Although the standings have changed slightly in the race for the 8th seed in the Western Conference, nothing has been settled yet. And even before going into Tuesday’s big day of games at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff picture, LeBron James discussed what will be different for the Lakers once they get to the playoffs. For him, the Lakers are physically ready but the mental preparation comes from locking in on your opponent.
“So, me personally, as far as mentally, I’m not in playoff mode,” James said after Monday’s game. “Physically, I’m getting there. I feel like my legs have gotten better and better, my game has improved more and more, I’m getting more and more comfortable with the bubble. But as far as the mental side of it, I’m not there. Personally, I don’t think our team is there personally, but we will be. It’s a different type of mindset that you have to be in, but you don’t want to jump into it before you actually get there because it takes a lot. A lot of energy and a lot of effort.”
The Lakers still have to wait for the results of Thursday’s games before they can even narrow the list of potential opponents down to 2. Then the 8th seed will be decided in this weekend’s play-in series, which will begin with Game 1 on Saturday. If the 8th seed wins, they will advance and if the 9th seed wins, there will be a Game 2 in the Play-In series on Sunday.
[lawrence-related id=33621,33618]