Now with both series’ locked in with last nights Game 7 victory for the Houston Rockets, we proceed with the NBA Playoffs with the Semi-Finals. Having the respective Los Angeles teams advancing in strong fashions, we have both their opponents having both coming off 7 game series, leaving us with only the top 4 teams standing — Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets — so from this point on we continue the battle for the Conference Finals and so on.

And with all that being said, we rank our remaining four teams, speculating how they will fare approaching the next round.

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Western Conference Team Breakdowns

1. Los Angeles Lakers (52-19, 1st in West, Won First Round vs. POR 4-1) – After dropping the first game in a fairly shocking manner against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trailblazers, the Lakers came back strong the remainder of the series, winning the next four in convincing fashions, being the firsts to punch their ticket to the next round in the Western Conference. It seemed like the Lakers needed a bit of a wake-up call heading into the first game, considering them having a 2-4 record in the bubble all despite being the #1 seeded team. Once they received said wake-up call, we saw some stellar performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading their team to the series win.

A valiant and very commendable effort from the Trailblazers, however. They managed to earn their spot to participate in the Playoffs, and make a statement among the league with solid contributions from multiple players such as Jusuf Nurkic, C.J. McCollum, Carmelo Anthony, and of course Damian Lillard.

However, the pure size and talent on the Lakers roster could not be contained so easily, with both L.A. stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis getting the job done in all facets of the game. LeBron walked away from the series averaging a triple-double, on 27.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.2 assists a game on an outstanding 60% shooting while Davis averaged 29.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists on an equally impressive 57% shooting. Davis was able to almost do anything he wanted on the floor, whether in the catch and shoot or off the dribble, being an absolute nightmare for defending bigs.

The two were able to score and distribute to their teammates, which is something that needs to be highlighted when discussing LeBron James. James had a 54.8 assist percentage, meaning a little over half the passes he made led to a score for the Lakers. This breed of basketball is hard to stop when you have a whole team playing in rhythm within the offense. Another key component to the Lakers’ success thus far is their efficiency on the boards. Over the course of the 5-game series, the Lakers grabbed 242 total rebounds versus the Blazers’ 214, but other than that, the Lakers had a 27.3 Offensive Rebound % versus the Blazers’ 21.4. With some of the most notable bigs in years past on the Lakers roster with Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, and Javale McGee, it comes as no surprise that they’d have a competitive edge against most other organizations regarding the rebounding category.

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2. Los Angeles Clippers (49-23, 2nd in West, Won First Round vs. DAL 4-2) – This year’s reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard had a hard fought series, but ultimately prevailed against the Dallas Mavericks alongside Paul George and crew. It’d take awhile for the Clippers to truly get the ball rolling against Luka Doncic and the Mavs, going back and forth through 4-games, ending the series in the next two after being tied up two a piece. The first four games were fairly tight, the victor only to be determined within late in the 4th or even overtime. It should also be said that the Mavericks were playing shorthanded, after losing Kristaps Porzingis 3 games in and Doncic battling an ankle injury throughout the course of the series. There is no taking away from the Clippers, however, keeping the foot on the gas and pulling out of the series to move on to the semi-finals.

A big thing when talking about the Los Angeles Clippers is the sheer amount of depth this team has, something that they accrued throughout the course of the season with additions like Reggie Jackson, Joakim Noah, and Marcus Morris, all who have made major impacts leading up to this point. This just added even more to what the Clippers organization already had heading into the year alongside Kawhi and PG, with names like Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell, and reigning 6th Man of the Year Lou Williams. This depth really made themselves known this series, contributing a considerable amount on both ends of the floor. This was also particularly helpful in games Paul George was having an off night.

As they progress throughout the Playoffs, we look to see if the Clippers are capable of maintaining such an offensive onslaught, walking out of the series against the Mavericks with an Offensive Rating of 122.3 versus the Mavs’ 113. Although everyone’s scouting reports for the Clippers has Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at the very top, teams also need to keep a close eye on the rest of the team, specifically Marcus Morris, who has shown to be very beneficial for the team, giving the Clippers another option on offense as well as a solid defender.

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3. Denver Nuggets (46-27, 3rd in West, Won First Round vs. UTAH 4-3) – The Nuggets had a long fought battle in the opening series of the NBA Playoffs against the Jazz, coming out victorious with Jamal Murray leading the way. The Nuggets, despite being third in their conference, to me always feel like an underdog in the Playoffs simply due to the lack of the big names like a LeBron James or a Steph Curry on their team. This in no way is discrediting the Nuggets, however, in fact quite the opposite. They’ve managed to assemble a team through drafting and development and be a legit contender thus far into the Playoffs. Of course you have the usual suspects for the Nuggets leading the way in Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic, but it’s imperative to acknowledge the impact that Michael Porter Jr. and Jerami Grant have made in that first series.

Finally being able to get on the floor this year, Michael Porter Jr. has proven to the league that he belongs. Through 7 games he averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds 45% shooting. Additionally, after being traded away from the Thunder this past season, Jerami Grant has only gotten better through his young career. Grant averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1 block a game. It has been great to see the development of these younger players, growing into legitimate threats on both ends of the floor. Nuggets fans can only hope that this remains consistent moving on throughout the Playoffs.

Another thing that Nuggets fans hope to prove consistent is the absolute tear Jamal Murray has been so far this Playoffs. Murray was unreal last series, averaging 31.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on an impressive 55% shooting. It remains to be seen whether or not Murray will keep up these kinds of numbers, but would definitely prove beneficial heading into their series against the Clippers.

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4. Houston Rockets (44-28 , 4th in West, Won First Round vs. OKC 4-3) – Similarly to the Nuggets, the Rockets came out a hard fought series winning game 7 against the Thunder. The Rockets have been on a roller coaster so far this Playoffs and we’re just now past the first round. The series against the Thunder quite literally could’ve gone either way, with the entirety of the series coming down to a single possession in the Thunders’ hands, ultimately thwarted by a clutch defensive effort by none other than James Harden. This punched their ticket as the last team to advance to the semi-finals.

We’ve discussed before that the Rockets would be taking on a new school of thought when they traded away Clint Capela, opting in for a small ball approach to the game. Although deemed successful, it was no easy feat. Additionally, the Rockets Russell Westbrook come back into the line-up after missing the first four. Although providing a solid contribution for the Rockets, it was James Harden who led the team to victory, averaging 29.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 8 assists on 47% shooting. So far we’ve learned that the “live by the three die by the three” mindset is in fact viable, but things only get more challenging from this point on.

The Rockets have been getting solid overall production on the offensive from a lot of players on the team, from Russell Westbrook. Jeff Green,Danuel House, Eric Gordon, and Robert Covington, all averaging double digit points through the series. For the Rockets, however, offense isn’t the issue. They’ll need to be even more so locked in on the defense end in hopes of progressing through the Playoffs from this point on.

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Western Conference Match Ups: Semi-Finals

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #4 Houston Rockets

I’d like to describe this series as a David versus Goliath story. Not in the sense that one team has insurmountable odds pit against them, but more so the schemes of small ball versus traditional basketball. Two very different schools of thought at play. The Rockets will most likely find difficulty in the paint on both ends of the floor, while the Lakers need to focus on locking down the perimeter. The Rockets’ tallest players that they’ve been playing at the Center position thus far are Jeff Green and Robert Covington listed at 6’8″ and 6’7″, respectively. The trouble their lies for the Rockets is that for the Lakers, that is the roughly the average height of their Small Forwards, with LeBron James, Markieff Morris, and Kyle Kuzma. As previously stated it is imperative the Rockets find a way to lock down the Lakers bigs before things turn into old school bully ball with a splash of Showtime Lakers. On the other side of things, the Lakers will have to prove to be active on the perimeter defensively, limiting the three point shot and contesting those that get taken. The very thought of having to constantly run shooters off the perimeter possession after possession is draining, and with that the Lakers are going to have to remain disciplined to stick to their plans defensively. If either team can get the edge on the defensive end, it will surely open themselves up on the offensive end, something that both teams surely want to get going early in this series.

Prediction: Lakers Win Series 4-2

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#2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. #3 Denver Nuggets

I know I just used this theme for the other series, the Clippers vs. Nuggets is also a David and Goliath situation, more so in the traditional sense. Fans and critics league wide have the Clippers making a deep run in the Playoffs, and the Denver Nuggets are just the next obstacle in the way for their path to a Championship. This isn’t insinuating that the Clippers are going to win the series, however. I’d be remiss to count out Denver and the effort that they’ve put forth both this season as well as years past. The Nuggets were a household name in the Playoff Picture from 2003-2013 and have recently have found themselves returning to the Playoffs since 2018, typically seeded highly. With the momentum that the Nuggets have after their Game 7 victory against the Jazz, they’ll surely be bringing everything they have while facing the Clippers. But it will take just that to beat Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and the Clippers, everything you have. As previously discussed, on top of having two of the biggest names in the league, the sheer depth that the Clippers have will prove to be quite the challenge for the underdog Nuggets.

Prediction: Clippers Win 4-2