LOS ANGELES – LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will attempt to overcome the formidable challenge posed by Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets as the Western Conference Finals get under way on Tuesday (Wednesday morning, Singapore time).

After struggling through the regular season, the Lakers are within four wins of returning to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals after ousting defending champions Golden State Warriors last Friday.

Now James and Lakers defensive star Anthony Davis are plotting an ambush of the top-seeded Nuggets in Game 1 of their best-of-seven conference Finals series.

The showdown is a rematch of the Lakers-Nuggets 2020 play-off series in the NBA’s Covid-19 bubble in Orlando, where the Lakers won 4-1 before going on to clinch their 16th championship.

Since then, however, Denver have matured significantly, with Jokic winning back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player awards in 2021 and 2022 as part of a team who include the talented Jamal Murray.

James said on Monday that he has no doubt that the 2023 version of the Nuggets will be a stiffer proposition. “They’re a better team,” he said when asked to compare Denver with the side beaten in Florida three years ago.

“Obviously, they’re more experienced. Every game, every post-season, every match-up allows you to continue to grow as a franchise, as a team, and they’ve done that.

“So, we come in with the utmost respect for this team that we’re challenged against and playing against, so look forward to the match-up.”

The Nuggets and the Lakers squared their meetings in the regular season at two games apiece, with Denver winning their most recent encounter on Jan 9.

Drawing firm conclusions from those results, however, is largely meaningless.

The Lakers overhauled their roster in the mid-season trade window, and James and Davis did not feature in the January game.

Davis said the Lakers planned to pore over footage of the 2020 series in an attempt to design a game plan capable of nullifying Jokic and the Denver line-up.

“I think the biggest key will be making the ball find the guys we want it to find, just play off of that,” he said.

While the Lakers have been red-hot through the play-offs, with Davis rediscovering his best form at the perfect time, James said that he is under no illusions about the size of the task facing him and his teammates.

“They’ve been the No. 1 team in the West for a reason,” he said.

“They’ve played exceptional basketball all year. And we’re going in with the utmost respect for their ball club.

“They’re very well coached and obviously we know the dynamic of what Joker (Jokic) brings to the game and also Jamal Murray, being back fully healthy. And the rest of those guys.”

Jokic goes into the series-opener in blistering form, averaging a triple-double of 34.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 10.3 assists in the series win over the Phoenix Suns.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham described Jokic as “that monster in the Rocky Mountains that’s waiting on us”.

“You’re talking about a two-time MVP, with a well-balanced squad, hungry, great synergy, great chemistry, great ability, athleticism, shooting, all of the above,” he said.

“So, we’re going to have our work cut out for us, but they gotta guard us too. So we’re going to do our due diligence as we always do and be prepared for Game 1.”

While the clash seems to be evenly poised, history is not on the side of the Nuggets. They have never beaten the Lakers in a play-off series, and three of those losses came in the Western Conference Finals – 1985, 2009 and 2020.

“For me, getting to the Finals is all that matters,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.

“The fact that it is the Lakers makes it that much more special for a lot of people that support us.”
AFP, REUTERS