How much can things change in three years? Quite a lot, judging by how different the rosters are at Denver Nuggets e Los Angeles Lakers compared to the summer of 2020 series in the Orlando bubble. I am altogether six players who were also at Disney World: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Vlatko Cancar seek revenge against the defeat suffered in the bubble, while LeBron James e Anthony Davis they will try to lead a completely different group to another NBA title. If the superstars on both sides have remained the same, the rest around them has changed: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, just to name one, now plays for the Nuggets after winning the 2020 title with the Lakers, while the yellow-violet group has completely changed after the market deadline. It will still be a very high profile series among the only two teams undefeated at home this postseason: Denver has won all six games played at the Ball Arena, as well as the Lakers have never lost (7-0 considering the play-in) in front of their home crowd. The field factor, therefore, becomes fundamental: whoever wins the first away game immediately gets a significant advantage.
What to do against Nikola Jokic? Darvin Ham’s ironic solution
The eyes of the entire NBA are on duel between Nikola Jokic and Anthony Davis, clearly the two best big men so far admired in the playoffs. When asked what could be done to stop the Nuggets’ Serbian center, the Lakers coach Darwin Ham he could only take refuge in irony: “We will try to take him outside his house and kidnap him”. Indeed, in these playoffs there is not much else that can be done to stem Jokic: Averaged 30.7 points, 12.8 rebounds, 9.7 assists with 55% from the field and a whopping 48% from three-point range in 11 postseason games, an unsolvable puzzle for Minnesota and Phoenix defenses that the Lakers — the best defense of these playoffs numbers in hand — will have to find ways to manage. Much will be on the shoulders of Anthony Davis, the best defender seen in these playoffs, called both to defend against the best opposing striker and to protect the iron as masterfully done so far. It won’t be easy, but if there’s one player capable of doing it, it’s him: the appointment is set for 2.30 on Sky Sport NBA with live commentary by Flavio Tranquillo and Davide Pessinawith reruns on Wednesday.