The 2009 NBA Western Conference Finals will feature the Los Angeles Lakers versus the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers finally beat the Houston Rockets in game seven of the semifinals by a score of 89-70 and won a spot in the Finals. To say the least, although the last game of the series was an easy victory, the series was hard fought. The Nuggets have been waiting around for days to see who they’ll face in their next best of seven series.
Denver got to the Western Conference Finals by beating the Dallas Mavericks in the semifinals, winning four games to one. That means that the top two seeds in the West will fight it out to see which goes to the NBA Finals. The series is set to start on Tuesday.
Denver Nuggets
Offense
The Nuggets offense has been led by small forward Carmelo Anthony and point guard Chauncey Billups. Anthony has been good for 27.0 PPG and 6.4 RPG. He’s also averaged 4.3 APG. The backcourt is controlled by Billups. Billups, like Anthony, has had a stellar post season, leading the club with 7.4 APG. His 22.1 PPG in the post-season are the second most on the Nuggets. From downtown, the point man is one of the best. In the playoffs, he’s hit 54% of his threes. He’s also sunk 96% of his free throws and 49% of his shots from the floor. Anthony is also an awesome three-point threat, knocking down 45% of his tries.
The team is deep on accurate three-point men as shooting guard J.R. Smith’s post-season success rate stands at 41%. Power forward Kenyon Martin offers additional rebound potential and an accurate inside shot that he hits 53% of the time. The primary concern on this club is at center. Six-year player Nene Hilario has struggled at times in the playoffs. From the charity stripe, he is under average, while his shot from the floor hits pay dirt 55% of the time. The Nuggets can run and pass and know how to share the ball. They play team basketball.
Defense
Denver is a solid defensive team, ably stopping opponents in both the front and backcourt. Forward/center Chris Anderson offers great defensive chops. In the first two playoff series, he averaged 1.89 BPG in limited action. All five starters have stealing potential, averaging from 1.10 to 2.00 SPG. The club makes an average of 9.5 SPG, three more than their opponents. This Nugget defense can keep teams off kilter.
Los Angeles Lakers
Offense
The Lakers’ offense is high-powered with the capability of scoring buckets of points quickly. Kobe Bryant, who’s hit for an average of 28.6 PPG, has been accurate from the floor 46% and has hit from downtown 36% of the time. His free throw rate in the post-season is 87%. Point guard Derek Fisher is a good ball handler, offering minimal point producing potential and average defensive chops. Of the staring five, he’s got the worst shot from the floor although his free throw ability is better than average.
The frontcourt features Pau Gasol at forward/center, Lamar Odom at power forward and Trevor Ariza at small forward. On any given night, Gasol is capable of a double-double, averaging 18.3 PPG and 10.1 RPG. Odom, who has been dealing with an injury, has still been putting up double-double numbers with 12.8 PPG and 10.0 RPG. Ariza can hit from inside and outside although he’s a poor free throw shooter. This is an offense that is less team oriented than Denver’s and that can lead to problems especially when they face a good defensive club like the Nuggets.
Defense
On defense, Bryant is one of the best, averaging 2.09 SPG and 0.82 BPG. Upfront, Gasol and Odom are a tough tandem with Gasol blocking 1.73 SPG and Odom 1.55 SPG. The best part of the defense is the club’s ball stealing potential. Their ability to block is not as good as their opponent’s and Fisher is not much of a force in the backcourt.
Summary
These are two evenly matched clubs. The Lakers hold an edge in rebounding and can swipe the ball as well as the Nuggets. Denver’s got some expert shot blockers, a solid defense and a fine team dynamic. Los Angeles has been through a tough seven-game series and has had just one day to rest. Along with that fact, two of LA’s top front men are dealing with injuries—Odom and Andrew Bynum. On the other hand, Denver is rested and healthy. These two clubs will battle for seven games. With the fatigue and injury factors and team dynamics, I’m giving the Nuggets a slight edge in this series.
