Maybe, before the Western Conference finals began, you really didn't know if the Nuggets could knock off the Lakers. After two games, it's seems apparent they can.
Not that they will, mind you. Just that they can.
The series is even one game apiece and Game 3 is tonight in Denver. Here are five questions heading in:
Three-point shots often play a critical role in an NBA playoff contest. But in Denver's win over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the threes that were made (and missed) by both teams came at such key moments, that they ended up defining this game.
Video: Billups Inbounds Off Kobe's Back RoundCast: Are the Lakers Now "Screwed?"
The Lakers took long enough, but they finally dispatched of the pesky Houston Rockets, and were able to advance to the Western Conference Finals. And now that they've gotten there, they'll face a team that has been patiently waiting for them over the last six days: the two-seeded Denver Nuggets.
Denver has arguably been every bit as hot in the post-season as the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers. But their style of play is simply a bad matchup for this Lakers team.
If it's true the two most important positions in basketball are the point guard and the center, than the L.A. Lakers are going to be in for a doozy of a Western Conference final.
OK, so technically the Lakers haven't quite advanced that far yet. But after their 118-78 Game 5 blowout win over the Rockets, is it really going out on a limb to say L.A. is going to get there? Ditto for the Denver Nuggets, who lead the Mavericks 3-1 in the conference semifinals and have two cracks at putting them away on their home floor to close out the series.
After stunning the Lakers in Game 4 in Houston, the Houston Rockets actually played like a team that was missing its two best players. As well, Phil Jackson finally got the memo that Yao Ming wasn't in the lineup, and came up with a game plan that took advantage of the undersized and undermanned Rockets.
Jackson re-inserted Andrew Bynum into the starting lineup Tuesday night, and Bynum and Pau Gasol combined to punish the Rockets inside.
With Bynum and Gasol clicking on the inside and Kobe Bryant in Mamba mode (20 first half points), the Lakers pretty much had this game wrapped up by the halftime buzzer en route to a 118-78 laugher. It was basically an ultimate reversal of the results in Game 4, complete with Sasha Vujacic breakaway dunks and Jordan Farmer 35 foot buzzer beaters.
Lakers 118, Rockets 78: Recap | Box Score Lakers Lead 3-2 | Next Game: Thursday @ Houston, 9:30 PM ET
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
But what went on in Game 2 of the Houston-Lakers series, with the physicality, fouling hard and flopping was a bit over the top, don't you think? Game 3 on Friday night – a 108-94 L.A. victory – was tamer, but rest assured the dust-ups and skirmishes will return in this series.
It only took nearly three full years, but the NBA has found a use for former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison: foil for Sasha Vujacic's practice court vaudeville show.
Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that Morrison and Vujacic had a scuffle in practice Friday as the Lakers prepared for Game 4 against the Jazz. But all that resulted from the battle was entertainment for coach Phil Jackson.
The Lakers versus the Jazz was a competitive and physical second round series a season ago, but this year it looks to be (on paper) one of the most lopsided matchups of the first round. So what's changed? Well, while the Lakers have gotten better with the return of Andrew Bynum, injuries and a lack of continuity have sent the Jazz limping to the finish line.
PHOENIX -- Less than an hour before the Suns were set to tip off their nationally televised game with the Lakers, head coach Alvin Gentry got the call in his office from the team's head athletic trainer. It was bad news: Steve Nash would be unavailable, due to an ankle sprain that would force him to miss his third straight game.
Gentry was optimistic about his team's chances anyway, and as it turned out, he had good reason to be. The Suns got a balanced effort from several players, and behind 33 points from Shaquille O'Neal, they beat the Lakers 118-111.
In a little more than five days, LeBron James and the Cavaliers will travel to Los Angeles to take on Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It is their first meeting of the season, and only the 10th meeting ever between the two superstars. Kobe has three rings, yet none without Shaquille O'Neal. LeBron has been crowned the king since his arrival in 2004, but has only one Finals appearance. LeBron fills a stat sheet in incredible ways; Kobe won the MVP last season. Kobe is the embodiment of lethal precision; LeBron the next step of athletic evolution.
In a season filled with "Games of the Year," this is unquestionably the Game of the Year.
Maybe, before the Western Conference finals began, you really didn't know if the Nuggets could knock off the Lakers. After two games, it's seems apparent they can.
Cherry Picking recaps yesterday's NBA playoff action.
FanHouse previews every round of the NBA Playoffs.
After stunning the Lakers in Game 4 in Houston, the Houston Rockets actually played like a team that was missing its two best players. As well, Phil Jackson finally got the memo that Yao Ming wasn't in the lineup, and came up with a game plan that took advantage of the undersized and undermanned Rockets. 
Yes, this is playoff basketball, and yes, the games are getting more physical. It's what separates the postseason from the regular season, and we wouldn't want it any other way.
It only took nearly three full years, but the NBA has found a use for former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison: foil for Sasha Vujacic's practice court vaudeville show.
PHOENIX -- Less than an hour before the Suns were set to tip off their nationally televised game with the Lakers, head coach Alvin Gentry got the call in his office from the team's head athletic trainer. It was bad news: Steve Nash would be unavailable, due to an ankle sprain that would force him to miss his third straight game.
