“Punch His Ticket to the Finals”: Trail Blazers Star Backs LeBron James to Lead Lakers Over the Nuggets

After a long wait, the Western Conference Finals finally tip-off tonight. The Los Angeles Lakers hope to make their first Finals appearance since 2010, but face a hurdle in the Denver Nuggets. Blazers star Damian Lillard believes that LeBron James will be the biggest weapon for the Lakers in this series.

During an interview with ESPN, Lillard was asked who will be the main player for the Lakers in this series.

“I think LeBron,” he said. “Against us in the first game, it was like a filling out process, and then as the series went on, he became more of a problem for us. Then in the second round, it was the same. You see him do chase-down blocks and how dominant he was in that series.

“Going into this series, I think he was probably expecting to see the Clippers. Not that he’s looking down on Denver, but I think he’s looking at it like I can’t let this opportunity to get back to the Finals slip. I think you’re going to see him come out and be super aggressive and try to really dominate the series. Punch his ticket to the Finals.”

Will LeBron James continue his playoff form?

The Lakers entered the playoffs after a poor run in the seeding games. Both LeBron and Anthony Davis looked out of touch too. And with Bron turning 35, there were many doubts if we would see ‘Playoff LeBron’ again. But King James just continues to prove his critics wrong.

He is currently averaging 26.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game in the Playoffs. Not only is he getting buckets but also pulling out the stops, averaging 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. And as always, his leadership has also been a highlight of his playoff run so far.

Against the Nuggets, he will be expected to lead due to their lack of rim protectors. LeBron’s drives are the most dangerous in the game, and the Nuggets don’t have anyone who can keep up with that. As Lillard said, LeBron will be eager to return to the Finals and win his first title since 2016.