More than Just Showtime

Most NBA experts felt that the Lakers wouldn't win the NBA title this season because of their defense. In the first round, the Lakers faced the No. 2 scoring offense in the Denver Nuggets and held them more than nine points below their season average. In the first two games of the conference semifinals against the Jazz, the Lakers are holding the second-best shooting team to just 41 percent shooting from the field, down eight percent from the regular season.