News In Details: Lakers Reviewed Vividly Why It is Not Easy To Beat Nuggets

After losing to the Denver Nuggets in the opening round, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are now watching the 2024 NBA Playoffs from home.

The Lakers were thrashed in five games, despite strong series performances from James and Anthony Davis, setting up an exciting summer.

Despite being in the best health of his career, James was unable to guide Los Angeles past the reigning champs. James already discussed his feelings about losing to the Nuggets for the second year in a row, but he subsequently discussed what makes them so formidable in a postseason series on his podcast Mind the Game with JJ Redick:

“It certainly begins with Joker, in my opinion. However, I feel that Jamal Murray isn’t given enough credit. He is not included in the discussions around the All-NBA team. He doesn’t participate in the whole, “I’m an All-Star every year” nonsense. I believe that people become fixated on the idea that it is the Joker.

How do you stop the Joker, Joker? When it comes to nail-biting moments, well, Joker will put up a lot of plays, but Jamal Murray is the one who will send you home, and I am one of the victims. He only writes plays. When he has the ball and they are playing a clear side 1–5 pick-and-roll, a mid pick-and-roll, or an angle pick-and-roll, he is at ease because he can either handle the ball and Joker sets it, or he is playing a touch game with Joker where he can run at full speed and backdoor. He’s really cunning, and everything is going well.

To top it off, Michael Porter Jr. is an absolute f—— laser. I’m not sure if it’s because he sees the Lakers, the gold, or anything else, but I get the impression that compared to us, that motherf—– don’t miss. He doesn’t long for… And there two other males after that. You have KCP there, a player who consistently produces winning plays and is a winner. He is going to have an effect on the game whether he has 15 points or 0 points.

The same holds true for Aaron Gordon. Aaron Gordon’s influence remains the same whether he scores two points or twenty. He is going to rebound, he is aware of his responsibilities, he will play the position of dunker, he will cut from the baseline, and he will guard. They simply seem like such a well-oiled unit, and their coaching staff is obviously very adept at identifying and playing to each player’s abilities. They stay away from their frailty.

Denver’s starting five is a well-oiled machine that knows what it needs to do to win games, as James points out. If their core stays healthy, the Nuggets have a great coaching staff and a chance to repeat as champs.

Following the conclusion of their postseason series, LeBron James praised Michael Porter Jr., who was the driving force behind Los Angeles’ several losses.