Nuggets-Lakers Series Breakdown
Point Guard: Anthony Carter vs. Derek Fisher These are similar players in that they’re smart, disciplined, and steady veteran presences. Both run offenses intelligently while understanding their role, and have a knack for managing tempo. However, Fisher exudes playoff savvy, having won three rings with the Lakers earlier, and providing strong leadership during the Utah Jazz’s run to the conference finals last season. He’s also a better spot-up shooter than Carter, while it’s also worth noting that Fisher is slightly injured at the moment. Shooting Guard: Allen Iverson vs. Kobe Bryant Two hall of fame players. Two once-in-a-lifetime talents. Two veterans with something left to prove. For all their similarities, these players couldn’t be more different as shooting guards. Kobe is the best two-way player in the league and the best closer in basketball. Iverson is a devastating scorer, but he’s so headstrong that his play doesn’t ever ebb with the flow of the game. He will always prefer isolation and crossover moves, regardless of what’s happening. This sometimes strength can often be his downfall, as he dips into a detrimental selfish style of play. Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony vs. Lamar Odom While Melo is an excellent scorer, Odom is excellent at everything else. Odom is a better passer, rebounder, defender, and (by all accounts) citizen than Melo. However, Melo is a scoring machine, and if the Nuggets are to have a punchers chance in this series, he’s going to need to play out of his mind. If he dedicates himself to chasing every offensive rebound, it’s reasonable to think that he’ll average 30 and 10 over the course of the series. Odds are that Phil Jackson will make Odom’s primary responsibility of the series shutting down Melo, and Anthony’s response to defenses thrown at him will be telling about his overall value of a player. Power Forward: Kenyon Martin vs. Vladimir Radmanovic These are two very contrasting role players. Radmanovic, valuable in the triangle, is primarily a spot-up shooter. He isn’t especially tough or a terrific rebounder (with Gasol and especially Odom providing front-court rebounding). K-Mart is almost the exact opposite, as his intangibles are supplied with strong low-post defense and solid energy on the offensive end. Both of these players will be expected to perform their roles, but not necessarily decide any games based on their performances. Center: Marcus Camby vs. Pau Gasol These are two of the best centers in the game (though Gasol is truly more of a power forward). Both are excellent playmakers, while Camby is the better rebounder and shot-blocker and Gasol is the better scorer. They both run the floor extremely well and exude basketball IQ. For the Nuggets to succeed in this series, it will be Camby’s responsibility to tighten things up on the defensive end. While it is guaranteed that Camby will play great defense, he must hold the rest of the team to equally high standards. Coach: George Karl vs. Phil Jackson Who would you take, the guy with nine rings, or the guy who has consistently come up short in the playoffs? The issue isn’t so much deft strategy; both are great strategists. The real difference lies in Jackson’s ability to convince players to play specific roles—even superstars. The Lakers are the best team in the West because they have twelve players who all understand their specific roles and know they can’t do it by themselves. No one could argue the same for the Nuggets, which will be their Achilles Heel in this series. Bench: The Lakers might have the best bench in the league, with Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, and Luke Walton all providing solid shooting, energy and intelligence. However, the Nuggets might be just as deep, assuming steady production from Linas Kleiza and Eduardo Najera. However, the biggest advantage is that, when on fire, JR Smith can be the best player on the floor. When he’s playing well, he’s as deadly as Kobe when taking it to the rack and from long range (he lacks Kobe’s midrange game). If Smith can play smart (a big if), he could certainly swing a game or two. It shouldn’t be too unexpected to see Karl move him into the starting lineup if the Nuggets have serious problems in the first two games. X-Factor: Returning Injured Players Both the Nuggets and Lakers have key bigs that they hope to have returning to form during the playoffs in Nene and Andrew Bynum. Both are excellent physical defenders with a palpable thickness that neither Gasol nor Camby can offer. While the Lakers are playing supremely well without Bynum and have question marks about his return, Nene has been able to make strong contributions during limited burn thanks to his chemotherapy. Should Nene be able to provide 15-20 solid minutes a game, he could certainly sway the Nuggets fortunes. Bynum isn’t expected to make huge contributions in this first round series, though he might be sprinkled in to acclimate him to playing with Gasol. Outlook: The Nuggets certainly have a large task ahead of them if they expect to reach the second round for the first time in the Carmelo Anthony era. They must tighten their perimeter defense up. They must get large contributions from their bench, especially JR Smith and hopefully Nene. Melo must be a freak on the glass and a beast in the post. Most importantly, they must function like a team. They must play unselfish offensive basketball. It’s been said that the Nuggets are a team in which “every player thinks they can win by playing their own game.” This is an astute statement, and one that the Nuggets must prove to be false if they want to break through to the second round. Certainly a tall task, but not impossible.
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