For a non-playoff team, the Lakers are inexplicably confident about the playoffs

For a team that is not yet in the NBA Playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be inexplicably confident about their chances in the playoffs.

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers still have plenty of work to do if they are going to be participating in the NBA’s postseason. The Lakers are currently clinging to one of the final spots in the Play-In Tournament, but the team’s postseason positioning is something that is constantly changing.

There’s a good chance that the Lakers won’t know until the very last day of the regular season whether they’ll qualify for the postseason or not. Despite that, the belief within the organization is that if they do get to the playoffs, this will be a confident team.

Per NBA reporter Chris Haynes, the Lakers would be confident heading into a playoff series against the Denver Nuggets (the current No. 1 seed in the West) or even the Memphis Grizzlies (the current No. 2 seed in the West). Assuming this is indeed so, it’s quite interesting that a team that hasn’t even qualified for the playoffs is so confident in itself.

Should the Los Angeles Lakers feel good about their chances in the NBA Playoffs?

On one hand, I understand the Lakers’ quiet confidence. This is a team that has played much better since the NBA Trade Deadline, even without LeBron James who remains sidelined with an injury. The hope is that he will return before the end of the season and if that is indeed so, I find it hard to believe that the Lakers won’t at the very least qualify for the Play-In Tournament.

Since the trade deadline, the Lakers are 10-6 and have the No. 1 ranked defensive rating with a top 10 net rating. You would have to imagine that if/when LeBron does make his return, this is going to be a team that no one will want to see in a seven-game series.

On the other hand, it’s pretty laughable that the current 9th or 10th seed in the conference would be any level of “confident” heading into a potential playoff series against one of the top two seeds in the conference.

But I suppose the Lakers are going to Lakers. I suppose you should be confident heading into a series with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That’s why you pay them the big money.

Either way, the final few weeks of the regular season should prove to be extremely entertaining. And if we do get a first-round series between the Lakers and Nuggets or Grizzlies, I’m sure this story will pop back into the headlines.