On May 13, Beijing time, the Lakers' "counterattack journey" continued, they became the second "Black Seven" team in history to advance to the division finals, and once again met the Nuggets in the West after 3 years, the last time the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets 4-1 on aggregate, and finally defeated the Heat 4-2 in the Finals to win the championship. How far will the Lakers be able to go this year? Tencent News netizens voted, more than 70% of netizens are optimistic about the Lakers winning the championship, less than 30% of netizens believe that the Lakers cannot win the championship, undoubtedly the current public opinion is generally optimistic about the "Lakers championship", the purple and gold army will also strive to become the first black seven championship team to create history.
Epic Comeback: The Lakers went to the Western Conference to tie the Black Seven's all-time best
When "Lakers championship" is no longer just a slogan, but a goal that can be expected, there is no doubt that this year's Lakers metamorphosis is extremely surprising. From a 2-10 opening with only a three-thousandth chance of advancing to the playoffs, the Lakers fought all the way from 13th to 7th in the West in the regular season, and defeated the Timberwolves in the playoffs to advance to the playoffs. The Lakers then eliminated the Grizzlies 4-2 in the first round to complete the 7th Black Seven Miracle in history, and eliminated the defending champion Warriors 4-2 in the second round to advance to the Western Conference Finals in two consecutive rounds.
So far, the Lakers have equaled the best record in the history of the "Black Seven" team, looking at the teams that completed the Black Seven 6 times in NBA history, and finally finished in the playoffs.
1987 Supersonics (now Thunder): 3-1 Mavericks (now Lone Ranger) in the first round, 4-2 Rockets in the second round, 0-4 Lakers in the Western Conference.
1989 Warriors: 3-0 Jazz in the first round, 1-4 Suns in the second round.
1991 Warriors: 3-1 Spurs in the first round, 1-4 Lakers in the second round.
1998 Knicks: 3-2 Heat in the first round, 1-4 Pacers in the second round.
2010 Spurs: 4-2 Mavericks (now Lone Ranger) in the first round, 0-4 Suns in the second round.
2023 Lakers: 4-2 Grizzlies in the first round, 4-2 Warriors in the second round, Lakers vs Nuggets.
Promotion trip: The Lakers beat the Grizzlies and Warriors in a row, with a higher gold content than the Nuggets' winning streak against the Wolves Suns
The Lakers' journey this season is not over, they will challenge the Nuggets, the first in the West in the regular season, and the Lakers led by James Mei are no longer the fish-belly weak brigade in the first half of the season after the mid-season lineup is upgraded, but has transformed into a championship team, so whether they can impact the 18th championship in team history is naturally worth looking forward to.
Tencent News netizens are optimistic that the Lakers can win the championship with more than 70% of the votes, undoubtedly in the multiple options, the "Lakers championship" occupies an overwhelming advantage, after all, the remaining 3 result options total less than 30% of the votes. Indeed, this year the Lakers have another great opportunity to compete for the championship, in the past two seasons due to injuries, the Lakers once stopped the first round and missed the playoffs (or even the playoffs), the outside world widely believes that the Lakers Jamei era championship window has closed.
However, after sending away players such as Wilson, Beverley and Tobb in the mid-season trade, the introduction of players such as Russell, Hachimura Base, Vanderbilt, Beasley and other players completely made up for the Lakers' lack of three-point projection and lack of defense, plus James' dual core is currently healthy, which has become the embodiment of the Lakers' absolute competitiveness.
When the Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies and Warriors in a row, it certainly showed that they had the possibility of beating any opponent. As for the opponent in the Western Conference finals meeting the Nuggets, who are the first in the West, the Nuggets eliminated the Timberwolves 4-1 and the Suns 4-2 in the first two rounds, and there is no doubt that the Lakers have a higher gold content to advance. The Timberwolves eliminated by the Nuggets have obvious run-in problems, while the Suns role player roster is weak, plus Paul and Ayton are injured, so the Nuggets' promotion is easier than that of the Lakers.
Lakers championship: Super 70% optimistic about the Lakers, is expected to repeat the model of eliminating the Nuggets 3 years ago and finally winning the championship
As for the Lakers' regular season with the Nuggets in four meetings to draw 2-2, and the Lakers history three Western Conference finals, the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets all, 4-1 (1985), 4-2 (2009) and 4-1 (2020). Coincidentally, when the Lakers eliminated the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, they all won the championship that year, especially the protagonists of 2020, James, thick eyebrows, Jokic, Murray, etc. will meet again.
James was extremely cautious about the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, saying, "It's going to be a great series, two well-trained teams, they've been the top seed in the West all season, and we have a lot of respect for them. "It's hard to say about the game with them, because it's a different team after all, and we've changed a lot." ”
The upgraded Lakers have both offensive and defensive capabilities, especially Zhan Mei is in good shape, and the team's role player strength is also quite good. On the other hand, the Nuggets are Jokic, who has a prominent performance in the playoffs, and his interior duel with thick eyebrows will be an important factor in determining the direction of promotion, but the Nuggets' defense has certain weaknesses, plus the Nuggets have become a seven-eight rotation in the playoffs, and the Lakers have a better depth of lineup, so more than 70% of netizens are optimistic that the Lakers will win the championship, so fighting to eliminate the Nuggets will only be the next step in the championship process.
As for the Lakers if they advance to the Finals, they will face the Heat, 76ers and Celtics, and the Heat have advanced to the Eastern Conference finals, while the 76ers and the Celtics will play a tie-break battle, and the winner will compete with the Heat for a spot in the Finals. The Lakers' current roster strength, facing any of the Eastern Conference Three, is not afraid of the possibility of winning a championship.
The Lakers did not win the championship: In total, less than 30% of netizens are not optimistic about the Lakers reaching the top
It is based on this factor that less than 30% of the remaining netizens believe that the Lakers cannot win the championship, among which they believe that the Lakers eliminated more than 10% of the votes in the West Finals, think that the Lakers advanced to the West and rush out of the West with more than 10% of the votes, and think that the Lakers won the runner-up in the Finals at the bottom of the votes.
Whether the Lakers can attack the 18th championship in team history under the leadership of Zhan Mei under the leadership of the outside world is also extremely exciting.
(Text/Drunken Lying Float)