7-1 — that was the Los Angeles Lakers' record over what should have been one of the most brutal stretches of their schedule. There were nightly meetings against contenders, potential first-round matchups, and a team or two looking to play spoiler. None of it mattered.
When this eight-game stretch began, six of those opponents were above the Lakers in the standings. Now, that only remains true for just one of those teams. Only the New York Knicks, who Los Angeles pummeled 110-97, narrowly edge them out in record.
The Lakers will care a whole lot more about the win-loss column for their conference rivals. They had an excellent opportunity to give themselves the edge in the race for the third seed, and they did just that.
After wins over the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves, they locked up tiebreakers against each of the teams who represent their main competition for the three seed. They still remain one and a half games up in the race for that spot too.
More than just seeding, the Lakers have clearly gained real confidence in navigating this part of their schedule. With the NBA Playoffs less than a month away, the timing could not be better for Los Angeles to have real proof of their viability against these great teams.
Lakers have evidently turned a corner and they can never look back
The Lakers look so much better over their recent stretch that many are unafraid of inviting conversations of contending back to Los Angeles. At this point, why not?
The Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be the clear favorites to come out of the West and win the NBA championship. They will remain in that position until tangible playoff results say otherwise. Who really slots in behind them?
The San Antonio Spurs are second in the standings, but NBA history has typically dictated that young teams with very little experience in the postseason tend to get bounced before getting some real mileage on them.
Beyond the Spurs, the Lakers have displayed they can keep up with that next crop of teams they are a part of. So, again, why not?
There is nothing that, at this point in time, clearly suggests the Lakers are notably worse than any of those second-tier teams. The Western Conference has a lot of flawed but talented teams beyond the powerhouse at the top. Los Angeles is no worse.
Even amid their struggles, a Western Conference Finals appearance felt like a real ceiling for this season they could aspire to. That is very much so in play. Going beyond that? That may still take a little bit of work. To quote Kevin Garnett, though, "Anything is possible," — maybe just not probable.