NBA Playoff Previews: Los Angeles vs. Denver

With the NBA playoffs beginning on Saturday, that means Foul Balls is allowed to start enjoying basketball again. So throughout the day today, I will be previewing each of the eight first round matchups.

Why You Should Watch This Series: That's easy, Kobe and Pau vs. Carmelo and Iverson. There's no shortage of star power in this series as the man who should be MVP (Kobe) always comes to life in the playoffs, and now he has Pau Gasol to play with. Also, though they're the eighth seed, the Nuggets aren't exactly pushovers. Sure, they're a completely different team from quarter to quarter sometimes, but they're generally always entertaining, whether that's because they're playing well or imploding.

Why Los Angeles Will Win This Series: Because they have the greatest player on the planet, a 9-time championship coach in Phil Jackson, and a supporting cast that includes Gasol, and Lamar Odom. Not to mention a bunch of role players who have flourished playing in the triangle offense (seriously, the Lakers run it to perfection) and unlike the team they're facing in this series, they play defense too!

Why Denver Will Win This Series: The Nuggets can outscore anybody in the league with all the offensive firepower they have. Everyone knows about Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, but Kenyon Martin can put up some numbers as well, and J.R. Smith is just as likely to drop in 30 off the bench. Also, Marcus Camby is strong enough defensively to minimize Pau Gasol's impact, and allow the Nuggets defense to focus on Kobe.

Who Will Win This Series: The Lakers 4-2. I think the Nuggets will present a challenge for the Lakers, and maybe even steal away a game at the Staples Center, but in the long run their lack of defense will kill them. Kobe will take advantage of that quite a bit.