There is no guarantee that the Los Angeles Lakers will even make it to the playoffs. But with a new-look roster and having LeBron James back healthy in time for the postseason on the cards, some still have a lot of confidence in them.
Colin Cowherd recently claimed that if the Los Angeles Lakers are healthy, they could beat the Western Conference’s top seed, the Denver Nuggets, in a playoff series.
Would you take a healthy Lakers or healthy Nuggets in the playoffs?@ColinCowherd and @_JasonLT discuss pic.twitter.com/n5Kwg1pxtw
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 2, 2023
“If they were healthy, I’d pick the Lakers,” Cowherd said. “I don’t trust Denver in the West. Playoff basketball is about being great at stuff. It’s not about depth. It’s not about plaques. It’s not about MVPs. The Lakers, when AD and LeBron are healthy, they have things they’re great at.”
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are indeed a championship-winning duo when at their best and healthy. But considering that they are the 12th seed, to pick them over the clear first seed in the conference is a bit over the top.
The Denver Nuggets do get disrespected quite a bit, and their recent injury issues have led to many taking them lightly. But they have the 3rd best record in the whole NBA, and Nikola Jokic looks set to win a 3rd consecutive MVP award. And his goal remains to win the championship, so he will be on a different level come playoff time as well. But many don’t think this is enough.
An ESPN Panel With Vince Carter And Tristan Thompson Said The Lakers Would Beat The Nuggets And The Grizzlies
LeBron James is still the best player in the NBA, a lot of people seem to think so. And Anthony Davis is a Top 5 player when at his best, as rare as that may be. Having said that, the fact that 4 out of 4 panelists on ESPN picked the Lakers to beat the Nuggets and Grizzlies in a playoff series is wild.
“I will tell people this, I got a call from the producers at 1:15 PM saying, ‘Hey, so we just polled everyone on the show today,’ all four panelists on the show, think it’s Ramona Shelburne, Tristan Thompson, Vince Carter, and… Marc Spears,” Zach Lowe said.
“‘And we asked them, today, right now, if the Lakers played the Nuggets in a first-round playoff series, which by definition means Denver has home-court advantage, or if the Lakers played the Grizzlies in a first-round playoff series,’ Just those two teams was what was told to me, with the Grizzlies, of course, having home court, ‘Who would you pick?’ 4 for 4 Lakers over Nuggets, Lakers over Grizzlies.”
It’s understandable if some media members have a bit of a bias when it comes to the Lakers, thanks to the proven caliber of their superstars. But these takes are getting wild, considering they might even miss the play-in tournament for the second season in a row. If nothing else, all this noise is serious bulletin-board material for the Denver Nuggets.
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