NBA: Grading would-be playoff teams in the Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers (49-14)
Grade: A+
A no-brainer really, the Lakers have been dominant all season long. With a record of 49-14 and an insane 26-6 on the road, the Lakers have been firing on all cylinders from the get-go. LeBron James is performing at a level never seen before for a player in his 17th season and proving to everyone that he isn’t ready to give up the crown just yet. It helps to have Anthony Davis alongside him, arguably the best big man in the league.
The team still lacks shooters and a true third option but up to this point, they haven’t needed one. The regular season has gone as well as it could go and they were in the hunt for the overall No. 1 seed in the NBA before the suspension of the season. It is well known that LeBron also turns it up a notch this time of year as well.
Still lacking a true third option, it would be interesting to see how they’d fare against a stacked Clippers team, who they just beat recently, in a seven-game series. The Clippers, who seem to be the biggest threat to the Lakers, would be slight favorites due to overall talent and coaching but James and company can never be counted out.
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Out of all the teams currently in the playoff picture, there are only two teams who stand head and shoulders above the rest and those are the two juggernauts in Los Angeles. Whether we continue the season or not is yet to be seen, but it was shaping up to be one of the best postseasons in recent memory, with the Western Conference, once again, ready to deliver.