Standings Watch: Race To The Playoffs

This is a path we have no control over. I’d rather try to win all the remaining games to forego the play in.

 

I can understand why you'd feel that way, but it's just a matter of where you'd rather take your risk - in the play in, or vs Phoenix in the 1st round.

For example, if the Lakers were 7th and you gave Lakers 70% vs Pelicans (and also 70% vs Min or OKC if needed), then that would give Lakers 91% chance of advancing to playoffs. Is that 9% risk of not making it, worth the benefit of facing Memphis (70%) or Denver (21%) instead of Phoenix? I would say yes, as I would say the Lakers have more than 9% improved chance of winning in the 1st round vs Mem or Den, instead of Phoenix. But other opinions may vary.

(Even if you only gave Lakers 60% in each play in game, that would still yield 84% chance of advancing. At 50%, it's 75%. Etc.)

 

If it’s between 5th or the play-in, I take 5th 20 times out of 20.

First of all, the idea that we could start 2-10, trade Westbrook, have him end up on the Clippers, and then we surpass them and finish 5th while those bums end up in the play-in and possibly lose before the actual playoffs… just hook that to my veins.

And second… yeah, I don’t want to face Phoenix in the first round either. But I also don’t want to get eliminated before the first round because AD had an off night in the play-in. If we’re serious about making a legit championship push this season, we have to be prepared to face the Phoenixes of the league.

 

would still rather not face pho or gsw 1st rd though, sac is very inexperienced in playoffs

 

I'm more worried facing Grizz or Sacramento in the playoffs than I am Phoenix or GSW. The latter two teams know that a healthy AD and Lebron is a tough, tough out while the younger teams don't care or respect us, they're just gonna come at you full tilt.

 

gsw is experiemced team and know how to win, sac is not that

 

do we have tiebreaker over GSW?

 

yes, we won 3/4 against them this season.

 

Never tank. Ever.

 

A healthy Suns team is the biggest obstacle out West just because of their firepower. That said, if we're assuming both teams would be healthy whenever they meet, I'd rather get them earlier than later because they haven't had much time to develop chemistry either.

Suns don't have enough defense to content with our options. And this team can put up points with the best of them. We still owe them some get back for them kicking our a**** the past couple years.

 

Agree with all of this. It’s hilarious to me that the media is saying “The Suns are not a super team”. Give me a break. They are the obstacle in the west for us. I think Sacramento, despite their youth, would be my next hurdle.

 

Today was a Good Day...

 

Got to have the mentality of taking on all comers. Winning out would be great, and our confidence would be at an all time high for the season.

to beat the best in the East, we need to be tested at the highest levels of play. If it isn’t our year, then it’s not our year. But no way do I take the foot off the pedal at this point. You’re just getting chemistry and momentum going.

 

I get why people feel this way, but it seems more like it's the other way around to me. That if we're serious about making a legit run, we have to be prepared to win 1 of 2 games against the lesser 8/9/10 teams (instead of immediately taking on the likely best team in the West). Also, 1 AD off night wouldn't eliminate us, it would take 2 in a row.

The debate is not for the 9th/10th spot where you have to win 2 games in a row, nobody wants that. The debate is 5th vs 7th. At 7th, it's likely a home game vs NOP and a home game vs Min or OKC. It's not just 1 game, you'd have to lose 2 in a row to NOP & Min/OKC. If that were to happen, there's no way we would have beaten Phoenix in a series imo. However, in the alternate scenario, a Lakers team in 5th that loses to Phoenix in the 1st round - that same team definitely could have advanced from 7th, beaten Memphis, beaten Sac or Wiggins-less GSW, and made the WCF before probably facing that Phoenix team.

 

Lakers win out, they get the 5 Seed… Right..?

 

Crazy right?

 

Don’t see that happening, but that would be even crazier