Lakers Are Finals Lock ... and Should Be

C'mon ... it's time to answer a question honestly. Who in the Western Conference is going to beat the Lakers come the playoffs?

The answer: Nobody.

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to go to the NBA Finals. It's as simple as that. And if they don't go to the Finals, it will mean that something went disastrously wrong for them in the postseason.

Like a significant injury, epic collapse or Kobe Bryant-Phil Jackson meltdown. So favored are the Lakers -- and so favored should they be -- that anything less than a Finals appearance will qualify as an utter failure.

Now, once the Lakers get to the Finals, they're on their own. Cleveland and Boston have what it takes to knock them off (we're not sure about Orlando), but we're just talking Western Conference playoffs here.

Think about it ... the Lakers won 65 games this season, proving they are the class of the conference, and are completely healthy heading into the postseason. And every single one of their potential challengers is suffering through injuries or flawed or, quite frankly, not quite at the Lakers' level.

Is there really a team out there in the conference capable of beating the Lakers four times in a series, including at least one game in L.A.? Not now. Not with the current Western Conference landscape as it is.

A quick run-down of the playoff teams and why it's very much a longshot that the Lakers won't get there:

Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets have had a nice year, finishing first in the Division and looking at a No. 2 seed. Those are noteworthy achievements. But the Nuggets haven't won a playoff series in the Carmelo Anthony era, so don't tell me they're going to make a one-year jump of winning two playoff series, which they'll likely have to do, and then knocking off the Lakers.

Houston Rockets: It's virtually impossible to envision the Rockets beating the Lakers in a series where Tracy McGrady doesn't play. How can the Rockets knock off the Lakers if McGrady's not there to provide late-game heroics?

Portland Trail Blazers: What's not to like about the Blazers? They're young and have loads of upside. Still, they're playoff virgins, which means taking down Bryant and the Lakers isn't likely this year. Maybe down the line, but not this year.

San Antonio Spurs: The Spurs wouldn't have gotten 50-50 odds with a complete squad in a series against the Lakers. Without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are getting into the unrealistic realm when it comes to knocking off L.A.

New Orleans Hornets: There's just not enough around Chris Paul and David West, and what is around that twosome is banged-up and/or not playing well. As impactful as Paul is, not even he can will the Hornets to a seven-game series win over L.A.

Dallas Mavericks The Mavs aren't really on the Lakers' level. In other words you don't go from losing six in a row against the Lakers (which the Mavs have) to winning four against them in a three-week span.

Utah Jazz: Anyone who has caught the Jazz's act the last few weeks knows Utah is in free-fall. The Jazz limps into the playoffs losers of seven of their last nine. It defies logic to think they're going to suddenly figure things out and knock off the 65-win Lakers.

The reality of the situation is that the Western Conference postseason has set up perfectly for the Lakers. They are nothing short of overwhelming favorites to make it back to the NBA Finals.

They have home-court advantage, they're healthy and they have more talent than every other team in the conference.

Put it this way, if the Lakers don't get to the Finals it will be fascinating to see why not.