With 82 games behind us in one of the craziest Lakers' seasons of late, it's FINALLY time for some playoff basketball. What started at 9-8 with all of the looks of another mediocre season, the Lakers (and Mitch) turned things around into their first #1 seed since 2000. The Lakers head into this series with hopes of avoiding their third-straight first-round dismissal. In the previous two seasons the Suns dismissed the Lakers early. This season, the Denver Nuggets stand in the way of redemption.

The Lakers are 3-0 in the season series with a 127-99 win on 11/29 at home, a 111-107 win on 12/5 at the Pepsi Center, and a 116-99 win on 1/21 at home. In the regular season, the Lakers scored 108.6 points per game and allowed 101.3 points per game with an offensive rating at 3rd of 30 and a defensive rating at 5th of 30. The Nuggets scored 110.7 points per game and allowed 107.0 points per game with an offensive rating at 11th of 30 and a defensive rating at 10th of 30. All three of the Lakers' wins were prior to the Gasol trade.

Series Schedule:
Game One
Sunday - 4/20
Nuggets @ Lakers
Noon - ABC
Announcers: Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Michele Tafoya

Game Two
Wednesday - 4/23
Nuggets @ Lakers
7:30pm - TNT/FSN
TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager

Game Three
Saturday - 4/26
Lakers @ Nuggets
2:30pm - TNT/KCAL
TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager

Game Four
Monday - 4/28
Lakers @ Nuggets
7:30pm - TNT/KCAL
TNT Announcers: Marv Albert, Reggie Miller and Craig Sager

*Game Five
Wednesday - 4/30
Nuggets @ Lakers
TBD

*Game Six
Friday - 5/2
Nuggets @ Lakers
TBD

*Game Seven
Sunday - 5/4
Nuggets @ Lakers
TBD

Starting Matchups (w/ Season Stats):
Point Guard
(LAL) Derek Fisher - 6-1, 205 - 11.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG
(DEN) Allen Iverson - 6-0, 165 - 26.4 PPG. 3.0 RPG, 7.1 APG, 2.0 SPG

Shooting Guard
(LAL) Kobe Bryant - 6-6, 220 - 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.8 SPG
(DEN) Anthony Carter - 6-2, 195 - 7.8 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.5 SPG

Small Forward
(LAL) Vladimir Radmanovic - 6-10, 234 - 8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.7 SPG
(DEN) Carmelo Anthony - 6-8, 230 - 25.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG

Power Forward
(LAL) Lamar Odom - 6-10, 230 - 14.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.0 SPG
(DEN) Kenyon Martin - 6-9, 240 - 12.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 1.2 SPG

Center
(LAL) Pau Gasol - 7-0, 260 - 18.9 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.5 SPG
(DEN) Marcus Camby - 6-11, 235 - 9.1 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.1 SPG

All-Time Series Facts (from game notes):


Lakers in Best-Of-Seven Series (from game notes):

• The Lakers are 61-28 in best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (55-27 Los Angeles, 6-1 Minneapolis)

• The Lakers are 57-32 in Game 1 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (53-29 Los Angeles, 4-3 Minneapolis)

• When winning Game 1 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 50-7. (46-7 Los Angeles, 4-0 Minneapolis)

• When losing Game 1 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 11-21 all-time. (9-20 Los Angeles, 2-1 Minneapolis)

• The Lakers are 50-39 in Game 2 of best-of-seven series (any round) all-time. (47-35 Los Angles, 3-4 Minneapolis)

• When splitting Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 25-12 all-time. (20-12 Los Angeles, 5-0 Minneapolis)

• When losing Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 2-15 all-time. (2-14 Los Angeles, 0-1 Minneapolis)

• When winning both Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series (any round), the Lakers are 34-1 all-time. (33-1 Los Angeles, 1-0 Minneapolis)

Opening Round History (from game notes):
The Lakers have opened the Playoffs in the FIRST Round 36 times and in the SECOND round on seven occasions (1962, 63, 65, 66, 80, 82, 83) since moving to Los
Angeles prior to the 1960-61 season. The Lakers have won 33-of- 43 opening playoff series over that span and are 124-66 (.653) in opening round games.

In Game 1's of their first postseason series, the Lakers are 31-12. When the Lakers have had home-court advantage in the opening round, they have posted a 30-2 series
record. When winning Game 1 in the opening round, the Lakers have a series record of 30-1. Their lone loss came to the Phoenix Suns (2-3) in 1993. When falling
behind 0-1 in the opening round, the Lakers are 3-9.

Staples Center Advantage (from game notes):
Since moving to STAPLES Center prior to the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers have won 81% of their postseason games (43-10). The Lakers have topped the century
mark in nearly half of their postseason home games at STAPLES Center (26-of-53) while the opposition has been held under 100 points in all but 12 of those games. In
their last 16 home playoff games, the Lakers are 13-3.

Additional Reading:
Playoff Central [Lakers.com]
Position-by-Position Breakdown [Lakers Basketblog]
Denver vs. Los Angeles: The Nuggets Are Going To Get Shelled Series [Deadspin]
The Real Season Begins [The Lakers Nation]
LA Times Lakers Blog [LA Times Lakers Blog] - Inside info, audio and updates
Game Notes (PDF) [Lakers.com]