The View From The Throne: Who In The West Might Challenge
The Lakers?  LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 27: Kevin Durant #35 of the
Oklahoma City Thunder posts up Ron Artest #37 of the Los Angeles
Lakers in the first half during Game Two of the Western
Conference Quarterfinals of the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Staples
Center on April 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)  For further Lakers information,
please visit Silver Screen and Roll  The Los Angeles Lakers have
won the NBA's Western Conference three years running, and
they're overwhelming favorites to do so again in 2011. Earlier
this week, ESPN asked 93 of its NBA writers and reporters for
their pick to win the West, and 88 of them went with the Lakers.
Vegas is giving the purple and gold about one-to-one odds to
come out of the West, with the next-best contender all the way
down at six-to-one. This is the sort of cred you pick up when
you're 12-0 in conference playoff series over the past three
years, with only one of those oppone