National NBA Writer Predicts Los Angeles Lakers Will Make NBA Finals
When LeBron James won championships with the Miami Heat, he was always the favorite.
If he does it again, he will have to win as the underdog. And that's exactly what Sports Illustrated NBA writer Chris Mannix thinks will happen. On Thursday, he wrote a column saying the Los Angeles Lakers will make the NBA Finals.
"Believe me: This team in this conference can get it done," Mannix wrote. "Don’t think so? Watch Davis. Davis’s injury history has made him a piñata for critics—Charles Barkley has referred to Davis as “Street Clothes”—but when he’s out there, he’s a force. “It all starts with [AD],” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. Davis is averaging 26 points this month. He’s shooting 58% from the floor. When he has shot the three—Davis is attempting 1.4 per game, the fewest since his third season—he is connecting on a respectable 35.7% in March."
The Lakers hold the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings. Mannix feels a favorable conference and the presence of James and Davis are enough to make it through the postseason.
"I know—the Lakers still have to make the playoffs," Mannix wrote. "Wednesday’s win bumped L.A. up to the No. 8 seed. But it is a game back of Minnesota—which the Lakers will see Friday—for the seventh spot and one in the loss column behind the Warriors for sixth. They have four games left on this road trip, but two of them (Houston, Utah) look winnable and another is a de facto home game against the Clippers."
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