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Los Angeles Lakers: Why LA shouldn’t worry about missing the playoffs

By Jason Reed

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 07, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on before the game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on February 07, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

3. The competition for the eighth seed isn’t as bad as you think

Right now the Los Angeles Lakers have five teams within three games of them in the standings both ways. Three games ahead of the Lakers are the Los Angeles Clippers; three games behind the Lakers are the New Orleans Pelicans.

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The rest of the teams, in order, are the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. The Western Conference certainly is deep this season and all of these teams could make the playoffs. However, they are not as great as you may think.

We will start with the teams ahead of the Lakers. The Clippers have surprised everyone this season by making a playoff run when everyone thought this year would be about tanking. The team did just deal its best player in Tobias Harris and is fully geared for the offseason, not for this year.

The Clippers will fall off.

The Sacramento Kings are also a surprise team but lack the experience that the Lakers have (outside of the young core obviously) and will eventually fall.

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ record is better than the team really is and Andrew Wiggins is not a good enough second player alongside Karl-Anthony Towns to outlast the Lakers.

Dallas is compelling because of the Luka Doncic–Kristaps Porzingis dynamic but the roster has been somewhat depleted with the recent moves and buyouts and that will show down the line. We love Luka but the focus there is on next year.

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Finally, the New Orleans Pelicans are probably the most talented team of these five from top to bottom but are a dumpster fire after the Anthony Davis saga. Making the playoffs defeats the Pelicans’ purpose of protecting Anthony Davis.

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