Despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ miserable crawl towards the 2021 season’s finish line, LeBron James and company still must be the title favorites heading into the postseason.
The Lakers have gone 3-7 over the last ten games, the worst out of any team still trying to reach the playoffs. To add insult to injury, the Los Angeles Lakers’ most recent loss to the Portland Trail Blazers pushed the Purple and Gold down to seventh place in the Western Conference and into one of the dreaded play-in games.
A win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday didn’t help much, as the Lakers are still a game behind Portland.
Yes, the Lakers’ path towards a championship will be more difficult this season versus last. Still, we can’t forget many experts had the Purple and Gold pegged as first-round losers in 2020 to the scorching hot Portland Trail Blazers, before LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the squad won in five games.
Yes, the Lakers won’t have home-court advantage, but the Lakers played dominant basketball on the road this year with LBJ and AD on the court, plus hometown fans won’t be a factor this postseason because of the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
Yes, the Lakers almost certainly have to compete in a play-in game, presumably against the Warriors, to make the postseason. Golden State is a one-man show. The Purple and Gold have proven adept at shutting down high-scoring guards through Frank Vogel’s defensive schemes and because of Alex Caruso, KCP, and Dennis Schroder’s ability to molest players on the perimeter.