We have the final conference semifinal series here and this is probably the most anticipated one. The Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry will meet LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams came into their first round series as the lower seed, but both pulled off upsets. My first-round predictions had these two teams meeting each other for the right to advance to the Western Conference Finals. Denver and Phoenix have already started their series. Los Angeles defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in six games to advance to the next round. Golden State needed the entire seven games to get by the gritty Sacramento Kings. Steph and LeBron are two of the greatest players of this generation and of all-time. They have met each other four times in the NBA Finals with Curry winning three of four games. Who’s getting closer to ring #5?
The Warriors are the defending NBA champions, and the core group is seeking their 5th ring. Despite dropping the first two games in Sacramento, the Warriors found a way to win 4 of the next 5 games. In Game 7, Curry set an NBA record with his 50-point performance. Steph broke the record for most points in a Game 7. Kevon Looney averaged 15 rebounds a game in the opening round series. Looney will need to crash the boards against this Lakers team. Looney along with others will have to find a way to slow down Anthony Davis. Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Andrew Wiggins will also have to come up huge in this series. Draymond Green will have to show discipline and not hurt the team. Can Steph outlast LeBron in a 7-game series? Will the Warriors return to the Western Conference Finals?
Throughout most of the season, the Lakers were seen as a team on the decline. Davis was dealing with injuries and the team just looked out of sync. Los Angeles made a couple of big trades, and the team haven’t looked back ever since. Los Angeles became one of the better teams during the second half of the season. Austin Reeves emerged as one of their better players in the first round. D’Angelo Russell played one of his best games when they eliminated Memphis. LeBron is said to be “locked in” for this anticipated series against the Warriors. Anthony Davis will be the key to this team advancing. Davis is unstoppable for the most part against anyone the Warriors put up against him. On defense, Davis averaged over 4 blocks a game in the opening round. Can the Lakers defeat the Warriors and make it to the conference finals?
Who Advances Between the Warriors and Lakers to West Finals?
This has all the makings of being a series we have talked about for years. You have Steph Curry facing off against LeBron James. While Steph and LeBron will get all the attention and deservedly so, Anthony Davis is the key to this series. Kevon Looney had an amazing series against Sabonis and the Kings. Looney will need to have that kind of impact along with Draymond Green against Davis. Los Angeles will need their shooters like Austin Reeves and D’Angelo Russell to make big shots also. For the Warriors, Klay Thompson will need to show up along with Jordan Poole for them to win. Can LeBron get one step closer to making it back to the NBA Finals? Can Steph lead Golden State one step closer to the NBA Finals? This is one tough series to pick, but I’m picking the Lakers to find a way to win in seven.
Los Angeles Lakers Win Series 4-3 to Advance to the Western Conference Finals
