With the NBA regular season coming to an end, there remains one uncertainty fans should keep an eye on: the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference. At the onset of the season, nobody predicted that the Los Angeles Lakers, a perennial contender for decades, would be jockeying with the Utah Jazz this late in the season for a spot in the playoffs.
The Lakers, who won the NBA Finals in 2009 and 2010, made strong moves this past postseason to rejuvenate their aging roster. General manager Mitch Kupchak added frontcourt superman Dwight Howard and one of the all-time greatest facilitators in Steve Nash.
The Jazz, on the other hand, are a middle-of-the-road team with limited playoff experience. When former franchise star Deron Williams left Utah for the New Jersey Nets (now Brooklyn), the team struggled to reinvent itself — they changed their roster, their jersey and their coach, until eventually the pieces assembled into a mosaic of relative success.
Though both teams are in the same situation, this season should be considered a dramatic failure for the Lakers and a sign of progression for the Jazz.
Behind both the Lakers and the Jazz, the Dallas Mavericks are the dark horse candidate for the eighth seed in the West. The Mavericks’ front office tried to acquire both Howard and Williams last summer and came up a hair shy on both offers. Franchise owner Mark Cuban decided to postpone the chase for star talent until next season. In the meantime, the Mavericks strung together a makeshift team full of one-year contracts and lead by team veteran Dirk Nowitzki.
Still, with four games left in the season and a relatively tame schedule, the Mavericks have a slim shot at a playoff berth. The Lakers, who currently hold the eighth seed, will play playoff-bound teams in their final three games. Meanwhile, the Jazz are only a game behind the Lakers in the standings with only three games left.
Regardless of which team captures the eighth seed, a tough road lies ahead in the playoffs. The bottom seed will have to play the top team in the Western Conference, which will either be the San Antonio Spurs or the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs have won five championships in the last 15 years with the same talented core group of players that seem impervious to time. The Thunder, who won the Western Conference Finals last year, are the polar opposite: young and possibly on the cusp of their first championship since moving to Oklahoma five years ago.
Of the three teams in contention for the West’s last playoff spot, the Lakers would have the best chance at making a deep run. They have the experience to counter the Spurs and the run-and-gun offense to keep pace with the Thunder.
It’s clearer than ever that Kobe Bryant’s days are limited in this league, and he will do his best to reach the NBA’s precipice one last time. With the help of Nash, a two-time MVP equally hungry for his first title, and Howard, an All-Star with a chip on his shoulder heavy enough to weigh down his 265-pound frame, Bryant and the Lakers should make an impact on the big stage.
If the Lakers approach one game at a time and consistently play with a cohesive sense of purpose, perhaps they can still enjoy the success that we all expected from them this season.
Nishaad Ruparel is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].
