LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers started the season eight games under .500. Now they're four wins away from the NBA Finals.
Los Angeles took down the defending champion Golden State Warriors, 122-101, in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference finals. The No. 7-seeded Lakers will go on the road to play the West's top seed, the Denver Nuggets, in Game 1 on Tuesday.
The Lakers started the season 2-10 under first-year coach Darvin Ham and completely overhauled the roster midway through the year thanks to a flurry of trades by vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka.