Not long ago, folks were saying the path to the 2020 title was the hardest it’s ever been. Between Coronavirus, the deaths of Kobe Bryant and David Stern, the worldwide protests, and an unprecedented amount of political tension, it’s fair to say distractions are at an All-Time high.
Still, if you’re LeBron James, life must be pretty good right now.
Not only are you living it up in a suite in Orlando, but you might also be on the cusp of winning his 4th straight Championship.
Despite being in the West, things have looked surprisingly easy for James and the Lakers this postseason, and it might stay that way. After beating the Blazers and the Rockets in 5, his team could be pitted up against Denver and Miami/Boston in the next two rounds. On his podcast, Bill Simmons called it a “cakewalk.”
“The big winner is LeBron. LeBron gets Portland in round one and they’re like running on fumes, then Lillard gets hurt. Gets this garbage Houston team in round two, that just completely runs for the hills at the first sign of strife.
And now the Lakers, they might get Denver in round three, that’s like the perfect team for them to play.
LeBron must be happy about his potential cakewalk.”
Granted, if the Clippers win Game 7, that’ll be a huge obstacle for James. Even despite their problems, they’re deep, talented, and very capable of slowing down L.A.’s stars.
Against Denver, however, LeBron and his squad would match up perfectly.
Is making the Finals ever easy? Of course not. But is the path for James this year much easier than people were expecting? So far, the answer is probably yes. James has made easy work of his postseason opponents so far and one has to wonder which teams can really give the Lakers problems.
