Los Angeles Lakers: Ideal western conference playoff seeding

With the playoffs rapidly approaching, the Western Conference standings are as important as ever. Let’s take a look at what combination would give the Los Angeles Lakers their easiest trip to the NBA Finals.

The Los Angeles Lakers know all too well that the Western Conference has long been considered the stronger of the NBA’s two conferences with 14 of the league’s last 21 champions coming out of the West and this year is no different. While the seeding in both conferences is still very much up for grabs, the eight teams that will make the playoffs in the East is pretty much a lock.

The West, on the other hand, is in the middle of a very fluid battle for positioning with the eighth seed being the most polarizing spot. The Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs are all within four games of each other and battling each and every night to gain traction.

However, although the eighth seed is getting the most attention, the rest of the conference is still very volatile as well. The Los Angeles Lakers are holding onto first place as of right now with a 5.5 game lead on the LA Clippers while the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks all sit with only 2.5 games in between each of them.

We all know how important of a factor seeding can be when determining playoff success. With that in mind, let’s assume that the Lakers lock up the first seed in the West and take a glimpse into the future to see just what realistic combination would give them their most stress-free path to the NBA Finals.