The Lakers have made it hard not to jump on the bandwagon following their dominant play out of the All-Star break. LeBron James and Luka Doncic are looking like a better duo than many expected. Their ability to complement each other makes them a serious threat in the West. Hall-of-Fame forward Paul Pierce believes the Lakers are a team nobody wants to see come the postseason.
Advertisement
When it comes to performers in the playoffs, there aren’t many players greater than Luka or LeBron. The Lakers now have both of them on the same team. Their experience far exceeds the younger teams that are above them in seeding.
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce praised the Lakers’ recent play on their latest podcast episode. Luka’s ability to allow LeBron to play off the ball gives Pierce the utmost confidence in this team come April.
“It’s looking like they developed some chemistry fast,” Pierce said. “This is going to be a dangerous team come playoffs.”
Pierce proceeded to provide his explanation while speaking on the teams above the Lakers.
He thinks the Thunder, Grizzlies, and Rockets are great teams, but they are nowhere close to winning the experience battle against LeBron and Luka. As a result, if he had to put money on a team to win between them, he would choose the Lakers.
The Celtics legend’s confidence in the Lakers doesn’t transfer to a potential matchup with the Nuggets. His opinion opposes former Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal, who believes the Nuggets are a better postseason matchup for LA.
“If I’m the Lakers, 40-year-old LeBron [James], I don’t wanna go up against Jalen Green and those guys. I’d rather go up against Denver, I’d rather go up against the team that’s not gonna be flying,” Shaq said.
Pierce’s comments exude a lot of confidence in the Lakers to win the West. However, he isn’t the only person to have faith in the new-look Lakers.
Brian Windhorst is a believer in the Lakers
Similarly to Pierce, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst said the Lakers are capable of winning the Western Conference. The difference is his reasoning isn’t solely due to the skillset Doncic provides.
Windhorst is thoroughly impressed by the Lakers’ defense over the past month and some change. He believes that is the deciding factor to give the team enough to potentially prevail in a loaded West.
“They’ve been the No.1 defense since January 15th,” Windhorst said. “I’m starting to believe the Lakers can make a run. Not because they have Luka, but because they can defend.”
The Lakers are currently on a four-game winning streak, and the entire roster has bought into JJ Redick’s philosophy. As they continue to grow as a team, they will only prove to become scarier by the game.
