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LeBron James on Lakers' Playoff Seeding: 'Let the Chips Fall Where They May'
May 15, 2021
The Los Angeles Lakers need some help to avoid the play-in tournament, but LeBron James isn't stressing about seeding.
"Let the chips fall where they may be," James told reporters Saturday. "We'll be ready to go."
The Lakers have one game left in the 2020-21 season and are tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. They need to beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday and hope the Trail Blazers lose to the Denver Nuggets in order to finish at No. 6. Otherwise, Los Angeles would have to play its way into the first round with a game against the team with the eighth-best record in the conference.
The positive sign for the Lakers is they appear to be peaking at the right time.
James and Anthony Davis have each missed significant time because of injury but were both in the lineup for Saturday's win against the Indiana Pacers. LeBron scored 24 points in his first game back from an ankle injury, while Davis had 28 and is now averaging 31.5 points in his last four appearances.
Los Angeles seemingly has loads of confidence after four straight wins, including victories over the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks.
The midseason struggles will create a tougher path in the postseason—including a higher-seeded opponent in the first round if the team falls into and survives the play-in tournament—but there is enough talent on the roster to beat anyone in the NBA.