The Western Conference is one of the most competitive races we’ve seen in recent times. With less than a week to go in the regular season, the two through eight seeds are all still up for grabs. Former Laker legend Magic Johnson, just like the rest of us, is very excited about the race as well. So excited that he decided to tweet a bold prediction about how the Western side of the playoff bracket will go down.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder have successfully run away with the Western Conference. They own a 12.5-game lead on the second seed and have clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. It’s been an incredible season piloted by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s still the front-runner for the MVP award.
But as mentioned, after the Thunder, the rest of the Western Conference playoff picture is up for grabs. The Houston Rockets have been able to clinch their division and separate themselves by 3.5 games from the three-seeded Lakers.
However, after the Lakers, from seeds four through eight, each team is tied with 32 losses. A win or loss from each team could be the difference between a locked-up playoff spot or the NBA play-in.
With all of the excitement, a lot of NBA fans have been debating online about all of the potential outcomes. That’s why Magic decided to join in on the fun and give his bold take on how the Western Conference playoff picture will look.
“I predict that if the Warriors and the Lakers end up in opposite brackets, they’ll be playing each other in the Western Conference Finals. It’ll be must-see-TV in the East and the West!” Magic penned.
Indeed, a bold prediction from Magic. He’s betting on the veteran talents of LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Magic thinks the two will work a little magic of their own and match up in the Western Conference Finals. In most seasons, it would be a good bet to make. But it would mean that one team would most likely have to get by the aforementioned Thunder.
I predict that if the Warriors and the Lakers end up in opposite brackets, they’ll be playing each other in the Western Conference Finals. It’ll be must-see-TV in the East and the West!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 8, 2025
Yet, with the way things are shaping up, Magic’s prediction might not be too bold. The Lakers just had a statement win over the Thunder and have the opportunity to do it again tonight. It’s been a great regular season for OKC. But it’s yet to be seen if they can get over their youth mentality and achieve playoff success.
At the end of the day, though, it was a win on April 6th, and not during the playoffs for the Lakers. One could easily chalk the loss up to the Thunder simply taking their foot off the gas with such a massive lead on the West. Or that the Thunder doesn’t want to show the Lakers, a potential playoff matchup, any of their good plays. You could also argue that the Lakers have more to play for than OKC at the moment.
All of this may be true. But at the end of the day, it was an embarrassing display of basketball from the Thunder on Sunday. Furthermore, it sparked hope in Lakers fans like Magic Johnson that maybe the veteran talent of LeBron and Luka Doncic will be able to outduel the likes of SGA and the Thunder come playoff time.
