While there were other teams being mentioned, the defending champion Golden State Warriors came into this season as the clear favorite in the Western Conference. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the Warriors still have that championship core and the Los Angeles Lakers and everyone else in the West are chasing them.
Of course, things got off to an awful start for the Lakers, but things have begun to turn around and the team finds themselves just three losses behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the sixth seed in the West. The Lakers have undoubtedly been aided by the extreme parity in the conference, but many have taken notice of their recent play, including Green.
Green recently spoke about the state of the Western Conference prior to the Warriors’ victory over the Boston Celtics. While he said that he isn’t concerned about anyone in the West, he did note a couple of teams he isn’t counting out, with the Lakers being chief among them, via Talkin’ NBA:
“No I’m not concerned about anybody in the West. I think there are good teams in the West, good teams that you have to fear, or have the appropriate fear as Coach Kerr is always talking about. Phoenix is one of those teams. I’ve been telling everybody for two years now, I’m never counting the Lakers out. They got LeBron James, they got Anthony Davis, they got Russell Westbrook, I’m never counting them out. But I don’t worry about anybody in the West. I have appropriate fear and I know what teams are capable of. But I know if we play our A game nobody is beating us.”
When the playoffs come, rotations shorten and the star players really rise to the next level. When a team has a pair of stars like the Lakers do in Anthony Davis and LeBron James, not to mention Russell Westbrook thriving in a new sixth man role, they are always a team that can cause concern.
Of course, the Lakers still have to make the playoffs and despite their recent run of strong play, still remain outside of the playoff picture for the time being. But with Davis playing at an MVP level, LeBron still being elite and the front office exploring some potential moves, Draymond, the Warriors and the rest of the West are right to keep their eyes on the Lakers.
Lakers coach Darvin Ham assesses 3-3 East Coast road trip
The Lakers were able to stay afloat during their recent six-game road trip that saw them go 3-3 against some serious East Coast competition and head coach Darvin Ham was happy with his team’s performance.
Ham believes the Lakers performed great and that he was happy and satisfied with his team. While he lamented the loss in Philadelphia, he insisted that the team was trending in the right direction.
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