The Los Angeles Lakers have seven games remaining in the regular season. And in that time, they will face multiple important Western Conference opponents as they jockey for seeding in a crowded group from No. 2 to No. 8. Head coach JJ Redick and his staff will have to figure out the best balance between getting as high a seed as possible and preserving his players for a potentially deep run.
The stretch begins on Thursday night when the No. 4 Lakers face the No. 5 Golden State Warriors. They later have two straight games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road — they already have the No. 1 seed clinched — and one more game against the Houston Rockets. Winning these games would be massive for seeding and confidence purposes.
For Redick, the goal for these games is to become mentally ready for the playoffs. The Lakers are going in disadvantaged due to how new the top end of their roster is, and need every possible game to prepare.
“It’s very simple. I think we all recognize the magnitude of each game and the urgency with which we have to play each game,” Redick said of the focus for his team. “I think once you get to the playoffs, anybody who has been there, we have a bunch of guys who have won championships and a bunch of guys who have made deep playoff runs, the urgency you have to play with on each possession, that’s what’s exhausting about the playoffs.
“It’s a mental, physical and emotional toll. You have to be locked in on every possession. Not to say that good teams aren’t locked in 90% of the possessions in the regular season, but we’ve gotta do that over these next eight games. We’ve got to build our playoff mentality and it’s gotta be tonight.”
The Lakers have certainly not been consistent when it comes to defensive effort over the last few weeks, and that’s something they desperately have to get back before going into the playoffs. With the way the conference is currently, every series is likely to be a battle.
Playoff mentality is both an individual and a team thing. The Lakers have the individual experience to have that mentality, but they need to develop it as a team as well.
LeBron James: Lakers need urgency in final seven games
LeBron James echoed a very similar sentiment to JJ Redick when asked about the goals for the final seven games. In LeBron’s mind, the Lakers cannot take their foot off the gas pedal and have to continue playing with urgency each and every night.
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