On April 17, Beijing time, the NBA play-offs officially started, and the Lakers and Pelicans took the lead. Because in the last game of the regular season, the Lakers played against the Pelicans, so the Lakers did not move at all, and stayed in New Orleans to prepare for the game, with sufficient physical reserves. The process of the game was tense and exciting, the Pelicans led by 8 points in the first quarter, but the Lakers immediately recovered in the second quarter, and the difference in the third and fourth quarters was very small, and the two sides were tied in the last 2 minutes, and the Lakers narrowly won in the end. If Zion hadn't gone off the field with an injury, the outcome might not have been like this.
Here, congratulations to the Lakers for their success in "grabbing seven to advance" and entering the playoffs with the seventh place in the West, and the opponent in the first round will be the Nuggets. The two teams met in the Western Conference finals in the playoffs last year, when the Nuggets swept the Lakers with a score of 4-0, and this year the two sides basically retained the main lineup, what will be the result of meeting again?
Point guard: Russell vs Murray
Although Russell has been to the All-Star and Murray has not, in terms of strength, the two are not at the same level at all. Russell was an All-Star in the East and it was a few years ago, when there really weren't too many stars on the Eastern Defender line, and Russell was picked up. And Murray is basically the strongest among the people who didn't make it to the All-Star, and he even scored 50 points in the playoffs. This season, he averaged 21.2 Fourniers and 6.5 assists per game, shooting 42.5% from three-point range, and has a strong offensive ability with the ball, which is an important outside scoring point for the Nuggets.
Shooting guard: Reeves vs Pope
After Reaves broke out last season, he is now stable, averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game this season, which is the fourth scoring point for the Lakers, but the Lakers trust Reaves in key moments. Pope is a Lakers veteran, and his main role is familiar to everyone, that is, defending and shooting three-pointers, with very little ball possession, and slightly inferior to Reaves in ability.
Small forward: James vs Porter
This is the biggest strong point of the Lakers against the Nuggets, James scored 40 points in one game in the Western Conference finals last year, which also shows that when he broke out, the Nuggets had no way to prevent him. But after all, at the age of 39 and with limited physical fitness, the current James can only break out in certain games and cannot dominate the game every game. Porter is taller than even many insiders, and when he pulls out, the Lakers have little player to guard against, and he averaged around 15 points per game against the Lakers in the playoffs last year.
Omae Ryū: Rui Hachimura VS Eito
In the past period, the Lakers have started with Hachimura, and it has really achieved good results, he has better consistency in scoring, and although he is deficient on the defensive end, he will not be reduced to a colander. Gordon is a veritable defensive giant, his physical fitness can even carry James, I believe that the Nuggets will still arrange Gordon to play against James more and consume his physical energy. In terms of ability, Gordon is slightly better than Hachimura.
Center: Thick Eyebrows VS Jokic
Even if the thick eyebrows are already very good, any player in the current team is at a disadvantage when he comes out against Jokic. He's an MVP in his prime, capable of averaging triple-doubles per game, and can handle any defensive strategy with ease, whether it's ball intelligence or ball skills, Jokic is the all-time top.
Sixth man: Prince vs Jackson
During Murray's injury, it was Reggie Jackson who started in his place, averaging 10.2 points per game, but it didn't work very well and couldn't replace Brown's role last season. In fact, this year's Nuggets, the depth of the roster is declining. Prince's role is different from Jackson's, mainly defensive and three-pointers, and the two are about the same ability. But the depth of the Lakers' roster is much better, with the newly signed Dinwiddie, as well as Vincent, who has just returned, all have good performances.
In comparison to the six positions, the Lakers are better at point guard, small forward and bench strength, while the Nuggets are superior in point guard, power forward and center. However, the Nuggets have too obvious advantages in their own strengths, so the overall configuration is still higher than that of the Lakers.