Top Four Trap Games Left on the Los Angeles Lakers Schedule
With 11 games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers are locked in a tight race to determine home court advantage in the playoffs.
Granted, Kobe and company are road tested and have no fear of pressure packed playoff games on the road. But they will be the first to tell you they would prefer a game seven at Staples Center. Currently, the Lakers are a game and half ahead of Dallas for the second seed in the Western Conference.
In the Eastern Conference, the Lakers are tied in the loss column with Boston and are two ahead of Miami. If the playoffs started today, only San Antonio, Chicago and Boston (due to conference record tiebreaker) would have home court advantage in a match up against the Lakers.
After escaping Tuesday’s thrilling, dramatic (and slightly unnecessary) triple overtime battle with a victory over lottery-bound Phoenix, the Lakers have four games left against similar opponents who are more than capable of playing the role of spoiler.
#4: April 6th, at the Golden State Warriors
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Sure, the Warriors are down again this year and the losses keep piling up. Coach Keith Smart is on the hot seat, Monte Ellis is sulking and the team remains uncommitted to playing both sides of the floor. But the Warriors always find a way to make the game interesting when they host the Lakers.
Stephen Curry and company will certainly try to speed the game up, jacking up threes in a high-octane, street-ball type of affair. Kobe will likely have to score 40 to keep pace if Gasol and Bynum get lost in the foot race. While I think the Lakers will ultimately prevail, expect a dangerously close and uncomfortable contest.
#3: March 25th, Against the Los Angeles Clippers
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The Clippers have beaten some of the NBA’s best teams this season. With a healthy Chris Kaman and DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers have the size to stay with the Laker big men. Throw in rookie phenom Blake Griffin, whose physical play was pivotal (and controversial) in the Clippers only victory over the Lakers this year, as well as a rejuvenated Mo Williams, who has had some big games against the Lakers while with Cleveland, and the Lakers could be in for a dogfight. How the Lakers play in the first and third quarters will determine whether or not they are in danger or in a laugher.
#2: April 1st, at the Utah Jazz
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Despite the fact that the Jazz are dealing with the loss of Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan, and new coach Tyrone Corbin is still trying to integrate new parts (Raja Bell and Al Jefferson) with newer parts (Derrick Favors and Devin Harris), the Utah crowd remains the same; the Salt Palace is still one of the toughest places in the NBA to get a road victory.
With the Lakers arriving on the second of a back-to-back, on the heels of a crucial match up with playoff implications against the Dallas Mavericks, the potential for a let down looms large.
#1: April 13th, at the Sacramento Kings
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This is the last game of the season, so there is a some chance this game could be a moot point to the Lakers; but not to the Sacramento Kings. With all signs pointing to the Maloofs' moving the franchise to Anaheim, this is going to be the last NBA game to played at Arco Arena. In addition, the Lakers will be coming off a back-to-back with San Antonio. Will the Lakers have the two seed locked up? Will they be ahead of Boston, Chicago and Dallas? This game could decide it all. What better way for the Kings to go out than with a playoff spoiling victory over their hated rivals? Expect the Kings to play with reckless abandon and to put up a big time fight in their last game in Sacramento.
