Los Angeles Lakers: Why the play-in could be a blessing in disguise

As it currently stands, the Los Angeles Lakers are the seventh seed in the Western Conference and will be forced to play in the newly-implemented play-in games for the seventh and eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs.

Assuming they stay as the seventh seed, the Lakers would essentially play in a double-elimination tournament. The Lakers would play the eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors with the winner being named the seventh seed. The loser has to go on and play the winner of the ninth and tenth seed to earn the eighth seed.

There is a reality in which the Lakers play two ugly games and miss the playoffs altogether, as unlikely as that sounds.

The team could climb out of the seventh seed but there is not much time remaining. The Lakers are only one game back of the sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers but do not own the tiebreaker, essentially making it a two-game cushion for Portland.

It is tough to make up two games when both teams only have four games remaining. Thus, the play-in might end up being the reality.

This could be a blessing in disguise for the Los Angeles Lakers.

While it might seem less than ideal, if we look at the glass-half-full, it is easy to see the positives of the Los Angeles Lakers playing in the play-in games for the seventh and eighth seed rather than climbing out of the bottom two into the sixth seed.

Part of the thinking has to do with the current standings and any potential movement could change the line of thinking. However, with the Phoenix Suns two games back of the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers three games back of them, it is safe to say that the top two teams are at least locked in.

Let’s get into the reasons why this could be a blessing in disguise for the Los Angeles Lakers.