Lakers Win Second Straight Western Conference Title

Everyone knew the Los Angeles Lakers were more than capable of reaching the NBA Finals at the beginning of the playoffs, but once they ran into a tough defensive minded Houston Rockets team the future didn't look so bright.

Even though the Lakers struggled against both the Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets after convincingly beating down the Utah Jazz in the first round, every single time they have been tested in the postseason thus far they lived up to the hype and proved they are still the best team in the NBA.

Game five in LA wasn't exactly a convincing win and the Lakers did show they still had parts of their game to polish, but in game six they came ready to play in Denver which is one of the most hostile environments in the NBA today for any opposing team of the revamped Denver Nuggets.

Not only were the Lakers up for the challenge they faced in Denver in game six, but they played better in the face of yet another game seven then I have personally seen them play in the playoffs so far. Kobe Bryant was just on his game from start to finish, Pau Gasol had a great game and Lamar Odom hadn't cooled off after his impressive game in LA. The Lakers could have beaten anyone on Friday night with the way they played. Just beautifully executed basketball!

Everyone keeps talking about how Kobe and LeBron James need their supporting cast to step up and get the job done when called upon and although LeBron still needs help in that department, Kobe's supporting cast showed why they are the best bench in basketball right now as everyone on the Lakers bench and the starters stepped it up.

It always starts with Kobe (35 points, 10 assists and 6 rebounds), but everyone one had a piece of this Western Conference Finals victory with Trevor Ariza (17 points, 3-4 from deep), Lamar Odom (20 points, 8 rebounds), Pau Gasol (20 points, 12 rebounds) and even Luke Walton (10 points) getting involved in the 119-92 win against the Denver Nuggets to advance to their second straight NBA Finals.

Now that the Lakers have their rhythm back and are looking as dominant as ever they will be awaiting their next opponent as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic battle it out in game six of their series Saturday night. If the Magic take game six then the Lakers will have home court advantage, but if the Cavs manage to pull off two more wins with one on Saturday and another on Tuesday will see the dream NBA Finals match up between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Game one of the NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, June 4th regardless of the outcome, but if the Cavs win they will have home court and the first game of the series will be played in Cleveland.