LOS ANGELES — There comes a point in every playoff series when both teams come to an understanding.
The understanding of which team is best, and which team will win the series.
For the Lakers, both realizations crystallized in Game 4 of previous series — against Memphis, when the Grizzlies choked on their own arrogance and blew an overtime opportunity, and against Golden State, when the champs couldn’t muster their usual moxie to win a road game that was right there for the taking.
In the Western Conference finals, there they were, throwing everything they could at the Denver Nuggets in the third quarter.