Los Angeles Lakers vs Denver Nuggets Western Conference Finals Game 1 Post-Game Breakdown

Before we dive into this breakdown, I want to begin by making two bold statements that I stand on wholeheartedly: THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE GOING TO BE THE 2023 NBA CHAMPIONS and PUT SOME RESPECT ON AD NAME! On October 18, 2022, I tweeted right before tip-off of the Lakers first game of the season against the Warriors that "The Lakers winning the chip this year😤 2023 World Champs🏆 Calling it now😅" It's crazy to think that my prediction might actually come true, considering that the Lakers was coming off of a disastrous season the year prior and was viewed as a laughing stock throughout the NBA. I've always believed that the Lakers could make some noise this year, if they were able to play to their full potential. The Lakers have shown throughout these playoffs, that they are a legitimate title threat and are as dangerous as any team in the league when they're clicking on all cylinders. However, they have to overcome their toughest challenge of the year thus far by beating the well-coached Denver Nuggets. This was evidenced in Game 1 on Tuesday night, when the Nuggets beat the Lakers 136-122. With that being said, let's dive into this breakdown of Game 1.

There are certain occasions, whether it's in life or a basketball game where a "Win could feel like a loss and a loss could feel like a win". In my opinion, Game 1 was a perfect example of that scenario. The Nuggets were playing like a well-oiled machine and were playing as good of basketball as a team could possibly play, resulting in the Lakers trailing by 21 points at one point. Nikola Jokic was performing like the superstar he's known to be as he was dropping dimes, shooting threes, grabbing rebounds, and more garnering an amazing 34-point triple-double. Jamal Murray aided in being a thorn in the Lakers side as he also dropped a nice 30-piece, along with contributions from KCP, Bruce Brown, and the rest of them boys down in Denver. After not having an answer for the Nuggets all through the first three quarters, Darvin Ham made a rare adjustment that changed the dynamic of the entire game. He put Rui Hachimura in to defend Jokic and allowed AD to play his natural position and roam around the paint as a safety and help defender! Before this series began and pretty much since the beginning of this season, I've been calling for Darvin Ham to start two big men in the starting lineup. This means that you start AD at the power forward position and start another big man at center to allow AD to do exactly what he did in that fourth quarter of Game 1. Think about it, the Lakers won the championship in 2020 by starting Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard at the same time, resulting in the Lakers protecting the paint at all cost and making it difficult for teams to score and allowing less offensive rebounds to the opposing teams. Yes, Darvin Ham still didn't play two bigs per say, but he still played Rui alongside AD, being that Hachimura is strong and athletic enough to at least make it more difficult for Nikola Jokic. There isn't a way to necessarily stop Jokic, but you can attempt to contain him and not allow him to drop another 30-point triple double again. Rui is strong and athletic enough to put a body on Jokic and drive him into AD for the help. AD has always thrived at being more of a help defender than the sole defender. Think about when he was in New Orleans, he played along side one of the best centers of this modern era in Demarcus Cousins and they were dominant together before Cousins tore his achilles. So, yes Jokic dominated the Lakers throughout the course of the game, but looked completely different in the fourth quarter after Hachimura was the primary defender.

To piggy back off my original statement above that AD deserves more respect, AD still managed to score 40 points and 10 rebounds despite some people out there trying to downplay him as one of, if not the best players in the NBA. AD not only has to be the focal point on offense every game, he also has to anchor the defense as well. That is a tough position to be in each and every night! In my opinion, AD is the true MVP of the league because he is the absolute most valuable player to any franchise in my opinion. Without Anthony Davis, the Lakers have absolutely no chance to win. This is why the world has to put more respect on AD's name and really pay attention to how valuable he is on the court each and every night. With that being said, the decision to allow Anthony Davis to roam the paint as safety was a brilliant adjustment and I feel that Rui Hachimura should start, along with Jared Vanderbilt to defend Jamal Murray. The Nuggets have size and will be looking to take advantage when they see fit. Darvin Ham and the Lakers can't afford to play small ball and start three guards in the lineup if they want to win. Denver will sweep the Lakers 4-0 if they continue to go small. I recommend throwing different looks at Jokic, maybe put Tristan Thompson out there for a bit, sub in Wenyen Gabriel to put a body on him, etc. Unquestionably going forward, the best recipe for success is for the Lakers to play big as much as possible because the Nuggets are definitely looking for revenge after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals back in 2020. As the series continues, it will be interesting to see how the Nuggets will adjust to the Lakers adjustments and vice versa. I predict the Lakers are going to beat the Nuggets in Game 2 to tie the series up at 1-1 and secure home court advantage. We shall find out in due time. Get ready and buckle your seatbelts because this series is just getting started!