Do the Clippers have a shot at the First Seed?
As it stands, the Lakers have a very firm grasp on the first seed. They are 5.5 games ahead of the Clippers. With only 8 games left in the season, the Clippers still have a slight chance at getting the first seed.
The first thing that needs to be done is an analysis of both team's possible schedules:
Lakers presumptive schedule: Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Utah Jazz, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.
Clippers presumptive schedule: Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, and Sacramento Kings.
The Lakers will face 6 playoff teams in their 8 games, the Clippers will face 5.
The only scenario in which the Clippers can emerge the first seed is if they win out a majority of their games, 6-2 or higher. That is a legitimate chance of that happening, given that they should be the clear favorites in every single game, except against the Nuggets.
Conversely, the Lakers would need to lose a handful of games. The Lakers would need to go 2-6 in their final games, which is highly unlikely. Granted, they are facing some pretty tough teams - Houston, Utah (2x), Denver, Raptors. Outside of those five games, there shouldn't be a reason why the Lakers lose any games.
The big thing to remember though, is that this is still an unprecedented time in NBA history. Everyone has had a plethora of rest, but everyone hasn't been able to touch a basketball. There's no telling if the lesser teams like the Phoenix Suns can pull off an upset.
Ultimately, the Clippers just need to secure the second seed. In this rare moment, there are no homecourt advantages, that doesn't matter anymore. The only thing that matters is securing proper playoff matchups. Kawhi Leonard's Clippers need to ensure that they don't fall into the same rough first-round matchups that Lob City always did.
