Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson gave his Western Conference Finals pick a few weeks before the playoffs. The postseason chase is coming to a close, and the Lakers are currently in a great spot. While the regular season is always a grind, LeBron James and Luka Doncic are gearing up for a deep run. The blockbuster trade for Doncic now has Lakers fans thinking this group can win a title, and at this rate, why not?

The Lakers are currently 48-30 overall and third in the Western Conference. They have additionally gone 16-9 with Doncic in the lineup. Head coach J.J. Redick has done an excellent job integrating the transcendent talent into the team's offense while improving the defense. With that in mind, Johnson, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, made his prediction on who the last two teams in the West will be.

“I predict that if the Warriors and the Lakers end up in opposite brackets, they’ll be playing each other in the Western Conference Finals. It’ll be must-see-TV in the East and the West!”

The Lakers still need to close the regular season out strong to avoid the Play-In

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The West is once again fully loaded with multiple teams desperately trying to get out of the Play-In. In addition, several of these franchises have made drastic decisions toward the end of the year. The headline news recently has been the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies shockingly firing their coaches just before the playoffs. Still, all of these teams are very dangerous.

The No. 8 seed in the conference, which is currently the Grizzlies, sit at 46-32. No. 8 through No. 5 all have the same record, while the No. 4 seeded Nuggets are 47-32. If the Lakers were to lose out, they would be in grave danger of dropping into the Play-In. However, Los Angeles looks poised to hold their spot based on its recent form. This group has won two straight and is coming off a blowout victory of the Oklahoma City Thunder. This roster seems to be gelling at the right time.

Overall, time will tell whether Magic Johnson's prediction becomes a reality. As of now, Los Angeles is lined up to play Golden State in the first round, but a lot can change in the next few days. That being said, it's great that Johnson's take on the Lakers being one series away from returning to the Finals is no longer seen as bold. This proud franchise is back where it belongs.