Stephen A. Smith is a diehard New York Knicks fan who would rather watch the NBA Finals in Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Sacramento or the Golden State Warriors than anywhere else. He would especially like to avoid Denver, as he had to travel to Denver last season to watch the Los Angeles Lakers lose to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.

Smith is more confident this season that he won't have to go to Denver because he believes the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns and Lakers can all beat the Nuggets. However, he is concerned about the inconsistency of Anthony Davis as he has a tendency to miss games and disappear in key moments.

If Davis can perform consistently and play at the level of the NBA's best players, then the Lakers have a good chance of reaching the NBA Finals in Los Angeles. Smith is praying for this to happen because he desperately wants to see the Lakers win a championship.