Over the past decade, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have combined to win five NBA championships and make seven trips to the NBA Finals. This season, both teams are struggling to move up the standings.
Although both the Lakers and Warriors have played much better basketball since mid-January, they’re only in 10th and ninth place, respectively, in the Western Conference. While some believe both squads could go deep in the playoffs if they continue to play well, others aren’t so bullish about their prospects.
ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins sounds convinced Golden State is better suited to have a deep playoff run than LeBron James and company (h/t Lakers Daily).
.@KendrickPerkins says the Warriors have a better chance to make a run than the Lakers:
"It's Golden State over the Lakers right now any day of the week. … When I look at the Lakers, I see a dysfunctional organization." pic.twitter.com/oyS1l6S52y
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 7, 2024
“What I’m lookin’ at when I look at the Warriors, I’m looking at a team that has bought all the way in, right?” Perkins said. “A team now that has finally got over that hump, that’s saying, ‘You know what? We’re taking ourselves out of the equation and losing ourselves within the team.’ When I look at the Lakers, I see a dysfunctional organization right now. We don’t know if Darvin Ham is gon’ play D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell) in the fourth quarter. We don’t know what type of minutes he’s gonna get. He may go to IG and post something about dloading and all things to that nature.”
While Russell has been playing well overall through the last six to seven weeks, he’s still prone to poor games and stretches, especially against big-time opponents. On Saturday in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, he scored four points in the second half and went scoreless in the fourth quarter.
On Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings, he shot 3-of-10 and didn’t make a single shot after the first quarter.
The Lakers have won 14 of their last 23 games, but they have a long way to go to simply reach the playoffs again. If they get there, they will have to contend with a Western Conference field that is deeper than it was last season.