And then there were four.
In what has been the most chaotic and unique NBA season in recent memory, it’s only fitting to have two matchups in the conference finals that few would have predicted when the 2019-20 campaign kicked off last October.
In the East, the Boston Celtics would have been a solid bet to make it to this stage, but most would have pegged them against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, not the Miami Heat. On the other side of the bracket, Western Conference — and Los Angeles — supremacy was thought to be an inevitable collision course between the Lakers and Clippers.
The Denver Nuggets had other plans.
For the second time in these playoffs, Denver erased a 3-1 deficit to shock the Clippers in Game 7 of their second-round series. On the back of Jamal Murray’s rise to superstardom, Mike Malone’s squad is the first team in NBA history to storm back from a 3-1 hole in the same post-season run.
After their heroics over the past few weeks, it’s safe to say the Nuggets bandwagon is filling up quickly.
LeBron James and the Lakers will be looking to derail it.
Whereas the Nuggets have been forced to grind out both of their series thus far, the Lakers have cruised, dropping a combined two games to the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. They haven’t looked invincible, but James and Anthony Davis have convincingly positioned the Lakers as the odds-on favourite to win the title.
Will the Nuggets pull off another upset, or will James cement his legacy and return to the NBA Finals? Here’s a closer look at what should be a highly entertaining series.
Regular-season review: Lakers won 3-1
The matchup may look lopsided thanks to the 3-1 margin of victory for Los Angeles, but those three Lakers wins were decided by a combined 16 points. The Nuggets won in blowout fashion just before Christmas but James did not suit up for that contest.
Most recently, the Lakers eked out a 124-121 win in the bubble on Aug. 10. James and Davis saw their full workload but the Nuggets’ regulars saw limited minutes, making it difficult to put too much stock in the result.
Key matchup: Anthony Davis vs. Nikola Jokic
Even in a series featuring arguably the greatest player of all-time, the focus will be on the battle of the bigs. Basketball fans are in for an absolute treat up front, with two of the best in the game going at it.
Davis has fit in seamlessly in his first season in Los Angeles. He’s a force on both sides of the ball and can alleviate some of the pressure on James as a legit No. 1 option on offence.
The first team All-NBAer has seen most of his minutes at power forward but could be most effectively utilized in this series at centre, matched up directly with Jokic, who is a nightmare to guard. In the head-to-head battles between these two teams this season, the Nuggets outscored the Lakers by 18 with Davis playing alongside a traditional centre, while the Lakers held a 34-point edge with him as the lone big, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Already considered one of the game’s best players, Jokic is enjoying a true coming-out party in these playoffs, averaging 25.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and six assists with extremely efficient shooting percentages. He’s the best playmaking big man in the NBA and routinely drops jaws with passes even the best point guards would be envious of.
In addition to his passing, the native of Serbia can break down a defence with his versatile scoring arsenal. Jokic is creative in the post, can burn you from mid-range and is also comfortable stepping out beyond the arc. The Clippers had no answer for the matchup problem he presents, and Lakers coach Frank Vogel will be hoping Davis and a rotation of others will be up to the task.
X-Factors
Los Angeles: Danny Green
Coming off last year’s championship with the Toronto Raptors, Green has mostly disappointed in the purple and gold. His struggles have only been amplified in the bubble, as he shot just 39.5 per cent from the field — 22.7 per cent from three-point range — in six seeding games.
The long-time marksman’s numbers have improved from distance in the post-season as he’s up to a more respectable 38.5 per cent clip, but he hasn’t been able to find his rhythm on a regular basis.
The Lakers haven’t been a prolific shooting team in 2019-20, ranking 21st in regular-season three-point percentage and 11th of the 16 playoff teams. Denver has been hot from beyond the arc, converting at a 39.1 per cent mark in the post-season. Green will be key in helping keep the Lakers close in the three-point battle. If he catches fire, he’s capable of completely changing a game, like he did in Game 3 of last year’s Finals with his six triples.
He also figures to be a difference-maker on the other side of the ball as he could see a heavy dose of minutes as the primary defender on Murray.
Denver: Michael Porter Jr.
Jokic and Murray are the straws that stir the drink for the Nuggets offensively, but they won’t be able to outgun the Lakers on their own. If Denver has hopes of winning this series, it will need a reliable third option to emerge and take the load off the two horses. Porter Jr. has it in him to be that person.
The 22-year-old has had a dramatic first playoff run, both on the court on off it. He’s been streaky with his play and made headlines for calling out his coach and the Denver offence after the Game 4 loss to the Clippers. Considering the Nuggets ran off three straight wins after his comments, maybe it was a necessary outburst.
Porter Jr. has shown flashes of the player he can be, knocking down big shots and putting up impressive stats one night, but can be a complete non-factor the next. A string of steady performances could be the secret to a potential upset.
Prediction
Lakers in five.
The Nuggets have been a fun story, but this will be the end of the road. The Lakers are well rested and will do what the Jazz and Clippers could not by taking care of business in their first opportunity to clinch the series. After a one-year absence, James will lead his third different team to the NBA Finals and play for the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the ninth time in 10 seasons.