When "360" gathered, the Lakers had already pulled their Hollywood superhero preset plot full, expecting a joyful comedy to be staged, and they did approach this goal at one point, but as the season's regular operations did, the Lakers forced the comedy into tragedy in the fourth quarter.
111-114, the Lakers lost to the Pelicans in this play-off seat battle, Zhan Mei came back to cut 61 points and 20 rebounds, and Westbrook's 10 points in the fourth quarter were in vain.
The defense was once again not on the line, the second half of the fourth quarter was exhausted, the handling of the ball was frizzy, missed a draw, and the Lakers lost for many reasons, most of which were old problems this season and did not change because of the "360" combination.
The Lakers lost a game they couldn't afford to lose, and after that, the Lakers lost 31-46 to 11th in the West, a win difference with the Spurs, who ranked tenth in the West with 32 wins and 45 losses, and a 34-43 9th Pelicans in the West.
The playoff seat is a big step away from the Lakers.
Both teams have the same ranking rules for their regular season records
Note: Divisions refer to the six divisions of the league, such as the Pacific Division where the Lakers are located, and the Southwest Division where the Pelicans and Spurs are located.
1. The winning rate of each other's hands.
2. First in the division (regardless of whether the two teams are in the same division or not).
3. The winning percentage of teams in the respective divisions (both teams are in the same division).
4. Win rate against Western teams (Lakers, Pelicans, and Spurs are all Western teams, so here is the priority in the West).
5. Winning percentage of western playoff teams.
6. Winning percentage against Eastern Conference playoff teams.
7. The difference in points lost in the season.
The Lakers, Pelicans and Spurs are not the first division, and the Lakers and Pelicans and Spurs are not the same division, so the second and third rules of the ranking rules do not apply, mainly relying on the first and fourth.
The Lakers have won 0-3 against the Pelicans in the regular season this season, 2-2 against the Spurs, the Lakers 16-31 against the Western team, and the Spurs 22-25 against the Western team, and the Lakers can no longer catch up with the Spurs in the field against the Western team. This means that whether the Lakers have the same regular season results as the Pelicans or the Spurs, they are the lowest in the Lakers ranking.
All three teams have the same ranking rules for regular season records
1. First in the division (whether or not in the same division).
2. The winning rate of each other's hands.
3. The winning rate of teams in the division (the three teams are in the same division).
4. Winning percentage against Western teams.
6. The difference in points lost in the season.
If the Lakers, Pelicans and Spurs have the same final regular season record, because they are not the first in the division, directly into the second rule of the ranking rules, the three teams have finished the regular season interaction this season, the Spurs are 5 wins and 3 losses, the Pelicans are 4 wins and 3 losses, the Lakers are 2 wins and 5 losses, and the Lakers are still at the bottom of the three teams.
To put it simply, the Lakers have only one way to enter the playoffs, that is, the direct regular season win rate is dominant, there is no other option, but the winning rate is the most difficult road for the Lakers today.
The Lakers have the remaining 5 regular season games, 2 home games and 3 away games, 4 of the 5 games to play the current top six teams in the West, namely the Nuggets (played twice), the Suns and the Warriors, the Lakers are 1-6 against these three teams this season, the only win is the 124-116 victory over the Warriors on March 6, James slashed 56 points and 10 rebounds.
The Pelicans' 5 games are also 2 home and 3 away, and the opponents and the Kings are all bad teams, but the Blazers are a little more special. The Blazers' 2022 first-round pick is the lottery word to stay, not the lottery to the Bulls, because the Blazers have "successfully" played themselves to determine that they did not qualify for the playoffs, the first-round pick has been saved, but the Blazers also have the Pelicans' 2022 first-round pick, this sign if the top four are the Pelicans themselves to stay, 5 to 14 to the Blazers, 15 to 30 to the Hornets. This means that if the Pelicans don't make the playoffs, the Blazers are likely to add another first-round pick, will this make the Blazers choose to fight the Pelicans?
The Pelicans playing the Grizzlies and Warriors are the last two games of the regular season, the second ranking of the Grizzlies in the West has been determined to be the main force at that time, the Warriors want to see when they guard the top four in the West, if they are more stable, they will not die, after all, it is most important to enter the playoffs healthily.
The Clippers are an X factor, they are eighth in the West, it is impossible to grab seven, and saving eighth in the playoffs to get "two lives" is the primary goal. The Pelicans are the Clippers' number one opponent, with the Clippers leading by 3.5 wins and locking in eighth place if they take the Pelicans in direct conversation.
Whether the Clippers will fight the Pelicans to the death depends on The use of soldiers by Lue, the Clippers on April 2 against the Bucks Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris and Batum, this is because of back-to-back reasons, after winning the same main rotation of the Bucks there is a day off, when the Pelicans are full of energy.
The Pelicans' schedule is difficult, but not very big, and they only need to win 2 of the 5 games to secure a play-off spot.
The Spurs are also 2 home and 3 away, and the Blazers have a chance to close a win at home. The Trail Blazers are very determined, losing 16 of their last 18 games, including a 111-130 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio on April 2. The Spurs are different from the Pelicans, they and the Blazers are not involved in the 2022 first round pick, and the Blazers are still very interested in continuing to "act".
After the Blazers, the Spurs have four games left to play against the Nuggets, Timberwolves, Warriors and Mavericks, and the Spurs are 3-8 against these four teams this season. Although there is a possibility that the team will rest in the final stage of the regular season, it is also necessary to consider the ranking at that time.
Among the three teams, the Lakers' schedule is the worst to play, and they are just lagging behind in the rankings, which is even more difficult.
Every next game, for the Lakers is "grab seven", it will be a battle without fault tolerance. The problem is that making mistakes is already a habit of the Lakers this season.