In the game leading to the second round of the playoffs, calling the Lakers a weak player is an understatement. The entire NBA is almost unanimous that the Golden State Warriors are favorites to win the championship.
Whether it's media, coaches, executives, scouts, algorithms, whatever it is, the Warriors are the most popular teams. Even Las Vegas is bullish on the Warriors.
While it's become a meme, it's really time for #WeBelieve Lakers... Warriors against all teams.
Here are some relevant predictions from the series.
Of the 13 members of the media surveyed, only Dave McMenamin and Andre Snellings chose the Lakers over the Warriors.
Now, nearly half of respondents chose the Warriors in seven games, which is basically just a toss. But we will not add nuances to this. We are playing the underdog card.
The only place where the Lakers can be selected directly is ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI), an algorithm I've always believed in. Interpreted as a way to "take into account the efficiency, schedule intensity, tempo, number of days rested, location of play, and preseason expectations of each game," BPI takes the Lakers very seriously.
We're going to ignore them giving the New York Knicks a better chance of winning an NBA championship against the Lakers and simply saying that we absolutely agree with their highly regarded formula.
Sporty
Instead of using their media or algorithms to conduct polls, The Athletic took the form of interviewing anonymous scouts, executives, and coaches. While the promise of anonymity brought some crazy ideas, all three picked the Warriors for the upcoming series.
"The Lakers are a different team (since the trade deadline) and they're a better team. But the Warriors look like they've regained their magic. They have confidence. They are very cohesive. All their stuff seems to be behind them. (Andrew) Wiggins came back playing well and confidently. ...... I know they played seven games (against the Kings) and easily lost the series. But they trailed 2-0 and won four of the five innings; It's fantastic to face a very good team..."
Five three eight
Another type of algorithm-based prediction, this one comes from FiveThirtyEight. Their ongoing NBA prediction gives the Lakers a 40% chance of moving forward.
This puts the Knicks at least on the other end of the spectrum. Compared to the Suns, the Lakers are more likely to reach and win the NBA Finals.
CBS Sports
Rounding is another unanimous choice for the Lakers, as all seven of the CBS Sports survey chose the Warriors.
For those who track at home, 24 of the 27 predictions listed above support the Warriors. Many of them mentioned that the Warriors solved the problem after Game 7, in which Stephen Curry scored 50 points while the rest of the team shot 23-62 (37%) from the field.