There's a good chance that at some point during the NBA Finals -- or likely before they even start -- there will be talk of whether or not the Lakers are tough enough to win a championship.
And there should be that kind of talk. But it wasn't even an issue against the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers are going to their second consecutive NBA Finals because their big players were more skilled and more talented than the Nuggets' big players were tough and physical.
Darn right I want to see the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals. And, yes, some of it has to do with the significant subplot of LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant.
For a few reasons, that's the series I want. And I'm not going to feel guilty about it or apologize for it or pay any attention to the backlash. I know Orlando's Dwight Howard feels disrespected because everyone seems to be pulling for Cavs-Lakers and LeBron-Kobe, but he shouldn't take it personally.
DENVER -- For all the weird smack-talking from those Nike puppets, all the relentless marketing pushes by a sports-drink firm that suggests Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are on "a collision course," guess what? They might be headed for a Porsche-Hummer crash instead, which would be a colossal waste of ad-world brainpower and, when you consider the megastars excluded, our great entertainment loss in June.
No one is pondering a Denver vs. Orlando matchup, least of all ABC, which would watch in horror as a compelling postseason marked by fat cable ratings suddenly fades to black in the NBA Finals. "I'm sure the world does want Cleveland and the Lakers, the best two players in the world and the chance to see them in a seven-game series," said Nuggets star Chauncey Billups. "But I don't want to see it. And I'm trying my best to make sure it doesn't happen."
Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony put on an absolute show in Game 1 of what looks to be an outstanding Western Conference finals. 'Melo finished with 39 points on 14-20 shooting while Bryant finished with 40 points by going 13-28 from the field. The Nuggets led for much of the game, but the Lakers pulled ahead late to win 105-103.
The Nuggets came out with an excellent strategy defensively, making sure that the Lakers could not get the ball inside to Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, who finished with six and 13 respectively, and forcing Bryant to step up and beat them on his own. And step up he did. Kobe lived up to his "best closer in the game" label, hitting clutch shots and free throws in the fourth quarter.
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.
The undermanned Rockets were able to battle their way into a Game 7 with the heavily-favored Lakers, and this turn of events left much of the NBA world doubting L.A.'s championship aspirations.
On Sunday, however, there was absolutely no doubt who would be advancing to the Western Conference Finals. Behind huge games from Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum (and a not-so-great one from Kobe Bryant), the Lakers finally completed their expected elimination of the Rockets.
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
The cameras have moved to Houston, where the Rockets and Lakers will rev up for the third scene Friday night. NBA fans already knew this is a must-watch series, just given the personalities and styles involved. Kobe has a penchant for showmanship; Ron Artest's tax returns actually list "entertainer" as his current occupation. The Lakers have become known as the lig's most elite finesse team, while Houston is full of bullies and bruisers. The script, my friends, is excellent.
But the execution has been equally superb, with an upset win by the Rockets in Game 1 (featuring Kobe and co-star Pau Gasol laying a brick patio) and a staggering brushback by the Lakers in Game 2. Elbows, yapping, gamesmanship -- this is competitive basketball at its most uncomfortable and thus at its most intriguing.
The Rockets knew coming into Monday's game against the Lakers that if they were going to have a chance, they needed to force the Lakers into a physical, grind-it-out style of game. As it happens, all that physical play almost worked against them: Shane Battier required four stitches after a bloody gash over his left eye opened in the first quarter, and Yao Ming saw his season flash before his eyes after knocking knees late in the fourth, eventually needing assistance off the court.
Yao headed in the direction of the locker room but never quite made it, instead winning an argument with a team trainer in the tunnel to come back out and finish the game. In a way, that was a microcosm for the entire night: the Rockets took L.A.'s best hit, were stunned to the point that everyone watching wondered whether they'd survive but then rallied with a strong finish. In the end, the Rockets won 100-92, negating L.A.'s formidable home court advantage.
Rockets 100, Lakers 92: Recap | Box Score Rockets Lead 1-0 | Next Game: Wednesday @ Los Angeles, 10:30 PM ET
There's a good chance that at some point during the NBA Finals -- or likely before they even start -- there will be talk of whether or not the Lakers are tough enough to win a championship.
Darn right I want to see the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals. And, yes, some of it has to do with the significant subplot of 
DENVER -- For all the weird smack-talking from those Nike puppets, all the relentless marketing pushes by a sports-drink firm that suggests 
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The undermanned Rockets were able to battle their way into a Game 7 with the heavily-favored Lakers, and this turn of events left much of the NBA world doubting L.A.'s championship aspirations.
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, 
The cameras have moved to Houston, where the Rockets and Lakers will rev up for the third scene Friday night. NBA fans already knew this is a must-watch series, just given the personalities and styles involved. 
The Rockets knew coming into Monday's game against the Lakers that if they were going to have a chance, they needed to force the Lakers into a physical, grind-it-out style of game. As it happens, all that physical play almost worked against them: 
