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3 advantages the Los Angeles Lakers have over every other West team

By Jason Reed

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a call by the officials against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 15, 2021 in San Francisco, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a call by the officials against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 15, 2021 in San Francisco, California. 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 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. The Los Angeles Lakers are the best defensive team in the league

People tend to forget but the Los Angeles Lakers are the best defensive team in the league. The team has held strong defensively with Anthony Davis missing most of the season and once he returns the Lakers are only going to get better.

Defense wins championships and that is a large reason why the Lakers won the title last year. After looking extremely sluggish in the eight seeding games in the bubble, the Lakers flipped a switch and dominated teams defensively in the playoffs.

Nobody could stop the Portland Trail Blazers from scoring in the bubble. The Lakers did. The Houston Rockets scored the second-most points per game in the league. They averaged 103.8 points per game against the Lakers, 14 points lower than their regular-season average.

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You get the point.

The Los Angeles Lakers have that same defensive edge this season. Even with all of the injuries, the Lakers rank first in the NBA in defensive rating while allowing the second-fewest points and the fifth-lowest effective field goal percentage.

Those numbers are only going to get better when the team gets Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, Anthony Davis, back. It is really hard to beat the Lakers in a seven-game playoff series if you cannot score more than 105 points.

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