Lamar Odom Calls LeBron James 'the God of Basketball'; Says Lakers Can Win NBA Title

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom is bullish about his old team's NBA championship hopes this postseason thanks in large part to LeBron James.

"God James. His name is God James. The god of basketball," he said to TMZ Sports. "As long as we healthy, we're gonna win a championship."

Los Angeles opens its playoffs Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies. The team advanced to the first round after coming from behind to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the play-in tournament.

The idea of the Lakers bringing home an 18th title would've been laughable early in the season, but the team has been transformed following its roster reshuffle ahead of the trade deadline. Since Feb. 10, L.A. has the sixth-best net rating in the league (4.8), per NBA.com.

Along with James maintaining his incredible longevity, Anthony Davis has performed this year at the level that's required to make the Lakers serious contenders. He averaged 25.9 points, 12.5 dribbles and 2.0 blocks during the regular season, and he set a career-high for field-goal percentage (56.3).

A level of skepticism about the team remains. The Lakers have the eighth-best championship odds (+1900) at FanDuel.

Still, you can't blame Odom and other fans for feeling optimistic following Los Angeles' second-half turnaround.

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