The Los Angeles Lakers dropped another game yesterday, losing 131-120 to the Milwaukee Bucks. The loss dropped the Lakers to 30-32, and put their playoff hopes into serious peril as the team heads into the final stretch of the season.
However, players on the team may not even be sure if the playoffs are a realistic hope.
According to a report from Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, while players are getting frustrated with the losing, some within the organization already believe that a playoff berth isn’t even possible:
Frustration and unease have already set in within the organization regarding its playoff hopes. But probably the most worrisome issue among some players is the fear that not everyone believes a playoff berth is attainable.
With their 30-32 record, the Lakers currently find themselves three and a half games back of the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. As the season comes to its end, it looks like the Lakers will be battling the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, and San Antonio Spurs for one of those two remaining spots.
Unfortunately for the Lakers, their final month of play is littered with tough games, including two trips to the Clippers that could help decide who makes it into the playoffs.
Despite the turmoil, the Lakers are presenting a united front:
“We’re aware of it,” head coach Luke Walton said. “We don’t try to harp on it too much. I say it all the time, the way we’re going to be at our best is if we stay present and stay in our mindset on what we're doing in practice, games, day by day. And that's how we’re going to get where we want to get to. But the group is very aware of where we’re at and what needs to happen.”
With just 20 games remaining on their schedule, the Lakers are effectively in playoff mode now, with any loss meaning a possible dismissal from the playoffs.
For LeBron James and the league, that might be tough, as the undisputed best player in the game has made the postseason for 13 straight years, and likely wouldn’t want to stop now.
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