The Los Angeles Lakers have been showing signs of life lately after a rocky and very uneven first half of the season. They have won six of their last seven games and 11 of their last 16, and offensively, they have been as productive as almost any other team in the NBA.
There seems to be a trickle of belief that perhaps they can make another late-season and postseason surge much like the one they had last spring.
However, former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce feels differently. He said on the “Ticket & The Truth” podcast that he not only thinks LeBron James and crew will not make it out of the first round of the playoffs, but that this is the team’s last shot at getting to the NBA Finals.
“The only for sure I know ain’t losing the first round is Denver. Everybody else I feel like can get popped in the first round if the matchup is wrong,” Pierce said. “I’m not putting no money against Bron vs. the young boys or Steph (Stephen Curry) vs. the young dudes. … This is the last year the Lakers or Golden State have a chance to get to the Finals, this is the last year. After this, their run is over.”
It’s understandable why someone may feel this way. The Lakers haven’t bothered to play hard against many inferior teams this season and have often lost to them in blowout fashion. They have therefore had lots of trouble sustaining any real positive momentum.
However, if they continue their current spurt unabated, another deep run in the playoffs may not be out of the question. Playoff seeding and matchups could go a long way in determining how far L.A could realistically go this spring.