A great coach from another series is a quote machine. “Both teams pretty much have to do what they do,” Greg Popovich said. “After 100 games that we’ve played you’re not going to change your system. You might adjust a bit, but you’re not going to do anything drastic.”

Then, J.A. Adande (of ESPN) wrote:

The playoffs are a time of revelation, not transformation. Who you are, what you’re about, gets exposed. You don’t get to reinvent yourself.

I always thought that you can re-invent your team in the playoffs, depending on who you play against. Now, I believe Popovich and Adande. Everything your team is, you made it during the regular season. In the playoffs, you get to know if your system is right all along.

So why am I saying this? All I’m saying is I don’t think Denver has anything else to offer. Denver exposed its weakness, Los Angeles its strengths. For three games, Denver was consistent. They were consistently not passing and not playing as a team. AI played 1 on 1. Melo too. For three games, Los Angeles was both consistent and inconsistent. Inconsistently, they showed a different way to beat Denver. In the first game, they beat them with too much Gasol, Game two, too much Kobe. Game three, too much Lakers. Consistently, they passed very well and defended good enough.

As a side note, it’s funny what Melo had to say after their loss. “Can’t nobody question how hard I’m out there playing,” Anthony said after the Nuggets’ 102-84 loss to the Lakers on Saturday. “Can’t nobody do that.” He also said that everybody in the Denver team, from the coaching staff to the players “quit”. When your star player starts to contradict himself, it’s a sign of (more) bad things to come.

One thing I noticed too is how the Lakers decreased the Nuggets’ total score each game. Denver’s score from games 1 to 3 was 114, 107 and 84. The Laker offense is a well-oiled machine, everybody knows that. It seems to me, however, that L.A. is just beginning to hone their defense. “Defense wins championships” is so cliche and corny now but true.

A great coach. A great star player. A great second fiddle. A great third option. A great offense. A great franchise. An up and coming defense. L.A. might just have a chance to win it all.

• 1st Round: Lakers vs Nuggets
• Lakers sweep Nuggets
• Poison Number Two
• Lakers win game 1
• Lakers beat Hornets 107 - 104