Lakers News: Insider Reveals LA Is Confident It Can Beat Top West Seeds
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Since the dust settled on this year's February 9th NBA trade deadline, your revitalized Los Angeles Lakers have looked significantly better, thanks to a variety of savvy Rob Pelinka roster adjustments.
Just how good can this team be, considering that its two best players can't be counted on to stay healthy? The Lakers, at least, aren't lacking for confidence with regards to their postseason outlook. Since the new players have been available (February 11th), LA has gone 11-6, even while missing LeBron James for its last 12 contests.
Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes told Substack scribe Marc Stein that LA is convinced it could actually take down either of the Western Conference's best teams by record, the 49-24 Denver Nuggets (the overall top seed in the West) and the 45-27 Memphis Grizzlies (the second seed), in a new edition of their podcast #thisleague UNCUT.
“They believe they got a legitimate shot to take down Denver,” Haynes told Stein. “They believe they got a legitimate shot to take down Memphis. I don’t know about Phoenix when [newly added All-Star power forward Kevin Durant] is healthy — I haven’t asked around on that front — but there’s no fear at all.”
This freshly fearless LA squad will next get its chance to bolster its Western Conference seeding tonight, when it hosts an Oklahoma City Thunder team with an identical 36-37 record.
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