The Los Angeles Lakers are prepping as if they'll be playing postseason basketball games at some point.
According to Mike Trudell, L.A. head coach Frank Vogel and his staff are already looking at potential playoff opponents:
Vogel has his assistants “working on the playoff opponents as if the (regular) season were not to resume and they were to go right into the playoffs,” just in case. “So whenever we’re able to resume we’re ready to go.”
At 49-14, the Lakers were 5.5 games ahead of the L.A. Clippers for the top spot in the West at the time of the season's indefinite hiatus.
If the league opts to jump directly into postseason hoops upon its return, the Lakers would face the upstart Memphis Grizzlies (32-33) in the first round. Memphis leads the Portland Trail Blazers (29-37) and the New Orleans Pelicans (28-36) by 3.5 games for the West's No. 8 seed.
Vogel's comments echo those of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer:
“Finding ways to dig into potential playoff opponents, maybe not just first round, but Eastern Conference…If we can put a little money in the bank with preparation for the first round, but also if you go a little bit deeper in the East.”
The Lakers trail the Bucks (53-12) by three games for the right to home court in the NBA Finals—though that may be rendered moot if the Finals end up on a neutral site.
The NBA is reportedly weighing a bevy of options for how the league can resume its 2019-20 season if the coronavirus pandemic settles down, including the possibility of an abbreviated postseason in Las Vegas.
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