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Can any team slow down Los Angeles?

Right when it seemed the Lakers third straight run at the NBA Championship was done, Los Angeles exploded back onto center stage in the Western Conference. Since the All-Star break, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have been nothing short of unstoppable, and are making a strong case for another Championship appearance.

The Lakers are now the number two seed in the Western Conference, behind only the San Antonio Spurs. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games, losing only to the Miami Heat. The combination of Pau Gasol, Bryant, and Andrew Bynum are in fall force, and I have yet to see a team in the West that can slow them down.

Los Angeles is a lock for the postseason, and more than likely they will enter in as the number two seed, exactly as they are now. If the standings were to remain the same, the Lakers would be playing the New Orleans Hornets as the seventh seed, in an almost sure-fire sweep.

With the Lakers holding excellent home court advantage, it makes it extreamly difficult for opposing teams to win the start of their series. Saying that the Lakers will win the first round of the playoffs, which whether it’s the Hornets or not is really irrelevant, they will advance to the next round.

The second round could go a few different ways, and there is too any options to try and predict the Lakers next opponent. However, the Lakers can count on one thing in future rounds- Kevin Durant.

Saying that all of the pieces fall into place, the Lakers should have to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason. This is a rematch of the 2010 playoffs, where the Thunder and Durant almost sent Kobe and the Lakers packing back to Los Angeles.

The Western Conference as a whole has been dominated by the Lakers for the past decade, and the Thunder are one of the only real threats to Los Angeles this season. Matching the Los Angeles home court advantage decimal for decimal in Oklahoma City, it is an even matchup at their respective homes.

If the Thunder have any intentions of downing the giant that is Los Angeles, Durant and Russell Westbrook must win the start of the series in Los Angeles. Last season, the Thunder failed to win any games away from Oklahoma City and it ultimately cost them the series, 4-2.

The Thunder hold the ultimate advantage against the Lakers. They have the youth, the home court advantage, and a strong desire for revenge. Los Angeles has an X mark on their back from nearly every team in the NBA, but it’s even bigger in Oklahoma City.

It’s about time the Lakers stop dominating the Western Conference. Time to step it up Oklahoma City.