Go, close your eyes and dream.
You saw what the WORLD Series Dodgers parade was like. Acclamations. Flags. Confetti.
Something like it could happen soon, and it could happen before November.
The road to the NBA final opens for the Lakerswhich are suddenly in second place in the Western Conference.
“It’s great,” Luka Donic said. “Excellent position to be, honestly.”
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The last time the Lakers entered the playoffs with a seed so high in 2020 when they won Their bubble championship. The last time they appreciated the advantage of the field in an post-season series is when Kobe Bryant was still playing for them.
“We just have to continue stacking on the days”, Dorian Finney-Smith said.
There are only 23 games in the regular season.
Holding their position will not necessarily spare the Lakers a difficult match in the first round of the playoffs.
They could face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who reached the final of the conference last year. Or the Dallas Mavericks, which would probably have Anthony Davis In their range by then. Or the Mowerthat could be dangerous if Kawhi Leonard plays like the Kawhi Leonard of yesteryear. Or the Golden State Warriors, who increased following their trade for Jimmy Butler.
But the Lakers would have an advantage at home, which is not a small detail since they have the third best home record in the League behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The advantage of the Lakers inside Crypto.com Arena has the impression of having grown up since the acquisition of Doncic. The home crowd was fascinated while Doncic made a series of three recovery points and struck LeBron James With another crossing passage A 108-102 victory Sunday evening, on the mowers. The spectators celebrated when Donic celebrated and they were galvanized when he spoke of the garbage.
“The atmosphere,” said Doncic, “is incredible.”
But it’s not just Donic. Since they had two games postponed by destructive forest fires in the region last month, Lakers have the best record in the League at 18-5. They also have the best rated defense.
The Lakers managed to be consistent without aligning a coherent range. The 23 -game section includes matches played in various conditions: with and without Doncic, with and without James, with and without the missing davis.
They beat the mowers on Friday and Sunday. They didn’t have Rui Hachimura in the first match, and they did not have both Hachimura and Austin Reaves in the second.
They raised their game against the best teams they have played because their recent victims include Boston Celtics, New York and Denver Nuggets Knicks. Their only defeats last month were the Utah Jazz, linked to the lottery and Charlotte Hornets.
“These opponents we play are very good teams”, coach JJ Redick said. “These are eliminatory -type matches, just in terms of physics, the effort of the two teams.”
There will be more games like this. After welcoming the Knicks Thursday, the Lakers embarked on a trip to four cities which includes stops in Boston, Milwaukee and Denver.
Redick said he was not concerned about the place where his team is cut – however.
“I want to make the playoffs,” he said. “I don’t want to be in the game (tournament). Until it is secure, the thought of sowing will not cross my mind. »»
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With their victory over the clippers on Sunday, the Lakers moved at 6 years old and at the time of the game tournament.
Redick’s wish to avoid the tournament is fully understandable. The Lakers reached the playoffs three times in the previous four seasons, each time by survivor at the game tournament. Twice, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, in particular by the Nuggets last year.
Lakers should be able to enter the playoffs through the front door this year, and once they are there, they should have a chance to do a serious race.
They are not only playing as a team that could win a championship. They are positioned as a team that could win a championship.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
