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Los Angeles Lakers: 3 advantages the Lakers have over Houston

By Ed Schrenzel

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 06: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball while defended by P.J. Tucker #17 of the Houston Rockets in the first half at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 6, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 06: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball while defended by P.J. Tucker #17 of the Houston Rockets in the first half at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 6, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The Los Angeles Lakers have advantages as the one seed in the Western Conference.

Despite what many fans felt after the Los Angeles Lakers lost Game 1 of the first round to Portland, the sky wasn’t really falling.

The team’s play throughout the Orlando bubble had fans worried. Before the season was suspended, the Lakers had built a big lead as the top seed in the Western Conference. That position was never realistically threatened. Still, in the remaining eight regular-season games, their play on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court were substantially below par.

After the opening loss to Portland, doubt widely surfaced whether the Lakers could turn the switch back on. Blowhard commentators Charles Barkley and Colin Cowherd both predicted that the Blazers would win the series.

But the Lakers players immediately responded to the challenge. They quickly righted their ship and sailed on to win the next four games. A most encouraging sign is that the Laker team defense returned to the elite level in which they had performed before the break in the season.

Of nearly equal good news, the skills of both LeBron James and Anthony Davis were on display for all to see. Together they showed exactly why they are the best one-two punch in the NBA, and why each is individually among the top five players in the league.

Now the team moves on to the conference semifinals to face the Houston Rockets, which barely squeaked by Oklahoma City in 7 games. Houston features the league’s preeminent three-point shooting team led by the NBA’s leading scorer, James Harden, with excellent support from Russell Westbrook among others.

The games that the teams played against one another this season offer little guidance as to what will happen in this series. Clint Capela was still the Rockets center in the two games prior to the break while Davis missed one of them. In the lone game in the bubble, the Lakers sat out James.

The Lakers, however, should prevail in the battle to advance to the Western Conference Finals, in large part because they have these three big advantages.

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