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Lakers guard Luka Doncic gestures during the second half of Sunday’s game at Crypto.com Arena. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
Go ahead, close your eyes and dream.
You saw what the Dodgers’ World Series parade was like. The cheers. The flags. The confetti.
Something like this could happen again soon, and it could happen before November.
The road to the NBA Finals is opening up for the Lakers, who are suddenly in second place in the Western Conference.
“That’s great,” Luka Doncic said. “Great position to be in, honestly.”
Read more: Luka Doncic’s ‘inner demon’ comes out and ignites Lakers to sixth straight win
The last time the Lakers entered the playoffs with as high a seed was in 2020 when they won their bubble championship. The last time they enjoyed home-court advantage in a postseason series was when Kobe Bryant was still playing for them.
“We just gotta keep stacking days,” forward Dorian Finney-Smith said.
Only 23 games remain in the regular season.
Holding on to their position won’t necessarily spare the Lakers a difficult matchup in the first round of the playoffs.
They could face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who reached the conference finals last year. Or the Dallas Mavericks, who would presumably have Anthony Davis in their lineup by then. Or the Clippers, who could be dangerous if Kawhi Leonard plays like the Kawhi Leonard of old. Or the Golden State Warriors, who have surged in the wake of their trade for Jimmy Butler.
But the Lakers would have home-court advantage, which is no small detail considering they have the third-best home record in the league behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers’ advantage inside of Crypto.com Arena feels as if it’s grown since the acquisition of Doncic. The home crowd was mesmerized as Doncic made a series of step-back three-pointers and hit LeBron James with another cross-court pass in a 108-102 win over the Clippers on Sunday night. The spectators celebrated when Doncic celebrated and they were galvanized when he talked trash.
“The atmosphere,” Doncic said, “is unbelievable.”
But this isn’t just about Doncic….
[ad_2]Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/column-lakers-set-themselves-long-110019421.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2025-03-04 11:00:00
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