The Lakers looked like a whole different team in their last game against the Warriors. LeBron James and Co. absolutely annihilated the Stephen Curry-less squad in what was a season-changing victory. For the first time since the start of the 2021-22 season, they looked like a proper team capable of winning consecutive, well-fought games.
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However, despite this welcome change, certain pundits are still not sold on the dreams of the gold and purples making it to the playoffs. The recent change, by all means, might be a little too late and the analysts are considering all these factors. Surprisingly, Stephen A. Smith is not siding with the analysts who consider it too late for the Lakers.
Instead, Smith actually called them out on his show for not believing in this LA team. He not only defended LeBron James and the Gold and Purples but also substantiated his claims.
Stephen A. Smith defends LeBron James led Lakers’ chances of reaching the playoffs
During tonight’s episode of First Take, smith indulged in a heated discussion about the Lakers’ post-season chances. The interaction began with the ESPN data team predicting the Lakers have a 12% chance of becoming the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Jalen Rose suggested that the Lakers have no chance of reaching the 6th seed because LeBron James is 38 years old and Anthony Davis has been injury prone.
Furthermore, Michael Wilbon claimed Jalen was right about James and AD. But he also suggested that the Lakers’ upcoming schedule will pit them against teams that the Lakers are not superior to. He also pointed out how, even if the Lakers do dethrone teams like Portland, Thunder, and Pelicans, it’s still improbable for them to dethrone the Timberwolves and the Mavericks. Smith, however, was not satisfied with this answer and called Rose and Wilbon’s statements ‘shameful.’
Stephen A. Smith then pointed out the problems in each of the teams that stand above the lakers currently. He was highly critical of the Pelicans, Warriors, and Jazz. Furthermore, Smith declared that LeBron James and Anthony Davis with this roster would certainly reach the 6th spot.
Will LeBron finally lead the Lakers to the playoffs?
The Lakers missed the last year’s playoffs after one of the worst seasons in recent memory. This year has, until now, been pretty much the same story. However, since the trade deadline, things are finally looking better in the Lakers camp. The arrival of a few key players has not only improved the team by leaps and bounds, but it has also led to the entire NBA community debating their odds of reaching the playoffs.
LeBron James has already clarified his wishes. He does not want to miss two playoffs in a row this far in his career. In all fairness, the most probable way for the Lakers seems to be the play-in tournament. It would be awfully hard to dethrone the current top 6. Being in the play-in is the most probable way for the Lakers to head to the playoffs.
Luckily for LeBron James, the recent changes to the squad are already showing results. If the gold and purples can manage to maintain this rhythm, they will certainly get to the playoffs.
