LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were fighting hard to secure the 6th seed and avoid the play-in tournament completely, but their loss to the Bulls down the stretch of the season essentially locked them into 7th place.
Now, the Lakers will have to win one or two play-in games before facing off against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. And while they will be going against a broken and bruised Timberwolves team, LeBron isn’t going to let his guys underestimate what’s in front of them.
“It’s different cause usually in the postseason you have multiple days of prep for a team,” James said of the Play-In Tournament, via The Athletic. “But you literally have one day to prep. … For us, it’s just good that we don’t need to travel. We’ve traveled a lot lately. It’s good that we get to stay here, but we shouldn’t be comfortable. We have to stay on edge and get ready for the game.”
LeBron has enough experience to know that the playoffs bring out a different side in players. So even after losing several important contributors, the Timberwolves are going to fight hard to keep their season alive, and the Lakers will have to be sharp on both ends if they want to secure a victory.
“That’s a challenge versus everybody, and Minnesota is no different,” James said. “When you got guys like KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) and Anthony Edwards, those guys can both go for 40 against you and put multiple pressure on you…”
How Far Can The Lakers Go In The Playoffs?
The Lakers have one of the best records in the league since the deadline, and their defense has been nothing short of elite. If they can stay healthy, and Anthony Davis plays aggressively, there is optimism that L.A. can actually pull this off.
“This team that I’ve been watching, they’re going to the Finals this year, on the back of Anthony Davis,” said an NBA Insider. “They have been the best defensive team—the 2nd part of the season in the Western Conference, and I like their chances.”
Of course, we will see soon enough how serious these Lakers are about making a run, but they need to take care of business on Tuesday if they want to get some time to prepare for a potential first-round opponent.
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