This is ultimately the playoff matchup I wanted for the Lakers as soon as I found out that Alvin Gentry was throwing games out here with the Pelicans. This is probably the most controversial 1-8 match up everywhere. It is because you know who: LeBron James. There’s a popular belief that the Blazers could beat the Lakers. Can they? Let’s dive into this NBA Playoff Prediction.
Los Angeles Lakers:
Say what you want about the Lakers. They surpassed expectations…in the regular season. I may have thought they would do worse in the regular season but they did well enough to get the 1 seed, kudos. Does that mean I am convinced about this Lakers team? Absolutely not. Sure, they have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, two arguable top 5 players in the league right now. After that, it’s just eh. Yeah they have inconsistent Kyle Kuzma, he shows up sometimes, but this team lacks depth. They have bigger names, but they don’t contribute all that much. If you think this Lakers team is even sniffing the Finals, I have news for you. LeBron is 35 and other than Anthony Davis, this team isn’t good, sorry. Wake up and smell the bacon and realize the Lakers aren’t making the Finals. There’s doubt they even beat the Blazers. Why?
Portland Trail Blazers:
The Blazers have a double-edge sword. They have a great scoring duo in Dame Lillard and CJ McCollum. Hell, I’d even include Gary Trent Jr. for a guard scoring trio. However, with their offense, their defense sucks. They can’t guard guards at all. Granted, the Blazers defense was bad all year, except when they got Jursuf Nurkic and Zach Collins back. That only solved their problems with defending bigs. I have no doubt they can score on this Lakers team, the question is how they do against AD and LeBron.
Prediction:
God, this one is hard for me. My mind is telling me one thing and my heart is saying another. My mind is saying Lebron James and Anthony Davis are still good as hell. The Blazers defense is atrocious for the most part. The Lakers should win in 6. But my heart is saying that the Blazers can beat the Lakers. That could be my hatred for LeBron James and/or Laker fans. I think Jursuf Nurkic and Zach Collins can limit Anthony Davis. Lebron James should eat against the Blazers. However, Dame, CJ, and Gary Trent should all eat too. Carmelo might get tons of buckets too due to the lack of defense the Lakers may have. I’ll be boring and use my head. As much as I would love for the Blazers to upset the Lakers, my official NBA playoff Prediction is:
Lakers in 6.
