Lakers level the league

Many think the Los Angeles Lakers have become one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. It's very hard to disagree with them.

The Lakers are very close to becoming the first team in league history to finish the playoffs without losing a single game. Is this the same team that almost self-destructed in March? Yes and No.

The only personnel change between now and then is that they don't have to deal with the daily antics of Isaiah Rider, who conveniently came down with back spasms just before the playoffs. Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and more importantly Derek Fisher are healthy - and more important they're gelling together in what could form the most unbeatable team in NBA history.

Derek Fisher is the key. Everyone knows about Kobe and Shaq, but when you can have a third scorer like Fisher (especially with a performance like he gave against San Antonio) it makes the two of them that much better because there is another scorer to worry about defensively. Throw into the mix the steady play on both ends of the court by Rick Fox and Horace Grant, and you have a starting lineup that will tear the heart right out of any opponent.

And that's just what they're doing. Beating opponents by an average of 15.5 points per game while cruising to an 11-0 record in the playoffs, this team is not just winning, they're annihilating anyone in their way. During the playoffs Fisher, Bryant, Fox, and O'Neal are all averaging double figures.

They're grabbing an average of 8 more rebounds per game than their opponents, and they are stifling opponents with a defense they failed to show throughout the regular season, holding whoever is in their path to a meager 40 percent Field Goal Percentage.

There is also another reason for the Lakers' resurgence in the post-season: the three-pointer has made its triumphant return to the Staples Center in the form of Kobe Bryant, Brian Shaw, and Derek Fisher. Fisher is hitting an amazing 51 percent of his Three-Point Attempts, including the incredible 15-20 display he put out against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Shaw and Bryant are shooting 38 percent and 32 percent respectively.

When you couple all these factors together with the everyday dominance displayed by Shaquille O'Neal and the impressive amount of learning Kobe Bryant has done since his ankle injury, the picture looks a little gloomy for whoever comes out of the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell, and Tim Thomas in their arsenal, but no big man with enough meat on his backside to pose a threat to O'Neal. And Allen having to guard Bryant will be exhausting to say the least, especially if the East Finals go to seven games. He is getting a workout already guarding the Sixers' Allen Iverson, so the question is just how ready will Allen be for another tough match-up?

If it's the Sixers who go, Dikembe Mutombo may be able to put a chink in Shaq's armor. He has been one of the league's most prolific shot blockers. His 2,646 place him sixth all-time. But can he stop the pure power of O'Neal? The way the Lakers are playing now, probably not. That will put the emphasis on Allen Iverson and create one of the premier match-ups in basketball today: Iverson vs. Bryant. Which right now could very well go either way. So that means the supporting casts will be even more important, therefore the edge goes to the Lakers.

And we shouldn't forget the way Kobe Bryant has matured into one of the game's all-time best playmakers. He's the initiator of the offense. He's getting him teammates involved, playing defense, and more importantly averaging 31.6 Points Per Game in these playoffs, while shooting 49 percent. What's more telling, though, is that he's leading the team in Assists Per Game at 6.2.

It was a long time coming but the Los Angeles Lakers have matured into what everyone thought they'd be at the beginning of the year. They faced the gauntlet, nearly let it destroy them, and came out stronger in the end. And now with perhaps a week off to rest and get ready for the Finals, the only question that remains as the sun sets on this NBA season is whether or not they'll actually finish 15-0. If they continue at the level they're at, there's no reason it shouldn't happen. And if it doesn't, they'll just have to make do with being champions - again.