The Los Angeles Lakers have already booked their ticket to the NBA playoffs, but how far they actually go remains to be seen.
Without their top two scorers for the next few weeks, it’s unlikely that they’ll be whole again before the end of the first round. That makes them easy pickings for the top contenders, whom JJ Redick recognized as coveting to play the Lakers.
“I’m sure everybody wants to play us,” Redick said before the Suns game on Friday. “Let’s get that out there, like, everybody wants to play us.”
The Lakers were looking really good up until their latest injuries. After securing 50 wins for the second straight season, they were on track to pose a major threat in the West, and the chemistry between teammates was at its peak. But now, the Lakers are an afterthought in the title race, with teams like the Nuggets already thinking ahead to the second round.
“[Teams] are in a position where they can start looking forward to potential second-round matchups as well,” Redick added. “We see some of those teams rest their entire lineup basically, so they — we can’t be concerned with all of that. Again, I’ll say what I told the team yesterday, what I told you guys after the game: we have to figure out the formula and the belief for this group to be successful. And so, that’s our focus for tonight, and that’s going to be our focus on Sunday.”
There’s still a chance the Lakers could get their stars back, provided that they extend their season long enough. It would be considered a borderline miracle for the Lakers, but JJ Redick is implementing a game plan to best utilize the players LA still has available. If they can just hold on, it will give them a puncher’s chance in the series.
Regardless, the odds are stacked against the Lakers, and any team that gets them in the first round will be celebrating. At fifth in the West, that team is currently the Rockets, and they are peaking right now as winners of eight straight games. If the Nuggets lose today and the Lakers get a win over the Suns, it will be the Timberwolves who match up with L.A., and we’ve already seen what they can do after back-to-back appearances in the West Finals.
Even in the lower seeds out West, the Warriors, Trail Blazers, and Clippers all pose a bigger threat than this mangled Lakers squad, who must now rely on 41-year-old LeBron James to carry the load. After canceling his golf match earlier this month, we know that James is mentally up for the challenge, but whether his body will hold up is another matter entirely.
For now, all the Lakers can do is hope for the best as they fight to stay alive. With teams clamouring to play them in the first round, they cannot expect any mercy in the weeks ahead. There’s no sympathy in times of war, and nobody’s going to feel sorry for a team that will be right back in the title picture next season.
