One of the reasons Los Angeles Lakers fans don’t think highly of the LeBron James era in team history is the fact that the team has had to go through the play-in tournament in three of the last four seasons. In all, other than that 2020 NBA championship the Lakers won, they have had four play-in tournament appearances and two other seasons in which they missed the playoffs since James came to town.
But this year has had a different feel ever since the monumental Luka Doncic trade two months ago. Despite a couple of slumps, the Lakers have looked like a different team with a different soul, and this spring, their path through the postseason will be different.
Their 112-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic’s former team, on Wednesday guaranteed them a top-six playoff spot in the Western Conference. That means they will make the playoffs outright and bypass the play-in tournament for once.
Got it done in familiar territory đź¤
Luka and the Lakers clinch a playoff spot‼️ pic.twitter.com/NDq2YZIEio
— ESPN (@espn) April 10, 2025
Not only will this mean an easier first-round playoff opponent for the Lakers, but it will also mean they will get a full week of rest before the playoffs start. That means an extended period of rest and recuperation, not to mention the ability to hold multiple practices and adequately prepare for the playoffs.
They have two games left on their regular-season schedule — one at home versus the Houston Rockets on Friday and one more on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. One more victory in either of those games will give Los Angeles the third seed in the Western Conference, which would give it a much more favorable path in the playoffs than even the fourth seed would offer.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The Lakers won’t be in the play-in tournament this year
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One of the reasons Los Angeles Lakers fans don’t think highly of the LeBron James era in team history is the fact that the team has had to go through the play-in tournament in three of the last four seasons. In all, other than that 2020 NBA championship the Lakers won, they have had four play-in tournament appearances and two other seasons in which they missed the playoffs since James came to town.
But this year has had a different feel ever since the monumental Luka Doncic trade two months ago. Despite a couple of slumps, the Lakers have looked like a different team with a different soul, and this spring, their path through the postseason will be different.
Their 112-97 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic’s former team, on Wednesday guaranteed them a top-six playoff spot in the Western Conference. That means they will make the playoffs outright and bypass the play-in tournament for once.
Got it done in familiar territory đź¤
Luka and the Lakers clinch a playoff spot‼️ pic.twitter.com/NDq2YZIEio
— ESPN (@espn) April 10, 2025
Not only will this mean an easier first-round playoff opponent for the Lakers, but it will also mean they will get a full week of rest before the playoffs start. That means an extended period of rest and recuperation, not to mention the ability to hold multiple practices and adequately prepare for the playoffs.
They have two games left on their regular-season schedule — one at home versus the Houston Rockets on Friday and one more on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. One more victory in either of those games will give Los Angeles the third seed in the Western Conference, which would give it a much more favorable path in the playoffs than even the fourth seed would offer.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The Lakers won’t be in the play-in tournament this year
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