Why the Denver Nuggets have no chance against the Los Angeles Lakers

By Jason Reed | Sep 17, 2020

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 10: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass while pressured by PJ Dozier #35 of the Denver Nuggets during the second half at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 10, 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 Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

1. The Los Angeles Lakers have the two best players in this series

Star power wins championships, plain and simple. There are examples of teams shocking the world and winning the NBA Championship without two stars, such as the 2011 Dallas Mavericks, but 95 percent of the time it is the star power that wins it all.

The Los Angeles Lakers have the two best players in this series. In previous series for the Lakers you could at least make the case that this was not the truth.

Anthony Davis is a better all-around player than Damian Lillard but the way Lillard was playing in the bubble, you could make the case that he was the second-best player in that series. In the second round, it is not hard to call James Harden the second-best player in the series, even if he turned out to be terrible in the closing games.

That is not the case here. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been playing fantastic but they still are not better than Anthony Davis, who is the Lakers’ second-best player.

In fact, I would argue that the Lakers have the two best players remaining in the entire playoffs. Both LeBron and AD are averaging over 26 points and 10 rebounds per game with a PER of at least 30.

While there is time for their PERs to go down, no teammates in the history of the NBA have ever averaged 26 points and 10 rebounds with a 30 PER in the same playoffs. EVER.

Speaking of Jokic and Murray…

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