The Los Angeles Lakers could face several teams in the NBA Playoffs.
With the NBA season officially set to return on July 30th, 22 teams are heading for the Disney World with playoff aspirations. As we often learn in life, hard work from the jump usually has its perks. Clinching the NBA playoffs are no different.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, this play-in is a chance to shake off a little rust. While most teams are feeling the pressure of a season that now hinges upon a mere eight games, the veteran Lakers are sitting pretty atop the Western Conference.
Despite having the fourth-hardest strength of schedule for the rest of the season, the Lakers have a 99.8% chance of holding onto the number one seed in the West, according to The Ringer.
Only five eighth-seeded teams have ever upset a one seed in the first round of the playoffs. However, with a deadly pandemic, protests around the country, and untimely deaths in our NBA family, 2020 has been a beacon for the unexpected.
With that in mind, the Lakers likely care more about their first-round playoff matchup than any team in history. With 22 teams checking into Orlando this July, twelve are coming from the Western Conference.
Out east, the final two playoff spots will likely fall to the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic.
According to ESPN, the Nets have a 70.6% chance at nabbing the seventh seed and a 29.4% chance of finishing in eighth. Orlando has only a 29.4% chance at moving up to seventh, but a pretty safe bet to hold onto the eight seed at 64.7%. The Wizards have a minuscule shot at eighth place at 5.9%, but the Nets and Magic should be a lock for the playoffs.
With this in mind, the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks have a pretty clear idea of who they’ll be facing in this first round of the playoffs this summer. In the Wild West, things don’t shake out as easily.
Los Angeles Lakers: Eighth-seed opponent odds:
With the return of both Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins, the Blazers lead the race to eighth with a 35.3% chance. Unlike the Eastern Conference, however, Memphis and New Orleans are nipping at their heels with a 32.4% and 29.4% chance at the final seed respectively.
In fact, ESPN sees a play-in series in the cards. Whether things end up coming down to the wire or not, the Lakers can’t exactly begin scouting their first-round matchup with any certainty.
As Laker fans, we’re beginning to ask ourselves who the Lakers would want to play come playoff time. With so much time off, Avery Bradley bowing out for the safety of his six-year-old son, and players returning from injury, this can be tough to answer. With plenty of time on our hands, let’s take a whack at it anyway!
The New Orleans Pelicans have really taken a leap forward this year. With newly-minted All-Star and former Laker Brandon Ingram carrying the scoring load, veteran Jrue Holiday as consistent as always on both ends of the floor, and the explosive rookie Zion Williamson now in the fold, many NBA fans think this would be a great first-round series.
In fact, former Celtic and current ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins believes the league is pushing hard for this matchup with the way the updated schedule looks:
The Zion storyline and a few former Lakers on the roster might make things interesting on paper, but this matchup would likely be a cakewalk for the Lakers. With a 4-0 record against New Orleans this year, a Lakers vs. Pelicans matchup would be classic Hollywood: form over substance.
Despite a head-scratching 88-105 loss in their last matchup, The Los Angeles Lakers don’t have much to fear against a young and inexperienced Memphis Grizzlies team either. The Lakers are currently a comfortable 3-1 record against the Grizzlies this season and aren’t worried at all about one bad game.
Although Bradley’s absence could give rookie point guard Ja Morant a bit of wiggle room on offense, most of us can’t see a team with an average age of only 24 years giving a veteran Laker team much trouble at all in the playoffs.
The Portland Trailblazers boast one of the best backcourts in the league in C.J. McCollum and superstar Damian Lillard. Although the Lakers have a winning record against this team as well, they also dropped their most recent game to them.
To make matters worse, the return of both Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins strengthens an already elite interior defense. Although the Bradley situation won’t matter much against a young Grizzlies team, a backcourt that boasts two elite guards could give the Lakers fits without their best perimeter defender. Even with Bradley available in their last matchup, Damian Lillard ripped the lakers for 48 points in the win.
To make matters worse, CJ McCollum had an off night, Hassan Whiteside killed the Lakers inside with 30 points and 13 rebounds, and Carmelo Anthony and Jusuf Nurkic were both DNPs. Additionally, veteran forward Trevor Ariza–who joined the team in a trade with the Kings back in January–had been with the team just 10 days at that point.
At the end of the day, the biggest enemy of the aging Los Angeles Lakers is fatigue. With so much time off, it’s likely that the team cruises on to the second round of the playoffs. However, as the Bucks eye them from across the standings, the easiest path to the finals is in the Lakers’ best interest.