1 1/2 behind with 8 to go!!! can we do it?

[That Nicka]

its possible but dont count on it

[Hunter103]

Realistically, the Lakers should just be looking to win out, let the chips fall where they may. If SA turns around and clinches, try and stay ahead of everyone in the East. Can't worry about who'd fall into which bracket.

That said, it would certainly be much more favorable to pull the Hornets (or outside chance Rockets) in the 1st round, and get as many teams who'd give the Lakers fits into the other bracket. Either way, if the season ended today the Lakers would still have to go through the Mavs or Blazers in the 2nd round. At least Thunder/Nuggets and Spurs/Grizzlies would eliminate 2 big obstacles no matter which way they go.

Of course, it's possible the Grizzlies could move into 7th and the Hornets drop to 8th, in which case you'd have to choose between OKC or the Mavs in round 2. I'd say equal difficulty either way.

Ultimately it's pointless to even try and figure this out until probably after 80 games, and even then depending on who wins the rest of the way.

[minnytola1960]

Realistically, the Lakers should just be looking to win out, let the chips fall where they may. If SA turns around and clinches, try and stay ahead of everyone in the East. Can't worry about who'd fall into which bracket.

That said, it would certainly be much more favorable to pull the Hornets (or outside chance Rockets) in the 1st round, and get as many teams who'd give the Lakers fits into the other bracket. Either way, if the season ended today the Lakers would still have to go through the Mavs or Blazers in the 2nd round. At least Thunder/Nuggets and Spurs/Grizzlies would eliminate 2 big obstacles no matter which way they go.

Of course, it's possible the Grizzlies could move into 7th and the Hornets drop to 8th, in which case you'd have to choose between OKC or the Mavs in round 2. I'd say equal difficulty either way.

Ultimately it's pointless to even try and figure this out until probably after 80 games, and even then depending on who wins the rest of the way.

Agreed. It's still too early to be thinking about which seed we should get. Memphis, NO, and Portland are only separated by one game a piece. Very good chance the order gets jumbled by the time the playoffs start. Also not impossible that other seeds could change too. Mavs could possibly either finish really strong and move into the 2 seed or finish horribly and fall into the 4 seed. What if Portland falls to 7 and OKC moves into 3rd? Surely want the 1 seed in that case.

[JohnMcCartney]

lets just try to win every game from here on out and if we get the #1 seed great, if not we'll play whoever.

[Hunter103]

Bulls beat the T-wolves, so they own the tiebreaker now. Have to finish ahead of them for HCA should they make it, and they have 1 less chance to lose now with only 8 games left.

[Hunter103]

Hornets beat the Blazers, Portland is in 7th place, for now. If they lose a couple more and the Grizz keep winning, they could drop to 8th. Or they could still move up to 5th. It's going to be a wild finish.

[Nett]

Anything is possible. Hope the Celtics give us a hand.

[Mamba Mentality]

I think there's a good chance. If Manu and Duncan out, I could see the Spurs losing six straight until they beat Phoenix and even that isn't a walk in the park. Our Portland, OKC, San Antonio stretch is going to be huge, we need to go no worse than 2-1 and beat San Antonio in the process.

Lets say that the Laker do finish with the #1 seed, where would this put Kobe in the MVP race? I think it could make things pretty interesting.

[CowsMoo]

winning builds confidence(not that it's necessary), finishing this stretch is important. It's good to get a momentum going.

[Anklebreaker702]

What did I tell yall

[FisherSucks]

If the Lakers win out, and the Spurs go 5-2 with 1 loss to the Lakers, the Lakers will get HCA due to a better record vs own conference.

But again, the question is, do the Lakers want OKC? To me, the answer is hell no.

If I have 1 million dollars on the betting table for the Lakers to win the championship, I would rather try to win 1 game vs the Spurs on the road than to play OKC.

[snaquille oatmeal]

If the Lakers win out, and the Spurs go 5-2 with 1 loss to the Lakers, the Lakers will get HCA due to a better record vs own conference.

But again, the question is, do the Lakers want OKC? To me, the answer is hell no.

If I have 1 million dollars on the betting table for the Lakers to win the championship, I would rather try to win 1 game vs the Spurs on the road than to play OKC.

the true sign of a champion is when you beat the best anytime any place, not when you hope to D'antoni your way up to the top.

[Leor_77]

Here are the Spurs remaining games...I don't really see very many tough teams, so we'll have to see what happens. Hopefully Houston will play hard since they are desperately fighting for that 8th spot.

vs Houston
vs Phoenix
@ Atlanta
vs Sacramento
vs Utah
@ LA Lakers
@ Phoenix