Being the underdogs didn’t stop the Los Angeles Lakers from registering a dominating Game 1 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
After the stunning performance, Lakers legend Magic Johnson was extremely impressed with the team. Johnson even made a huge statement about the ceiling of the Lakers on Twitter following the win over Grizzlies.
“If the Lakers continue to play like this, they can beat Memphis and anybody else in the West!”
If the @Lakers continue to play like this, they can beat Memphis and anybody else in the West!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 16, 2023
Johnson claims the Lakers have the potential to not only defeat the Grizzlies in the first round but win the Western Conference as well. However, the only underlining is if the Purple and Gold can continue to be extremely solid on the defensive end of the floor.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the charge on defense on Sunday night, and it resulted in a 128-112 win. But can the dynamic duo continue to do that throughout the series without being exhausted? Now, that’s something that could make or break this season’s playoff run for the Purple and Gold.
Charles Barkley Thinks The Lakers Have The Easiest Path To The Western Conference Finals
The Lakers had to go through a lot of trouble to clinch a permanent spot in the playoffs. Sure, it’s 0-0 for every team during the playoffs, and being the seventh seed and aiming to win it all is never easy for a team.
But NBA analyst Charles Barkley believes the Lakers can reach at least the Western Conference Finals this season for one huge reason. Chuck announced that the Lakers have the easiest path to becoming one of the two teams that’ll play in the conference finals.
“If you actually look at it now, damn, the Lakers that was the easiest path to the Conference Finals, and you’re gonna see because they’re gonna be in the Conference Finals… I’d rather be in the Play-In and play 1 bad team at home. Ask the Lakers how they feel right now. The Clippers got a tougher road because they have to go through the Suns and Denver.”
Barkley is certain that the Lakers have an extremely easy path. Even if it’s true, the Lakers still need to be tighter on defense and continue to play at the same level that they played in Game 1.
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