Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s just say it out loud: The Lakers would have a better chance against any other team in the Western Conference than they would against the Nuggets.
Los Angeles finished the regular season as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, which means that they will play the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in tournament.
The winner of that game advances to play the No. 2 seed in the West, which is the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Some really smart people and others in the sports media world are already suggesting Los Angeles should intentionally lose against New Orleans.
If the Lakers are defeated by the Pelicans, they would then host the winner of the other play-in game, which is the Kings against the Warriors. The winner of that game would advance to play the No. 1 seed in the West, which is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It is no secret that Los Angeles has had more success against Oklahoma City than they have had against Denver. The Nuggets — who eliminated them in the postseason last year — beat them all three times they faced each other this season.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have won three consecutive games against the Thunder this season. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg went as far as to say that Lakers coach Darvin Ham should rest James and Anthony Davis (who did get hurt in the regular season finale) against New Orleans.
There is absolutely no world, however, in which that is a good idea.
It is simply an awful suggestion to tempt fate like that and face the potential ridicule of that backfiring, especially when the Pelicans are a team that Los Angeles can absolutely beat outright.
Most importantly, the two teams waiting for the Lakers in the secondary play-in game (Kings and Warriors) don’t exactly represent a guaranteed win for Los Angeles.
Neither scenario above is exactly a walk in the park here, especially as the team waiting on the other end will have momentum coming off a victory.
Sacramento has won eight of its last nine against Los Angeles and Davis has (somehow) literally never defeated Kings big man Domantas Sabonis during his NBA career.
The other option is the Warriors, who famously have Stephen Curry and four NBA championships under their belt since Steve Kerr took over as coach. No thanks!
If the Lakers do not feel they are capable of beating the Nuggets, then guess what? That means this season wasn’t meant for them to win a championship because defeating Denver is a part of that process.
Test the roster you have built this season and look at the task in front of you, which is getting past the Pelicans. If that is a win, then try your luck against the Nuggets. D’Angelo Russell should come into this series with a lot more confidence than he did last postseason.
Perhaps the Lakers get a chance against the Nuggets and the two-man game of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray steamrolls them. Then it wasn’t meant to be and it’s time to think about the offseason.
WNBA Mock Draft
For The Win’s Meghan L. Hall is reporting live from the 2024 WNBA Draft and beforehand, she has a mock draft predicting the outcomes of what may happen in New York tonight.
Check out where your favorite prospects will end up playing in the pros.
Latest power rankings!
Before the postseason begins with the play-in tournament on Tuesday night, Mike Sykes ranked all of the NBA teams with a chance to win the championship.
Read what he thinks because he knows what he is talking about.
Shootaround
— Caitlin Clark had a hilarious SNL appearance fighting back against Weekend Update women’s hoops jokes
— Rockets’ Boban Marjanović intentionally missed two free throws in a row to give Clippers fans free chicken
— LeBron James and J.J. Redick talking about court mapping on their new NBA podcast is outstanding
— The NBA said Lakers vs. Grizzlies went an extra minute due to a clock error. It’s an egregious mistake in 2024.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: LeBron and the Lakers shouldn’t mess with karma to avoid the Nuggets in Round 1 of the playoffs
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