Lakers VS Nuggets, a detailed comparison of 7 positions, only to find that this team is overrated
The play-offs are about to begin, the Lakers' opponent is the Pelicans, the two sides have played each other not long ago, when the Lakers led by a full 32 points at most, and finally won easily, James bombarded 28 points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists, 5 steals and 1 block in this game, reaching the milestone of 40,000 points, 11,000 rebounds and 11,000 assists, and Brother Thick Mei contributed 30 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, while Zion on the opposite side only got 12 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals, and was locked up by James, Ingram's performance was not good, it can be seen that the Lakers are very restrained by the Pelicans, and there is no suspense in winning the play-offs。
Because James can be called Zion's nemesis, the two have faced each other 8 times, James is 7-1, Zion doesn't look at his physical strength and strong impact, but as long as he touches James, he will be beaten back to his original shape, so as long as the Lakers are willing, they can beat the Pelicans again in the play-offs. Many fans think that the Lakers may release water to fight for 8th, but in fact, this possibility is not at all, the Lakers do not dare to bet, if they lose to the Kings or the Warriors again in the second round of the play-offs, then they will miss the playoffs. To sum up, the Lakers must go all out to win the playoffs against the Pelicans, and then the first round of the playoffs will meet the Nuggets, so do the Lakers have the strength to take revenge on the Nuggets?
Point guard: Russell vs Murray
Murray's scoring ability is extremely strong, and he is good at playing the playoffs, daring to fight at critical moments, and Russell's scoring ability is also not weak, but it is still a cut worse than Murray, Russell averages 18.0 points per game this season, Murray is 21.2 points, basically every time the two are in the opposite position, Murray has a clear upper hand, especially during the Western Conference finals last year, Russell pulled his hips every game, and his performance in the regular season this season against the Nuggets was not ideal, on the other hand, Murray was violent on the field, and the Lakers had nothing to do with him. As for Dinwiddie and Vincent, to be honest, the playoffs may not be very useful, so the point guard has a clear advantage over the Nuggets.
Shooting guard: Reeves vs Pope
The Lakers don't have many players who can use scoring guards, and the same is true for the Nuggets, Reaves and Pope have their own advantages and disadvantages, the former has stronger scoring ability, but unfortunately there is almost no defense, Pope has poor scoring ability, but the defense is very good, and the scoring guard is equal compared to the two teams. In fact, the biggest shortcoming of the Lakers lineup is that the guards are not good at defense, neither Russell nor Reaves can prevent Murray, on the other hand, the Nuggets, Murray and Pope are both offensive and defensive.
Komae: Rui Hachimura VS Namitoku
Hachimura is averaging 13.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game this season, while Prince is 8.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists. On the Nuggets' side, Porter averaged 16.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, and Watson had 6.6 rebounds, 3.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks. Hachimura often has times when he becomes a surprise player, such as in the last meeting with the Nuggets in the regular season this season, Hachimura scored 23 points, and Prince shot erratically, but defended well. And the Nuggets' Porter offense and defense are very good, and the small forwards are evenly matched with the two sides.
Power forward: James vs Gordon
This group of matchups is the biggest advantage of the Lakers, James is not old this season, 39 years old he still has the strength to dominate the game, such as against the Pelicans with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 17 assists, creating many NBA records, it is conceivable that James will only be stronger in the playoffs, you must know that last year's Western Conference met in front of the Grizzlies and the Warriors, in fact, James has a problem with physical strength, and they met in the first round this year, which means that James is more physical, although Gordon's defense is quite good, but it is obviously impossible to limit James, if Van der Biao can return in the playoffs, then the Lakers' strength will rise greatly。
Center: Thick eyebrows vs. Jokic
In terms of personal ability, Brother Thick Eyebrows may not be as good as Jokic, but the real gap is not so obvious, many of the two have been Jokic who has beaten Brother Thick Eyebrows many times, and there is even a saying that Brother Thick Eyebrows has become Jokic's toy, which can only be said not because Brother Thick Eyebrows is not capable enough, but that there is a problem with his mentality, every time he faces Jokic, he is timid first, resulting in not being able to play, which requires Brother Thick Eyebrows to overcome his psychological fear, and I believe that he can do it in this year's playoffs. Overall, Jokic is still stronger at the center position, but the thick eyebrows are expected to play a stronger performance, narrowing the gap with Jokic, or even equal.
The sixth position we have to compete with is the coach, obviously Malone is better than Ham, Zhuge Malone is not blown, basically every time after the Nuggets game, whether they win or lose, Malone will encourage the players in the locker room. As a comparison, as long as the Lakers lose, Ham thinks of making excuses and never admits his mistakes, and Ham likes to use a three-guard or even four-guard lineup, which is very stubborn.
The last thing to compare is the bench lineup, the Lakers can play a lot of people, the bench can use Dinwiddie, Vincent, Christie, Reddish, Prince, Hayes, Wood and Vanderbilt (if they can come back), and the Nuggets' biggest weakness this season is the bench lineup, only Reggie, Watson, Strausser, Holiday and Jordan Jr. can be used, and the Lakers have a significant gap.
Summary: After a detailed comparison of the 7 positions, we found that the Lakers' strength on paper is actually not false Nuggets, the Nuggets only have a clear advantage in the No. 1 position and the coach position, the Lakers can't win the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals last year and this season's regular season, the main reason is that Brother Thick Eyebrows has psychological pressure in the face of Jokic and can't play his real strength, and now that he has played so many times, it's time for Brother Thick Eyebrows to prove himself, but if he can play 30+At the 10th level, Russell can hit 3-4 three-pointers, and with the aging and demonic James, the Lakers have hope of beating the Nuggets.