Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking prospective first-round opponents
By Amaar Burton
If the NBA can put together a 2020 postseason, which first-round opponent would be ideal for the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers?
The NBA, like every major sports league, is currently frozen in time as the global community tries to combat the spread of COVID-19.
With no clear end in sight and Easter Sunday approaching, the narrative is shifting from *when* will the NBA resume play, to *if* the league can resume play, rendering the total cancellation of the 2019-20 season is certainly within the realm of possibility.
If the NBA does eventually pick up where it left off, the Los Angeles Lakers may be impacted more than any other team.
Before the coronavirus shutdown, the Lakers were rolling. They had just come off a momentous weekend in which they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers. The Bucks have the league’s best record, while the Clippers have the fourth-best record. Both teams are (were?) among the favorites in the 2020 championship race.
That same weekend, LeBron James made his biggest MVP statement of the season by outplaying the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard in those two Laker victories.
When the unexpected hiatus went into effect, the Lakers owned the best record in the West (49-14) and had never looked better. They were on top of the NBA mountain.
After taking weeks, maybe months off, would the Lakers be able to regain that momentum? Can LeBron, at 35 years old, avoid the court rust and keep playing at an elite level?
In a normal season, it would be safe to bet on these Lakers to at least make it to the conference finals, if not go all the way and win a championship.
But in this wholly unique situation, it seems anything could happen if the league can properly complete its season. It wouldn’t be a surprise for a top-seeded team to get caught cold and lose to an underdog in the first round.
This means who the Lakers draw in the first round will be more important than you’d think. This year’s opening round may not be a walk-through for even the most star-studded team.
If the playoffs were to start today — or, if some have suggested, the playoffs begin as soon as the NBA is cleared to play again — here’s what the Western Conference bracket would look like:
1. Lakers
*****
4. Utah Jazz
*****
*****
2. Clippers
The Grizzlies have a 3.5-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot. The San Antonio Spurs are a half-game behind that group.
If the NBA truncates the regular season and/or goes right into the postseason, the most likely outcome is the Lakers hanging onto their No. 1 seed and facing the Grizzlies in the first round.
If the NBA elects to keep its 82-game schedule, any of those aforementioned teams fighting for eighth place could catch the Grizzlies. It seems highly unlikely any of them would catch the seventh-place Mavericks, currently seven games ahead of Memphis.
Which one of those teams — the Grizzlies, Blazers, Pelicans, Kings or Spurs — would the Lakers most like to play against? Who would they least like to play against?
Here’s a ranking of L.A.’s prospective playoff opponents, from least to most ideal.