1. They have the best player
James may go down as the greatest player ever, but he is now in his 21st season and can't go quite like he used to. That's not a knock on him - his output given his age and miles on the clock is something we'll never see again - he just can't crank out iconic performances at the same rate as we've seen before.
This was perhaps best summed up in Sunday's game when Bol hit a 3-pointer from the corner when James cheated off him and gravitated towards Booker on a drive. The next time down the court James tried a 3-pointer of his own... and missed badly. James is obviously tons better than Bol even now, but it felt like a telling moment.
Davis can be the best player out of everybody on the Lakers and the Suns, and he showed in when leading his team to in-season tournament glory earlier in the campaign. He's also remained healthier than we've seen in the past, making him a tough matchup for opponents to figure out each night. There's truly nothing he cannot do.
But if you need a bucket, a stop and a player to win you a series, surely Durant is now the most logical choice here? If anything his closest competition may come from his own teammate in Booker. James can't do it four times out of seven, while Davis may not even play in half of those games. Durant though? The best player out there when these two sides go head-to-head.