The Los Angeles Lakers will head to Orlando as the team to beat in the Western Conference. LeBron James and company were firing on all cylinders before the COVID-19 pandemic put everything on hold in this country back in March. The consensus as of right now is they'll be tough to stop during the NBA playoffs with the two-headed monster of James and Anthony Davis being too much to handle for any team in their conference.

Although LeBron's squad may very well be the favorite to come out of the West, there are a few teams that could give the Lakers some trouble in the postseason. The L.A. Clippers are arguably at the top of that list as they beat their division rivals in two of the three games played in the regular season with Kawhi Leonard being a handful to contain and Paul George making matters worse once he was healthy enough to participate in what has become the Battle for L.A.

Even though everyone will be waiting for what could be the inevitable showdown between the Lakers and Clippers, Frank Vogel and his coaching staff could face some bumps in the road as they try to advance to the NBA Finals with three dark-horse teams that may present problems for this talented team in Los Angeles.

Portland Trail Blazers – Logo Lillard

Damian Lillard's Portland Trail Blazers have underachieved this season. After a dramatic and frankly incredible postseason performance from Lillard last year when he ripped the heart out of the Russell Westbrook's Oklahoma City Thunder, the Blazers haven't been able to get back to form as one of the better teams in the West. They could miss the playoffs altogether if unable to secure the eighth seed.

However, if Lillard and C.J. McCollum can put it together after the long hiatus and figure out a way to clinch the final playoff spot in the conference, they could pose a threat to the Lakers. Lillard plays the Lakers as well as any star player in the league today as he always takes his game to another level at the Staples Center.

In the 27 games he's played against the Lakers in his career, Lillard averaged 27.7 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 38.6 from beyond the arc.

The perennial All-Star turns it up a notch when he faces the purple and gold, and along with his ability to play at a high level against Los Angeles, Portland has some battle-tested veterans on the team that could also play a factor. Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Hassan Whiteside, and McCollum could create some problems for the Lakers as well during a seven-game series.

Houston Rockets – Small-Ball Problems

Before the NBA hiatus, the Houston Rockets were on to something as they went with the bold move to trade Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks and try small ball moving forward. The Russell Westbrook-James Harden seemed to be a bust before they flipped the script, and now they could be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.

Personally, I think the Rockets are nothing more than a gimmicky team led by a player in Harden that will shoot them out of games as he's never really been able to put it together during the playoffs. Westbrook has been similar in that regard with zero success in the postseason outside of playing alongside Kevin Durant. They also lost four of their last five games before the season was suspended.

However, the new-look Rockets did give the Lakers some trouble back in February with their new small-ball tactics and a seemingly rejuvenated Westbrook. Houston beat Los Angeles at the Staples Center with relative ease with Westbrook dropping 41 points.

There's no telling what this Houston team or any squad in the postseason will look like after this long absence, but if Westbrook and Harden are locked in, and small ball starts working again, they could be a tough out.

Oklahoma City Thunder – Nothing To Lose

One of the biggest surprises during this 2019-20 NBA season has, without a doubt, been the success of the revamped Oklahoma City Thunder.

After throwing in the towel on the Russell Westbrook-Paul George duo, the Thunder went younger while also bringing in future Hall of Famer, Chris Paul. The retooling of this team was thought to be an ongoing process with Paul not expected to stay in town for very long. There was constant speculation about the team trading Paul elsewhere, but it never happened, and the team started to show some signs of life with the veteran point guard leading the charge.

The Thunder went from a team that everyone expected to be NBA Lottery-bound to a legitimate playoff squad. Paul seemed to turn back the clock while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is arguably the future face of the franchise, Danilo Gallinari, Dennis Schroder, and Steven Adams, quickly developed chemistry and formed a solid unit.

Although Oklahoma City is likely headed for a first-round exit, this team literally has nothing to lose and everything to prove. That is a powerful motivator and could pose a threat to a team like the Lakers that might underestimate them.