If the Los Angeles Lakers can manage to escape San Antonio and Denver, who I see as their biggest challenges in the West, their journey will lead them to the NBA Finals where they will face one of three potential opponents from the Eastern Conference.
The first of these teams is Cleveland, which is probably the best match-up for the defending champions. The Lakers hold all of the primary advantages over the Cavaliers, save one. But that one just happens to be LeBron James.
James has jumped to the forefront of conversation when discussing the best players in the league. Outside of Los Angeles he probably gets the nod over Kobe Bryant.
His attributes are numerous and he has steadily improved in most aspects of his game. His man defense is less than stellar, but he makes up for it by being one of the best help defenders in the NBA.
There will be no way for the Lakers to shut him down, but the acquisition of Ron Artest means that Kobe won't have to exert as much energy trying to defend James.
Honestly, Artest will have his hands full, but if the emphasis is placed on another player having to beat the Lakers, then half of the b ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Hadarii Jones
L.A. Lakers’ Pivot Points: Five Potholes on the Road To a Repeat, Part 3
November 17th, 2009 by Hadarii Jones Leave a reply »
Advertisement