A third WC Finals rematch for LAL and DEN

A loaded Denver Nuggets team was seeded 2nd in the 2009 Western Conference Playoffs.  They have at that time in-their-prime Carmelo Anthony, JR Smith, Nene and veterans Chauncey Billups, Chris Andersen and Kenyon Martin.  Role players Linas Klieza, Dahntay Jones and Anthony Carter completed the rotation.

They went up against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets in the first round, winning the series in 5 games.  The second round saw them battling Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks which they also disposed in 5 games.

The 2009 LA Lakers, seeded 1st, with the core Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza disposed the Utah Jazz in the first round and the Houston Rockets in the second round, which had Yao Ming playing only the first 3 games of the series because of a broken foot.

The first LAL-DEN WC showdown was then cast with the Lakers eventually winning the series in six games and moved on to face the Orlando Magic for the NBA Finals, beating Dwight Howard and the Magic in five games for their 15th league champonship.  Kobe was named the Finals MVP.

The second LAL-DEN conference battle was during the 2020 NBA Bubble at the Walt Disney World in Florida.   The LeBron and Anthony Davis combo outlasted Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter, Jr in five games.  LAL went to the 2020 Finals against Mami, outlasting the Heat in 6 games.  LeBron was the Finals MVP.

Today, the Nuggets host the Lakers in Game 1 of the 2023 WC Finals.  This will be their third battle for Western supremacy.  In their regular season match-ups, they split 4 games, winning 2, losing 2.  We have seen how both teams play.  If the Lakers continue with their playoff consistency, expect a seven-game series.

I never expected the Lakers to survive Golden State but the unexpected happened.  Of course I’m going for a Laker win and would very much like to see a 2020 league title rematch with the Miami Heat.

Over at the East, Boston and Miami face off for the second consecutive time on the same stage and the third time in four years.   Last year, the Heat were seeded #1, facing the Celtics at #2.  The men in green moved on the 2022 Finals in seven games.

On paper, the Celtics have the upper hand but Miami, behind the coaching genius of Erik Spoelstra, has the capability to turn odds in their favor. — (FREEMAN)