After a long playoff drought, the Lakers have emerged as one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
Before the league’s hiatus, they were set to finish first in the West behind the leadership of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. As unstoppable as they seemed, there were (and are) other teams out there with a real chance at raising that O’Brien trophy in June.
But which do the Lakers consider to be their biggest competition? According to Lakers guard Danny Green, there is more than one team they consider dangerous.
“I think there’s more than one,” Green said. “In the West, I think there’s a lot of them. In the East, of course, Milwaukee is very tough, Philly is good when they’re healthy. Boston is very tough, you’ve seen that matchup… it’s a very tough matchup. That could be a Finals, you never know, preview.”
The Bucks and Sixers are all deeply talented teams who can definitely give the Lakers a run for their money. The Sixers, despite their struggles, have the star-power to compete with anyone and have the size to contend with L.A. under the rim.
In the West, Houston, Denver, and Utah pose serious challenges and all have their own, unique, playstyle.
Interestingly, Green doesn’t include the Raptors or Heat on his list — two teams who have surprised the world with their play this season. Did he just forget to include them, or does he think their stellar play is a fluke?
Either way, the Lakers will make things interesting no matter who they’re matched up against. This could very well be their last chance to win a Championship for a while — and they will be motivated to take this one home.
