hero ball is THE way LA played the entire year. How the heck would Kobe be in the race for the scoring champion if they didn't funnel the offense towards him the entire season. Even Gasol's numbers greatly diminished because of the way the offense was ran. It worked during the regular season but for the playoffs they were doomed from the very start. They were just lucky in that Denver series and when they got OKC, a team who has MORE offensive firepower than they do then that's the end of the story.
It is still Kobe's reaction to OKC's D all the more, Gasol still can't handle a good defensive Center, although now with the addition of Dwight they will be better.
Still, OKC's centers/bigs can handle them.
Durant is the man to focus on and not Westbrook. The guy can power his team for a win and on the next night shoot them out of the ballgame. That's how he is. he is the model of inconsistency as shown in the Miami series.
I'm not saying that it will be a cake walk for LA. What I'm saying is that with the upgrades that they just had it will be very very close this time around.
Westbrook is still dangerous because I also cannot see anyone stopping him from the current LA line up regardless of the consistencies, plus... Durant etc.
Then the Spotlight is on Nash with his role on the Laker's Team D', even Jamison is no Durant Stopper.
Offcourse its not a cake walk for LA, that's M.Brown's problem though.