A quick glance at the calendar will tell you that the Lakers are at a disadvantage tonight -- they just finished up a grueling seven-game series with the Rockets on Sunday, whereas the Nuggets have been kicking back for a full six days after taking care of the Mavericks in five. Are the Lakers doomed to come out dragging in Game 1 tonight?Well, the fact that L.A. took care of business so quickly in the first round bodes well for them, as does the fact there was no travel involved, since both Game 7 on Sunday and Game 1 tonight are at the Staples Center. But historically speaking, how have teams pushed to seven games fared in Game 1 of the following round?
Lakers-Nuggets: Series Preview | Live Box Score
Looking at the 2006, 2007 and 2008 postseasons, we saw a series go the limit seven times, and we saw the winners of Game 7 win Game 1 of the following round in five of seven instances. In 2004 and 2005, things weren't quite as rosy: the Game 7 winners went a depressing 0-6. And looking at this year, both the Celtics and Hawks lost Game 1 of the second-round after playing seven in the first.
In fact, since 2002 (the year NBA ridded itself of the dreaded five-game series in the first round), we've seen a grand total of 21 seven-game series. All told, the winners of Game 7 are 8-11 in Game 1 of the following round. (The Lakers/Rockets and Magic/Celtics, for obvious reasons, aren't being counted in that total.)
In the end, will fatigue be a factor? Perhaps, but there isn't any reliable data to say one way or the other -- recent history bodes well for the Lakers, looking back a little further doesn't. More likely than not, though, it'll simply come down to how the Lakers match up with the Nuggets, which is how it should be.
