The Los Angeles Lakers can comfortably look ahead to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers dropped Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers and concerns followed. The Lakers looked sluggish, the Blazers were still the hot team in the bubble and things did not look great.
Then the Lakers came out and blew the Blazers out of the water in Game 2, won a closer game in Game 3 which gave us dominant performances from both LeBron James and Anthony Davis and then once again blew the Blazers out of the water in Game 4.
The Lakers got a big lead early and never looked back. Their defense on the Blazers, who could not be stopped in the bubble prior, has been impeccable and playoff LeBron is officially back.
Forget a jinx. This series is OVER.
The Los Angeles Lakers are guaranteed to win this series, no questions asked.
We discuss this and more on the latest episode of the Lake Show Life podcast.
Typically, we break down both the positives and negatives (even in a victory) to preview the next game of the series. There were absolutely no negatives in this game. The Lakers shot lights out from three, were better from the free-throw line and just thoroughly outplayed the Blazers. Other talking points include:
An update on our purple and gold players
Before the series, we picked our purple and gold players (role players on each team) and we update how the four players have faired in this series. The Lakers have done an effective job in limiting the purple players on the Blazers and the gold players on the Lakers have stood out, particularly one shooter that turned it around in this game.
Anthony Davis’ historic night and injury
Anthony Davis left the game early with back spasms, which seemed to be more precautionary than anything with the big league. In the 18 minutes he did play, though, Davis put up a historical stat line for the Los Angeles Lakers.
An update on the NBA Playoffs throughout the league
We take a look at the overall NBA Playoff picture, including who the Lakers might play in the second round of the playoffs (either the Rockets or Thunder, who are tied at 2-2).
We also particularly highlight the Clippers-Mavericks series. The Clippers do not look great and if the Mavericks do manage to win this series (tied 2-2) then the Lakers’ road to the NBA Finals gets a whole lot easier.