Lakers News: Nuggets Guard Dismisses LA as Playoff Threat

After a sweep in last year's Western Conference Finals followed by 3 additional losses this season, the Los Angeles Lakers have now dropped 8 straight games against the reigning NBA Champions dating back to their final meeting last regular season. 

LA's late-game woes combined with Denver's size, clutch play, chemistry, and elite shooting make them a nearly impossible team to beat, with Lakers fans becoming hopeless that LA stands even a faint chance in a playoff rematch. 

It appears that former Laker and Nuggets starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope also believes that LA doesn't stand a chance, as in a recent interview, he was asked about the "biggest threats" to Denver come playoff time. 

KCP answered a "healthy Phoenix," as well as a "healthy Minnesota," and the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Notably, he skipped over both the Lakers and the Clippers, whom many would give a fair chance in a head-to-head series.

KCP's lack of credence to the Lakers is a bit surprising, as while they've found tons of success against LA, Darvin Ham's squad has also played them a lot closer than other teams have, with both Phoenix and Minnesota losing games by much wider margins than the Lakers did last postseason. 

That being said, LA losing 8 straight does them no favors, especially given how every game has seemingly followed the same script, with the Lakers keeping the game close – and often even having the lead, until the final few minutes where Denver takes over. 

Expect LA to have used his comment to build some motivation, but there's limited reason to believe that the outcome of their head-to-head matchups will change any time soon.