tight and try to make things difficult. The key to beating the Heat is preventing Chalmers, Battier, Lewis, or Allen to get going. The Heat are the best team in the Eastern Conference and the league, but there lack of size makes a matchup with the Lakers a little easier for LAL. It’s definitely not a matchup that you would want if you were looking for an automatic NBA Finals ring like when the Lakers played Orlando, but the Heat aren’t the biggest threat to the Lakers in the upcoming season.

1. Boston Celtics

Being a Lakers’ fan means that you hate certain players and teams and at the top of that list is the Boston Celtics. That being said the Celtics were an incredible surprise in the playoffs last year and showed how good they really are against the Heat. Losing Ray Allen isn’t a factor with the additions of Jason Terry and Courtney Lee. That combo should easily match the production of Allen and even surpass what he brought to the team. Getting Jeff Green and Avery Bradley back and healthy is going to be huge as well as getting Jared Sullinger and keeping Bass and Garnett around. The Celtics have star power as well as depth and are good on both sides of the ball. They are the most complete team in the league and could very well beat the Heat. Although the Heat are probably a better team, the Celtics are a tougher matchup for the Lakers and would be the least desirable matchup in the Finals.

Many teams improved during the offseason and these 6 teams are just the teams that finished ahead of the Lakers last year. Teams like the Clippers, Nuggets, Grizzlies, Knicks, Nets, and others will all be tough teams throughout the year and could make some noise in the playoffs. The season definitely is shaping to be exciting after this eventful offseason.