As James left the game with injury in the last game of the regular season, the Lakers' playoff prospects were hit. Curry won the regular season scoring champion, and Curry became the oldest scoring champion after Jordan. This season, Curry led the Warriors to the top and finally ranked eighth in the West. Now the Lakers are only ranked seventh in the West. The two teams are also in the play-offs. Therefore, the US media also analyzed and compared the strength of the Lakers and the Warriors, believing that the Lakers have a great chance to defeat the Warriors and listed five major reasons.
5. Champion lineage
The Lakers are the best champion team in NBA history. Last season, the Lakers defeated the Heat and won the championship, and the Lakers are also optimistic about defending their title. Although the Warriors have won more championships than the Lakers in the past decade, the Warriors do not have the championship background of traditional giants like the Lakers.
4. The Lakers need to prove that Golden State Warriors don't need
The Lakers were originally a favorite to win the championship this season, but the team's record declined due to injury. Now they rank seventh in the West, and their competitiveness seems to be inferior to teams such as the Nets, Suns and Jazz. The Warriors are different, and Curry is not optimistic about leading the team alone, but Curry has performed at the MVP level and has now won the scoring champion. Neither the Warriors nor Curry need anything to prove himself.
3. The Lakers' strengthening of players this season is one of the best operations in the league. The Warriors did not have an amazing operation
This season, the Lakers won Harrell, Schroeder, Drummond, Gasol Jr. and other players. Although Gasol Jr.'s performance did not meet the expected goals, the top three of them were at the peak of their careers. The Warriors' biggest operation is to win Oubre, but Oubre's performance is not stable and it is not very helpful to the Warriors.
2. The Lakers have three giants, the Warriors only Curry
The Lakers have built their own giants this season. The lineup of James Gadrmund is definitely at the championship level in the league. The Warriors only have Curry, and Wiggins and Oubre's strength is second only to Curry, but their performance is very unstable and their contribution is not high. It is difficult for the Warriors to have players to stand up and help Curry. Without Thompson, Green did not help much on the offensive end.
1. The Lakers are still the favorite to win the championship when maintaining the whole team, and the Warriors are still healthy and have an unbalanced overall strength.
The Lakers' ranking has fallen from the first in the West this season to the seventh in the West today. It is mainly because James and the eyebrows are injured. The two missed a lot of games. If the Lakers remain healthy, the Lakers will still be a favorite to win the championship, especially at the start of the playoffs, James will start his own full-strength James mode. If the Warriors stay healthy, even if Clay comes back, the team will have a more stable performance for him and Curry, and it will be difficult for other players to help on the offensive end.
