In some ways, the Western Conference finals features the old versus the new.
The Los Angeles Lakers have won 16 NBA titles, and are led by a pair of established superstars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Denver Nuggets have never reached the NBA Finals, but the Herculean feats of rising stars Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in these playoffs give the Nuggets hope for an upset.
So which team will win the series, and why? To answer that question, The Athletic asked a league scout, a coach and a front office executive to analyze the matchup and offer predictions. They were granted anonymity so they could speak without holding anything back.
Scout’s outlook: “After the Lakers lost the first game against Houston, they paid attention. They said, ‘OK, let’s get serious.’ And they got very serious, and they played really well in the next four (games). They just dominated. So in terms of mindset, the Lakers are not going to be…
