The WCF will come down to the battle of bigs...Joker is foul prone. Can AD, and the attack the paint style the Lakers use, get Joker in foul trouble? If they do, the Lakers will be able to steal one in Denver. Can Joker handle guarding an athletic big who can beat him off the dribble for buckets, be guarded by arguably the best defensive big in the league and still be the instigator of the offense? He will have to exert a lot of energy on both sides of the court. Can he do that for a 7 game series? Say what you will about want about Murray, Denver runs through Joker, is he up to the challenge physically and mentally? Between Vando, Schroeder, DLo and Lil Country Austin Reaves, I feel comfortable with the matchups with Jamal, KCP, Gordon and MPJ. Not sure who Denver can throw at James to offset him.
For the Lakers, can AD handle the physicality of Joker? Can he make Joker work, while not getting in foul trouble himself. For all of our wing depth, we don't have a good plan B for Joker if AD is foul trouble or resting, like we did in our bubble matchup. TT, Gabriel and Mo Bamba are not the guys for this assignment. A lot will ride on AD manning up and shutting down Joker. My heart says Lakers in 6. My head says it's a 75/25 lean Nuggets advance to their first NBA Finals.